January Slice of the Month

I have a new project! Yes, yes, I see that many of you are thinking to yourselves, “Edgas, woman. Chillax with the projects…Where in the sands of the Sahara are you going to find the time?” 

OK, maybe it was just John that said that. He can be a parade-pooper on my over-zealously packed schedule. But what even John realizes is there is always time for pizza. ALWAYS.

So let me explain this project. It’s called “Slice of the Month” and I’m creating it for Colavita as a seasonal pizza recipe guide.

Seasonal pizza, you say? Yes, indeedy. Every slice will feature seasonal ingredients (to the East Coast, because that’s where I call home). It will be a lesson in eating what’s fresh and available and even healthy! Because this recipe is just that. It uses my (not-so) famous whole wheat dough recipe, and lots of veggies. Here’s how it goes:

What You Need:

1 recipe whole wheat pizza dough (here it is!)

1 bunch of Lacinato kale – stems removed and chopped

6 carrots, sliced thinly

6 parsnips, sliced thinly (optional)

1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

juice from ½ lemon

fresh thyme, chopped

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Colavita olive oil

What to Do:

1. Place chopped and dried kale in a sealable plastic bag. Add 1 tablespoon Colavita olive oil, ¼ teaspoon sea salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Shake to distribute evenly. Set aside. You can prepare the kale up to 2 hours ahead of time.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Slice the carrots and parsnips (if using) and spread it out on the baking sheet. Drizzle them with Colavita olive oil and the juice from ½ a lemon. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon sea salt, some freshly ground black pepper (to taste), and the chopped, fresh thyme. Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, then flip the slices and roast for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

5. Increase the heat of the oven to 500 degrees. If using a pizza stone, allow the stone to heat up along with the oven for a half hour before baking on it.

6. Stretch out your dough on a cornmeal-dusted peel to about 10-12” in diameter. Place a layer of the marinated kale on top of the dough. On top of that, add on the roasted carrot and parsnip slices. Dollop some ricotta cheese amongst the vegetables in teaspoon-sized amounts. Drizzle with a little more Colavita olive oil and sprinkle with more fresh thyme.

7. Slide your pizza onto the stone in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

8. Remove from the oven and serve!