Week 1

[Posted by Ruth]

Pizza!
With a large enough quantity of lettuce to keep me up at night, I decided to use the Asian Mix in grilled pizza tonight.

S

So, here is grilled Asian Blend Pizza with goat cheese and mango before grilling....

S

During grilling (just to prove I really did grill it)

 And...after grilling and a bit of eating.

It was very good.  One thing I would do differently is to cut up the Asian Blend before putting on the pizza.  At least one of the greens had a stem that got VERY stringy when cooked and we kept taking a bite and pulling a chunk of topping off.  So, here is the recipe but, be warned, cut the greens up a bit first!

Basic Pizza Crust (makes crusts for two pies) - best to do this the night or morning before you want pizza
(or-use frozen dough or even a ready made, boboli-type crust and follow their cooking directions)
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 cups unbleached white flour
1 3/4 cup very warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp sugar
1 T salt.

Sprinkle yeast on warm water until softened.  Whisk in the whole wheat flour and the sugar.  (This is where recipes say to "proof" the yeast and wait until it foams.  I honestly never bother to do this.  Unless you purchased your yeast during the Kennedy administration, you're probably O.K)

Using a stand mixer or good wooden spoon, gradually add in the white flour a cup at a time.  When you've added 1/2, mix in the olive oil and continue adding the flour.  Once all the flour is mostly incorporated, sprinkle in the salt and knead (use the dough hook) for about 7 minutes or, since I did mine in the morning, as long as it takes me to dry my hair.

Should be a nice, soft dough.  Turn into a bowl that has been coated with olive oil, turn over to coat both sides, cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge either overnight or at least from the morning on.

Take out of fridge about 1 hour before you want to roll the dough out.  Roll out on a pizza peel or cookie sheet generously coated with corn meal or more wheat flour.  Top as desired and let sit for 20-30 minutes before grilling or baking.  To grill, get a bed of very hot coals, put a pizza stone over them and close the lid - let the stone heat for at least 15 minutes before putting the pizza on.

Or- put stone in oven and preheat to 500 degrees for at least 1/2 hour.  Then reduce to 425.  In either case, pizza will take 15 to 25 minutes.  Keep an eye on it.  If grilling, it's best to turn it half way through the cooking time to avoid hot spots in the fire.

Asian Mix Topping (this is for 1 pizza, double this if you want to use all the dough and make in two batches.)
Approx 4 cups Asian Mix
1 clove garlic crushed
juice 1/2 lemon
Approx 3-4 T olive oil
generous sprinkling of salt and pepper
4 oz Goat Cheese broken into small pieces
1 very ripe mango cut into small pieces (if you don't have a mango - it's just as good w/out - we make the 2nd pizza without)

Mix greens (see note above and CUT THEM UP) with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss to blend and put on rolled out pizza dough.  Sprinkle mango and cheese on top.  

I will sleep a little easier tonight in the knowledge that I've made a dent in all these greens!