Spring Pie

Pizza. Lately I have been resorting to pizza on work nights. No not delivery and not even frozen pizza, not even your traditional tomato sauce pizza. Rather I have been resorting to pizza in the general sense. I take a cheap bag of pre-made pizza dough from trader Joes and add different veggies that I have sitting around in my fridge waiting to be eaten. In the words of an Ex the pizza is just a vehicle for the good stuff.

Pizza starts with a good bed. I have found a good cheap bed that is perfect to lay all my veggies on: trader joes pre-made pizza dough. First, the price is right: $0.99 a bag and this is enough to make two pizzas (each pizza is enough for either one with left overs or plenty for two). Second, Trader Joes has three different varieties: plain, herb garlic, and whole wheat.

After a good bed you need some good sheets and a nice comforter to make your bed yummy and pretty. Lately I've been topping my pizza with fresh spring time vegetables. After several trial and errors I have found that the best pizzas are those with simple toppings and not overdone. I had several where I kept putting on topping after topping and then adding cheese. While these were delicious i have grown to like the simpler pie with a few simple toppings and lately have been going cheesless. Following are a few of my recent creations:

Leek Garlic and Mushroom

This is a very simple pizza but the flavors are perfect together. On top of plain pizza dough I brush Olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then I add finely chopped leeks, thinly sliced garlic clove and top with thinly sliced crimini mushrooms. Then cook in oven untill the crust is crispy and the mushrooms perfectly cooked.


Green Onion, garlic, Potato, Mushroom and Asparagus

This is my latest creationg and I think my favorite so far. I used the herb and garlic dough brushed on olive oil sprinkled salt and pepper and a few red pepper flakes. Then added finely chopped green onion and thinly sliced garlic. Next, I added very thinly sliced yellow potatoes and thinly sliced crimini mushrooms. Finally I topped it off with halved asparagus that had been tossed in olive oil and salt and pepper. YUM. and it is pretty too.


Sweet potato Pizza

I made this pizza when I realized that I had a surplus of sweet potatoes that needed to be eaten ASAP. Started with a plain pizza dough base, brushed the dough with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Then added very thinly sliced sweet potatoes. Next I added caremalized onions. Topped with tiny mushrooms tossed with olive oil salt and pepper and rosemary (can't remember their name; the mushroom lady gave them to me in exchange for watching her stand at the farmer's market) and finally topped with a few shavings of romano cheese.

Mushrooms!

I have always had an affinity for the delicious taste of various fungi known as mushrooms! But lately I find myself gravitating to the mushroom in every meal I cook. At both the Dupont and Penn Quarter farmers markets there is a mushroom producer that always has a great selection. When I am feeling indulgent and the season is right (basically the month of may) I can score my favorite wild fungi- the Morel. Though my go-to mushroom is a crimini (a baby portobella).

My favorite way to prepare the crimini is by quartering it, tossing with olive oil, salt pepper, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Then I saute on a medium heat and eventually add butter and cream for a mushroom cream sauce. Good by itself with quartered mushrooms or equally good pureed and added with your favorite fresh pasta.

Alternatively, I take the mushrooms tossed with olive oil et al. and put in a roasting dish (tonight with asparagus) and roast it until the asparagus and mushrooms are soft yet still have a bite to them.

These mushrooms are so versatile that I eat them along side roasted asparagus, on top of a fresh salad with a light dressing, with egs prepared in any which way, or as its own main course.

Who needs boys when you have fungi in your life?

Dang, I LOVE mushrooms!