Pizza Obsession

September 25, 2011

OK, guess what?  I’m in the midst of a months- long pizza obsession.  I have nothing earth shattering to say about the obsession, just that it has taken a hold of me.  Quite simply, I crave pizza all the time.  This is not to say that I never craved it before but now the craving is near constant.  Having a simple and (in my opinion) perfect recipe for a crust and a grill just waiting to get heated up makes pizza a super simple and quick dinner in our household*.

My parents, New Yorkers both of them, used to lament the lack of good pizza in Seattle.  And truthfully, up until just a few years ago, it was embarrassing.  Now we have plenty of good pizza.  Not the giant New York slices that you fold in half and wipe the grease off your chin between bites, but pretty tasty nonetheless.  I love all of it.  But I have to say I’m partial to a thin and flavorful crust, a thin schmear of sauce, carefully placed vegetables, and not too much cheese.  That is if I’m ordering it in one of our many delicious pizza joints.

If I’m making it myself, I tend to get carried away by the toppings.  Can you call it pizza if it has no sauce and no mozzarella cheese?  I say yes.  My lovely and amazing friend Denise visited a couple of months ago with her partner Lenny, and she mentioned that their favorite pizza to make these days stars corn, cilantro, and blue cheese.  Yes please and thank you very much.  I’ve made their version a couple of times since corn season began for us Pacific North-westerners and this time I added some chantarelle mushrooms and some squash blossoms.  Why not?

*I would love to tell you that my children ate pizza with corn, chantarelle mushrooms, cilantro, squash blossoms, and blue cheese but alas, I try to set myself up for success here in my house.  I took about a third of the dough and made them their own pizza starring jarred tomato sauce and mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.  Graham told me that he would like a vegetable pizza “with olives” next time.  Special requests aside, they ate the entire thing.  And put carrot sticks on top of each slice.  Carrot pizza!

I’m giving instructions on how to make this on the grill.  It’s super quick and you get that char that is hard to achieve in an oven.  If you don’t have a grill, place a pizza stone in your oven and heat it as high as it will go.  Your cooking time will be longer in an oven.

One Year Ago:  Moo Shu Tempeh (tastes much better than it sounds)
Two Years Ago:  Holly B’s Almond Butterhorns
Three Years Ago:  Roasted Peppers Stuffed with Chickpea Puree and Mushrooms

Pizza with Corn, Chantarelles, and Cilantro
Dana Treat Original
Serves 3-4

As always when I am making pizza, I will direct you to Mark Bittman’s recipe.  The dough is perfect in my opinion.  Last week, I had my parents over and I made a Margarita Pizza (I told you I’m obsessed!) and my dad said my crust was the best he’s ever tasted.  My New Yorker dad!

1 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 ounces chantarelle mushrooms (or any wild mushrooms), rinsed and allowed to air dry
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 large ear of corn, kernels stripped off
Olive oil
½ cup cilantro leaves
2 ounces blue cheese
3 zucchini blossoms, sliced in half
Cornmeal
1 recipe pizza dough

Head a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Melt the butter and then add the mushrooms along with a pinch of salt.  Sauté, stirring often, until browned in spots, about 5 minutes.  Add the thyme, then add the corn and cook for another 2 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat a grill to high.  Scatter a bit of cornmeal on a pizza peel (or the bottom of a baking sheet can work too).  Stretch the dough out to a nice thin circle, then place it on the peel.  Slide the dough onto the grill, close the lid, and let cook for4 minutes, or until the bottom is nice and golden brown with some grill marks.  Carefully coax it back onto the peel (tongs can be useful for this step).  If you are using an oven instead of a grill, just top the raw dough with the toppings – you won’t need to flip.

Turn the dough over and drizzle it with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle over a pinch of salt.  Add the toppings.  Scrape the mushroom/corn mixture over the top, scatter the cilantro leaves, crumble the blue cheese, and place the zucchini blossoms over the top.  Slide the pizza back on the grill, cover and cook for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the visible dough is golden brown.  Slide back on the peel, let sit for a minute, then slice and serve.



16 Comments »

  1. I’m with you on the thin, flavorful crust. And the corn, and the grilling. I love the inventive toppings!

    Comment by Kimberley — September 25, 2011 @ 5:44 pm

  2. If you can’t find me for the next month, it’s because I’m buried happily under the toppings of this pizza.

    freaking. yum.

    Comment by Bev Weidner — September 25, 2011 @ 6:26 pm

  3. ONLY YOU would make a pizza look that yummy!
    xo
    I’ve never seen a pizza with lovely little zucchini blossoms~ ;)

    Comment by teresa — September 25, 2011 @ 9:13 pm

  4. This looks so, so good! I’d come back to Seattle just for this.

    Comment by Maris (In Good Taste) — September 25, 2011 @ 10:10 pm

  5. geeez i wish i could get obsessed with your healthy pizzas. mine are unhealthy. lol but good!

    Comment by vanillasugarblog — September 25, 2011 @ 11:07 pm

  6. Do you think I could prepare a “grilled” pizza on my stovetop with a grill pan?

    Comment by Chris Alkire — September 26, 2011 @ 2:27 am

  7. I wonder if corn is really still available here…I mean, I know I could find it if wanted to…but if it’s not knock-your-socks-off sweet, then I don’t want anything to do with it. This is such a fun combination for pizza! I love that you put squash blossoms on top.

    Comment by Joanne — September 26, 2011 @ 2:49 am

  8. Love the idea of this pizza, yum!

    Comment by Jacqui — September 26, 2011 @ 2:52 am

  9. So glad you tried it out. I love grilling pizzas – so easy – so fun! We have been on a bit padron pizza kick recently. And am thinking …. butternut squash to bring in fall!

    Comment by Chez Us — September 26, 2011 @ 5:02 am

  10. I have to try that pizza dough recipe… I have one that I like, but I’m always looking to improve. I make my share of pizza, too (usually once a week, at least) and I love playing around with the flavors! Love this pizza… Yum!

    Comment by Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction — September 26, 2011 @ 5:31 pm

  11. for years now we’ve been using the outside grill as an oven, by placing terracota tiles inside, and the pizza over them. It works amazingly well, as our grill reaches over 550F, impossible to do in our kitchen

    we make the pizzas over parchment paper to make it easy to place over the tiles, remove the paper after 2 minutes. I stopped trying to grill the pizza once we started this method perfected, but now I’m excited to try it just to compare the taste of the crust

    loved the toppings you chose for yours, awesome!

    Comment by SallyBR — September 26, 2011 @ 7:23 pm

  12. We have pizza Friday at our house – it is easy to plan but adjustable enough that we don’t eat the same thing every week. And now that we have a gas grill it is grilled about 90% of the time. I do think single serving size pizzas are easier to get the hang of putting on/taking off the grill; and we don’t try to make it larger than a pizza for two.

    Sometimes we get elaborate and buy toppings for a just-so pizza, other times we scrounge around the fridge for whatever works (sauce, cheese and olive or onion pizza). In the summer I like to make a cilantro pesto, corn, roasted poblano and feta pizza (queso fresco would be nice, but feta is more accessible for me). I’ll have to try blue cheese next year.

    When I make dough I portion it out in two serving balls, and freeze whatever we don’t use, then I put the frozen dough in the fridge the morning of (or out on the counter if I forget and it thaws in a couple hours, we’ve even discovered a thaw method using warm water for “ooops” nights).

    Comment by Michelle — September 26, 2011 @ 8:43 pm

  13. oh this looks dreamy. I will trade you yams for this pizza in the month of crazyness, deal?

    Comment by sara — September 27, 2011 @ 4:42 pm

  14. Love this mix of toppings. I make pizza frequently at home, but it’s always the same: mushroom, mozzarella, maybe spinach. Next time, there will be blue cheese and corn if it’s still here!

    Comment by lisaiscooking — September 27, 2011 @ 7:27 pm

  15. Could there be any more perfect food? You’ve moved the level of pizza perfection up a couple of notches. And cooking it on the grill–fabulous idea!

    Comment by Donna @ Cooking + Praying — September 28, 2011 @ 2:55 pm

  16. Your not alone in your pizza craving quest! I have been on a search to make or eat the best pizza since I was about 12,this ultimately lead me to start a company that helped pizza fanatics make authentic old world style pizza at home in their backyard wood burning oven. Great post and site!

    Comment by Danny — March 4, 2012 @ 12:34 am



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