Saturday, May 16, 2009

Friday

Balearic pizza (recipe in the comments)
Melon chunks

Hot tea
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Things are still busy here - I think this is the pre-trip flurry! We had to talk to a friend on the phone, make a grocery list, and finish up some last minute work tonight, all before cooking dinner! So, we chose to divide and conquer - unusual for us. M made pizza, while I made the list. It was lovely. This is a recipe from one of my dad and stepmom's favorite cookbooks. Somehow the recipes in this book really manage to capture the real flavors of the Mediterranean - all of the Mediterranean too. It's out of print now, but I love it. Anyway, this isa simple pizza to make, but is unusual for most people. No one we've ever served this to hasn't loved it. And you make two, so you can freeze one if you're not serving a crowd. I would make a lot of sides to make a single pizza serve more than two and a toddler :)

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Onion, garlic, bell pepper, melon
Time: 25 minutes, plus 20-30 minutes to bake
Make ahead: This one is an excellent keeper - you can even freeze it!

Reaction
J: "Pizza perfection."
M: "Pan-Mediterranean goodness."

1 comment:

J said...

Balearic Pizza – The Mediterranean Cookbook and M & J
Serves 4

1 lb frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and well drained and pressed
2 lbs pizza dough
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and sliced into thin rings
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 28 oz can tomatoes, drained in a colander (with the spinach works well)
Pepper
Dried basil and oregano
1 2.5 oz can sliced black olives (or a small handful of fresh olives, pitted and sliced)
Feta to sprinkle (optional)

Roll out the dough into two pizza pan size circles. Place on pans sprayed with cooking spray. If you’re like us and don’t have two pizza pans, cookie sheets work fine.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper and sauté until they begin to soften. Add the tomatoes and spinach and mix thoroughly. Season to taste with pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Spread half of the mixture over each crust. Sprinkle lightly with basil, oregano, and olives. Sprinkle with feta, if desired (J thinks she likes it best without feta, M is on the fence). Bake for about 20 minutes, or until crust is golden.

We always make both pizzas and freeze one. We then defrost the pizza and re-heat in a hot oven until warm and crisp.