Balsamic Roasted Strawberry and Mozzarella Pizza

It may seem like a waste to take juicy, perfectly ripe sweet strawberries and roast them, but I promise you, the result is worth it. In fact, you can even use those less-than-perfect strawberries and roasting them will turn them into something sweet and special. Syrupy balsamic vinegar and strawberries is a classic combination. When the strawberries are roasted, their sweetness is even more enhanced and the vinegar brightens it all up.

These roasted strawberries could really be put to use on anything- served atop crostini with ricotta or brie or goat's milk cheese, swirled into yogurt, or mixed with whipped cream or coconut whipped cream. These strawberries spooned over a scoop of vanilla ice cream even sounds dreamy right now. This recipe was loosely inspired by Heidi Swanson's Roasted Strawberry recipe in her book, Super Natural Every Day. Heidi uses a hefty dose of maple syrup and some port wine to flavor her strawberries, but I enjoy the combination of honey and strawberries here.

I took the savory route and tossed them atop a simple white pizza with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and toasted pine nuts. Think of these strawberries replacing the tomatoes on a margarita pizza. The burst of sweetness you get with them combined with the salty cheese is addicting. I use a favorite crust of mine that I make at home, but your favorite pizza dough should work. I combine whole wheat flour, semolina flour, and cornmeal with water, yeast, honey, olive oil and salt in the food processor, blitz until a dough ball forms and allow the dough to rise before dividing it into smaller pieces. I am hoping to share that recipe on the blog soon, but in the meanwhile, just use your favorite pizza crust.

Balsamic Roasted Strawberry and Mozzarella Pizza

Balsamic Roasted Strawberries
8 ounces strawberries, washed and hulled and halved (quartered if large strawberries)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey, preferably local
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon good quality balsamic vinegar

Pizza
8 ounces (1/2 pound) of your favorite pizza dough
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn roughly into pieces
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup roughly torn fresh basil leaves
salt and black pepper, to taste

Prepare roasted strawberries. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the strawberries with the olive oil, honey, and salt. Arrange in a single layer and bake for 40 minutes or until soft and the liquid is bubbling around them. Remove from the oven, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and toss to combine. Set aside.

Prepare the pizza. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven on the bottom rack as the oven heats. Line a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle with cornmeal or flour and place dough in the center. Roll the dough out to about 1 centimeter thick, adding more cornmeal or flour to prevent the dough from sticking.

Drizzle the crust with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Parmigiano-reggiano. Scatter fresh mozzarella over top, and sprinkle with roasted strawberries, drizzling pizza with any remaining syrup that has collected in the pan of strawberries. Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until crust is crispy and cheese is bubbly and just beginning to turn golden in spots. Remove from oven, sprinkle with pine nuts, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy! Makes 1 pizza or enough to serve 2-4 people.

Polenta Pizzas ai Funghi

Pi Day is just around the corner, and in celebration of the good ole 3.1415....I am making pizza! Or at least a dish reminiscent of one of our favorite pie's here in the city. I love mushrooms in nearly every form, but one of my favorite ways comes atop a pizza with a little garlic, some gooey, pungent cheese, and a fried egg at Nomad Roman in Philadelphia. There, they use shiitake mushrooms, two cheeses, and truffle oil. In this rendition, I use polenta as a base and top it with sauteed onion, garlic, and cremini mushrooms, two cheeses, and an oozy egg. The first cheese, the Comte, provides a sharp, nutty bite while the second washed rind Ameribella contributes an earthy sweetness. See the notes down below for other cheese substitutions. If you get the yolk just right, it oozes out and combines with the melted cheeses and mushrooms into sheer deliciousness.

The idea of using polenta as a pizza crust has been around for a while, but I really like it because it can be prepared the day before and because I love the coarse texture and pure corn flavor that it lends, especially to the mushroom topping here. You can find polenta in your local grocery store listed as polenta, coarse grits (not instant), or stone ground cornmeal. I used a stone ground yellow cornmeal that my mom boought me from the farmer's market in my hometown in North Carolina. Whatever you use, be sure to give ample time to let the polenta base cool and stiffen so that it makes a sturdy pizza crust for all of your toppings.

Polenta Pizzas ai Funghi

4 c. water
1 1/2 c. polenta, coarse grits, or stone ground cornmeal
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 t. garlic powder
2 t. minced fresh thyme, or 1 t. dried thyme
1 1/4 t. salt

2 T. olive oil
1 small yellow onion or half large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. cremini mushrooms or a mix of cremini, shiitake, button, maitake mushrooms, sliced in 1/4 inch slices
1 c. grated Comte cheese *
3/4 c. cubed Ameribella cheese **
3 eggs, preferably local or free-range and organic
good quality balsamic vinegar, optional, for drizzling
freshly grated pecorino or parmiggiano-reggiano cheese, option, for sprinkling
salt and pepper to taste

Begin with the polenta crusts. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta, being sure to eliminate any lumps. Reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally until the polenta is cooked, about 25 minutes. The polenta may bubble up and pop during cooking so be careful. Remove from the heat after cooking, stir in 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, garlic powder, thyme, and salt. Set aside.

Prepare the pans for the crusts. For round crusts, line three 8 or 9-inch round cake pans with parchment. For a rectangular pizza, you can cover a baking sheet with parchment. For whatever method, scoop the polenta from the pot to the pan(s) and flatten into an even layer, about 1/4 inch thick. It helps to use a spatula or lightly wet your fingers for this part. Cover each crust with plastic wrap or parchment paper, ensuring that it sticks directly to the surface, and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or preferably overnight to stiffen.

To prepare the topping, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the finely chopped onion and saute for 8-10 minutes or until softened and a little brown around the edges. Add the minced garlic, saute for 30 seconds or until aromatic, and then add the sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle everything generously with salt, a little black pepper, and stir to combine. Saute for about 20 minutes or until the mushrooms release their liquid and begin to dry out again and become golden around the edges. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Remove from heat. This can be done the day before you plan to cook the pizzas.

To assemble and bake the pizzas, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure that the baking rack is placed in the middle of the oven. Remove the polenta from the refrigerator while the oven preheats. Remove the plastic wrap or parchment from the surface and place the crusts in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top begins to dry out and become slightly golden. Remove from oven, and carefully flip the crusts over. I placed a piece of parchment on a baking sheet, placed the baking sheet parchment paper side down atop the polenta pans, and quickly inverted everything. The uncooked side of the polenta should now be facing up.

Return the crusts to the oven for another 20 minutes. In the meanwhile, grate the cheeses and get your mushrooms and eggs ready. When the crusts come out of the oven, turn the oven to broil (on high). Evenly distribute the cheeses, then the mushroom topping atop the crusts. Carefully crack an egg, if using, in the center of each pizza. Alternatively crack 3 eggs atop a large rectangular pizza. Return the pan to the oven and broil for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the egg whites are cooked and yolks are just becoming firm on their outer surface. This step often depends on how strong your broil setting is, so keep an eye out on the egg, being careful not to burn the cheeses in the process. Remove the pizzas from the oven, drizzle lightly with a syrupy balsamic vinegar if it is available, and a dusting of pecorino or parmiggiano-reggiano. Serves 3-4 people.

* If you can't find Comte, you can substitute another firm, nutty cheese such as Gruyere (a bit stronger) or Emmental (a bit milder).
**If you can't find Ameribella, Taleggio is an excellent substitute. I just stumbled upon Ameribella, a pungent, slightly sweet washed-rind cheese from Jacobs and Brichford in Indiana at my local Di Bruno Bros. If you can find it, check it out because it is fantastic!