Spring Pizza

Aaaaaaand.... It's Spring!

I think we're a month behind schedule though... do May showers bring June flowers?

Anyway, we're finally getting a few greens growing up here in New York, so I decided to make the most of them with a spring pizza, since I already had a shell hanging out in the fridge, ready to be topped.

I got the bunch of fresh spinach at Gade Farm here in Guilderland.  The tomatoes I found at Hannaford, by a company called Backyard Farms.  They're a regional company, so the produce is coming from nearby, and their website claims to use environmentally-friendly greenhouse technology.  I have to say, they actually tasted really good.  Like middle-of-the-summer good.

I loooove the contrast of the goat cheese to the sweet tomatoes.  And, even better, this pizza was so easy to throw together for a quick, light, veggie-licious dinner.  Just a little chop-chop, and you're ready to go.

Spring pizza

a pizza shell
a few garlic cloves, minced or crushed (to taste)
olive oil
1/4 red onion, sliced
3 or 4 small tomatoes, diced
a bunch of spinach, chopped, stems removed
goat cheese

1. Prepare your pizza crust by slathering on some olive oil, and sprinkling your garlic.  A little salt and pepa never hurts, either.
2. Scatter your tomato pieces as evenly as you can.  This will act as your "sauce" so be generous!  Then add on your spinach, onions, and finally, the goat cheese.  Feel free to spring on a little parmesan if you'd like, too.
3. Bake at about 400 for about 10 minutes, just to crisp everything up.   Yum!

This pizza is at its best right out of the oven.  You should be able to get a lunch out of it, too.  But more than a couple of days will make it soggy, so eat up!

Accidentals

Sometimes, I try really hard, and my food comes out terrible.

Other times, I discover something delicious completely by accident.

Like a couple of days ago.  I had spinach and goat cheese in my fridge that needed eating.  As I wilted the spinach in the pan, I pondered what to do with the goat cheese.

I wondered to myself, "What would it taste like if I put the goat cheese on top of the spinach?"

And then, I poured it on top.

And I found out it tasted like heaven.


I mean, what doesn't goat cheese taste good on?  Seriously.


Okay, there's a little much on there, but I needed to use it up!  And it got all warm and creamy on the spinach. Oh yeah.  Anyway, sit tight, because spinach season is almost here! (aka... we're almost through winter!  At least, according to the groundhog.)

Art doesn't just happen by accident. It is about pulling out new tricks and trying new things. 

Nicholas Meyer 

"I'm strong to the finich cause I eats me spinach.."

We're now knee-deep in spinach season, so I'd like to share my latest experiments with this leafy green. For the most part, my spinach consumption was relegated to the Baby Spinach Salad (topped with wheat berries and dried fruit, it's delish), and only recently had I ventured into the Sauteed Spinach arena. However, eating seasonally means you need to get creative, especially when there's still only a few veggies available. Here's two of my new favorite ways to eat spinach:

Spinach Pasta

This is an adaptation of a recipe I found in the New York Times (mine is better)

A bunch of spinach (like, literally, a bunch of it)

capers

1/2 onion, chopped

garlic, a few cloves, minced, or chopped, if you're lazy like me (I like to call it "rustic")

a protein -- chicken is good, and even sardines are yummy in this, trust me on this one

lemon (for the juice)

parmesan

whole wheat spaghetti

1. Boil the pasta. Soak your spinach (it not only needs to be clean, but wet, so just let it sit in a bowl of water until you're ready).

2. In a pan, in a little olive oil, saute the onions, then garlic and capers.

3. Throw in your protein and cook it up.

4. When everything else is pretty much cooked, drop in your spinach directly from the bowl of water into the pan (the water will help steam it). Keep flipping it over into all the yummy stuff until it just starts to wilt, then immediately remove it from the heat, before it turns into black mush.

5. Toss it all with the rinsed pasta, squeeze some lemon juice over it, sprinkle some parm, and you're good to go.

* Don't skip the capers, they really make this dish!

Sausage Soup (or Cheater's Italian Wedding)

This is a twist on a soup my mom makes, using spinach instead of kale, and leaving out the cream. You could use whichever green you happen to have on hand (I just always have spinach in my fridge).

1 cup brown rice, uncooked

a link or two of sausage

spinach to taste (you can use frozen in a pinch)

1/2 onion, chopped

a box of broth (I used organic veggie, but chicken broth would work too)

parmesan

1. Cook the rice according to your package. Make sure it is very saturated with the water (if it's dry, it'll soak up all your broth!) DO NOT cook the rice in the soup, if you want any broth left.

2. Saute the onion in a little olive oil, then toss in the sausage (take off the skin and break it up first). Cook the sausage through until done.

3. Pour in the broth, add about a cup of water, and bring to a boil. Toss in the spinach and let it wilt in the broth.

4. Turn down the heat, stir in the rice. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan and some hearty bread. I guess you could use something healthier like chicken, but I think it would be boring then, the sausage really adds delicious spiciness. My mom's variation uses kale, chopped potatoes instead of rice, and she puts a splash of cream in at the end. You're welcome to try that out too.

Happy eating! And please let me know if you try (or adjust) any of the recipes I share!