Welcome to my virtual housewarming! After almost two and a half years, I figured it was high time to gain some more creative control over this space. I’ve been learning and destroying it accidentally as I go with only the internets as guidance. While I’d been toying with the idea of self-hosting for years, last week in an impulsive fit of frustration, I finally bit the bullet. It feels just like adjusting to a new home after a move. And nothing makes a home feel like a home more than cooking a first meal there.
What better way to inaugurate a new space than with pizza? This isn’t just any pizza. This combo has nestled its way into my top 5 meals for sure. I cannot get over how good it is. When it comes to toppings you can use whatever is in season. This particular pizza does not hail from the school of restraint. Roast a bunch of beets, a butternut squash and two cloves of garlic in the oven. While that’s happening, wilt some kale and Brussels Sprouts in a pan, saute up a turkey sausage and caramelize the onions until they’re jammy and deeply sweet. It’s an exercise in multi-tasking for a little under an hour, but the only forethought involved is to throw together the few ingredients for Jim Lahey’s no-knead pizza dough the night before. The homemade dough is easy enough and lends the pizza an Italian artisanal taste and texture.
I used Gruyere and mozzarella-my faves and spread the garlic over a layer of olive oil and the onions. Throw it in the oven for 15 minutes and I guarantee you this is the best pizza you’ll have short of going to Italy. It’s so good it doesn’t belong in the same category of what we usually consider pizza, and I live in NYC, known for the good stuff.
There are few things that give me more joy in this world than spending time with the people I love, eating something that tastes this good and being able to share it. And so I wanted to make sure to acknowledge everyone who stops by here to visit and thank you for helping to make this house a home.
Roasted Beet, Butternut Squash & Garlic White Pizza with Kale & Caramelized Onions
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp sea or kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp honey
For the garlic paste*:
- 2 bulbs garlic
- 1-2 tsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling during roasting
- pinch crushed red chili pepper
- 1 tablespoon milk
*You can make this the night before when you start the dough.
For the toppings*:
- 1/2 red or white onion, sliced thinly
- 2 cups kale, finely chopped
- 3 red beets, sliced
- 1 butternut squash, peeled and sliced
- oil for sautéing
- handful of brussels sprouts (optional)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1-2 cups shredded gruyere and/or mozzarella
- 1/4 cup goat cheese
- 1 egg (optional)
*You can make any of these the night before when you start the dough.
For the baking:
- about 1 tbsp cornmeal, or however much is needed to prepare baking surface
- 1-2 tsp olive oil, for brushing the dough before topping
Directions:
For the dough:
In a large bowl, sift together flour and salt, then add the yeast, water and honey and stir until it forms a sticky dough. (Proofing the yeast isn’t required in Lahey’s recipe or most adaptations of it).
Cover bowl with plastic and keep at room temperature for approximately 18 hours, or until the dough has more than doubled. ( Note: If you have rapid rise yeast, use a little less than 1/8 tsp. It will work like a charm).
For the garlic paste and roasted vegetables:
About an hour before the dough is ready, start by roasting the garlic, beets and butternut squash. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice off the top of the garlic bulb so that each clove is exposed. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over top, rubbing each clove to make sure the oil is well-distributed, then wrap in foil and bake for 30-40 minutes. The garlic should be soft when pressed when it’s done. I like to add a little nutmeg to the butternut squash before baking, but otherwise, just cutting them and the beets up and tossing them in the oven for 30-40 minutes (until soft) should work.
Take the roasted garlic and pop out the cloves by squeezing, or with a fork. At the same time take out the roasted vegetables and set aside. Combine garlic with one teaspoon olive oil, the little bit of milk, sprinkle of crushed red pepper and mash with a fork until it becomes a paste.
For the kale, onions and Brussels Sprouts:
While the garlic is baking caramelize the onions, saute the kale and brussels sprouts until wilted. I do this by heating oil over medium-low heat in a large cast-iron skillet or saucepan, and spreading the onions in a single layer evenly across the pan. Let the onions sizzle in the pan for at least 30 minutes, but up to 50, stirring no more than once every 5-10 minutes. Once onions are soft, brown, nearly jammy, and sweet, they’re done. Drizzle a little bit of balsamic vinaigrette over top for extra flavor.
If you can multitask, heat a bit of oil in a saucepan and sauté the kale and Brussels sprouts until just wilted, seasoning with salt and pepper as desired, drain any liquid, and set aside. If you added turkey sausage like me, now would also be a good time to sauté them.
To Bake:
When the dough is ready, prepare your baking surface by sprinkling it liberally with flour or cornmeal. I never had a real housewarming party so I don’t own a pizza stone. Hello baking sheet. No need to preheat the baking sheet. Preheat your oven to its hottest setting, about 500-550F.
Scrape the dough out of your bowl onto a well-floured surface. Parchment paper helps. It should be quite sticky and soft. Flour the top of the dough, then divide the dough in half and form them into ball shapes. If you’re baking these one at a time, cover one ball of dough with a damp towel while you prepare the other.
Gently press, shape, and stretch the dough into a flat circle or rectangle however you like. I’m all about the “rustic” shape. I think we’re aiming for two 10 inch circle-type shapes or one larger pie.
Brush a small amount of olive oil over the dough, then spread the garlic paste in an even layer across it. Sprinkle desired amount of cheese over that, then your caramelized onions, kale, sprouts and root veggies. Add more cheese. I’ve also added a turkey sausage (sauteed for 30 mins until cooked).
Bake at 500 for 10-12 minutes, or until the pizza reaches your desired brownness and crust kind of bubbles. Enjoy the heck out of all of your effort and no need to tip the delivery dude.
Your site looks lovely, Amanda. I love out of the ordinary pizzas. Overnight-no knead dough makes the best pizza..
Thanks, Jovina. I had no idea how good they could be. They’re not even in the same category as “pizza’. In fact, from now on I’m using quotes around “pizza” 🙂
It definitely works now, though I think the problem before was that the links changed when you moved the site. The darker text is much easier to read 😉
That’s my kind of pizza with 2 bulbs of garlic. I love roasted garlic squeezed onto sour dough toast. I normally stick my dough ingredients in my 50 year old mixer with dough hook, but no knead is intriguing.
I saw a film last night that reminded me slightly of you finding cookery books in your hallway and wondering where they came from – it’s Indian, called The Lunchbox – it did quite well at the box office in America, according to Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lunchbox
Always great to hear from you, MD. I agree. The links changed. I learned how to change them all back and how to code the font size/color and html and how to fix plugins and all sorts of crazy stuff. Apparently, I no longer speak English, just computer and it’s annoying to all around me! I’ve become obsessed.
Lindy from Love in the Kitchen actually recommended that movie to me too! So funny. I have it in my Netflix now waiting for me. And you know how I love garlic….I don’t actually own a mixer (no space) and no knead is so easy. I’d love for you to try it and tell me which you like better. I have no idea why I never wanted to make pizza before, but I”m so glad I did this. My husband called me today at work just to tell me how he can’t stop thinking about that awesome pizza from last night. We were both shocked. 🙂
Wow that’s a big coincidence with the film!
Home made pizza is much better than most shop pizza.
I’d really like to build a pizza oven one day as a home oven can’t get hot enough to make the perfect crisp base. Jeffrey Steingarten tried shutting off the thermostat in attempt to get his oven up to the required 500º C, with unpleasant results…
Amazing the lengths we go to. That would be so cool. Did you ever watch Extra Virgin on the cooking channel? Gabrielli built one and I was so jealous.
No, but I do know someone who built one in his back yard.
Congrats on your new home! I’m intrigued by the lack of knead. Might just have to try that out sometime. And, I saw that film when it was released over here. Understatedly lovely. Also led to some serious curry cravings!
Oh nice, Karinna. So great to see you here! I was skeptical about no knead for a while. I really thought it was some slight of hand, but it’s honest ingredients where the science does all the work and it is hands down delicious. I’ll definitely have to get to watching that movie! Xo
Happy Housewarming – your site is beautiful, and the pizza looks amazing!
Thanks so much Jeanne! I really appreciate you’re taking the time to comment!
Both the pizza and the site look amazing, Amanda. Congrats on the change! Here’s to a bold new year to you!
The same to you, Ngan. I’ve been wondering about you and just read your last post. Sending you tons of good vibes and so happy to see you back, even if just popping in to read around.
Dear Amanda, I love the new site! I am impressed that you did it all by yourself, and taught yourself all kinds of things. The pizza looks incredibly delicious. I’ve never made no-knead dough, the texture looks quite perfect, I should try making it some day, when I manage to plan my meals a little more ahead of time.
I’ve made root vegetable pizza before, but never with caramelized onions or roasted garlic! I would love it. Pierre didn’t like my root vegetable pizza when I made it, but then he doesn’t like beets, sunchokes, and would rather not eat pumpkin if he can avoid it… oh well, it’s one of those things I’ll make when he is away. 🙂
Thanks, Darya! It’s been a fun challenge. I’d never made pizza before but I read a million recipes and picked the best of all of them. Any vegetarian dish is a dish i make when Alex is away. I even had to add the turkey sausage here. Also, line you i don’t normally plan my meals in advance, but i actually thought enough to start a dough. For that I’m proud. Can’t wait to see more of what you’re making these days!
Great photos btw, love the colours coming through
Thanks so much. So kind of you to take time to comment.
pizza night at our place is always the best night. and we go super lazy with it, topping it with actual leftovers — sometimes it’s the kale salad, or it’s a few tablespoons of pesto and we top with an egg. but that extra step you do to caramelize onions is so crucial!
Oh man, that sounds amazing. It’s funny, all of the toppings I made were actually for a salad. I just dumped the salad on the pizza. I love the idea of just pesto and an egg! I had the egg all set to go, but got excited and forgot it! Love your comments. I get a real picture of what it’s like to be eating and cooking at your place!
The site looks fabulous, as does the pizza! Pizza night here, too. Actually, I’m somewhat embarrassed to say that we’ve had several pizza nights this week. Steve’s dough makes enough for 3 pizzas. So, when he makes it, we freeze two balls for future use. But, when I know it’s in there, it’s just such an easy, delicious thing that I can’t resist telling him to get one out!
Thanks Michelle! I wouldn’t be embarrassed about pizza night every night at all! Every night it’s a different pizza. It’s not even the same thing! I’d brag about it, especially if my husband were making the awesome dough. You guys make a great culinary team!
This pizza is baked to perfection! Lovely pictures and very creative topping! I like the rustic look and the garlic paste!
Thank you so much! I really think the class you took has changed the way you view things. That’s so cool. I really appreciate hearing from you!
Yay!! Congratulations!!
Pizza looks awesome and so MFn delicious!!
OMG it is. You MUST try it! Thanks so much. 🙂
Thank you so much! I’m excited about it.
Wow, Amanda, I am in awe, awestruck – what a great new site! Congratulations and wow, again from the tech-ignorant here. My husband gave me a book about self-programming a site “to get me started”, I scared the xyz out of me and took me several years to try again. Lovely, what film are you talking about, can’t find the name? Nicole xx
Thanks so much, Nicole. Don’t read the book. It will scare you. I learned out of necessity because I’m impulsive. I”m still learning. Lovely Fae from Fae’s Twist & Tango emailed me last night saying she couldn’t leave a comment. That’s so upsetting. But this really wasn’t too bad after cowering in fear for years 🙂 Thank you so much for the compliments. The movie is called The Lunchbox. I haven’t seen it yet, but it’s been recommended by a bunch of people who love what we love. We’ll have to read it. I’m so glad to have you visiting here on the new site! Try this pizza too. So so good.
Ah, thanks, the film sounds really nice and of course the pizza will get a try next time we’re making pizza (and counting on my husband returning from eating Japanese for a week, that will be in the very near future)! You are right, that book is really scary. I had tried Rapid Weaver first – no wonder, I gave up exhausted. I think it is really good to try and run a blog for a while, so you know what you want and how it works. Gosh, I have the hosting thing for over 5 years now, maybe this is the year to finally use it…
Wow Amanda – I LOVE your new site. Would you consider doing a post on what is involved? I desperately want to change mine but for the past year – time has been such a pressing issue that I haven’t managed to get around to doing anything. It’s on my agenda for 2015 but would so value your expertise.
The pizza looks perfect – fantastic combination of ingredients. I’m incredibly partial to kale. I wonder how that would be with some smoked salmon added. Oh – I’m hungry at the thought.
Beautiful work! All of it.
Thank you Lindy! I would certainly consider a post on what was involved and also want to hear from anyone who might be having problems with it. It really depends on how obsessive you are over details. A lot of the information just requires a little digging.
As for the pizza, soooo good. I would add anything that I love on this thing!
SImple damn delicious rosted root veggies pizza!!!!
Amanda I’m so curious how it’s like to manage everything on your own?? I’m thinking of it too- have some ideas about changing my little baby blog a little bit 😀 your pizza is a perfection- even Lahey wouldn’t do it better than this!! I’m making bread almost every day now- oh there is nothing more beautiful that the smell of water and flour mixed together don’t you think 😉 have a lovely week xx
Hi Marta! I totally agree with you about the bread. i’m curious to see your new methods. As for the blog management, it’s really not terribly hard. If you can follow directions it’s not too bad, especially if you stick to a wordpress platform. We’ll see. This is my first post here. So far it’s been pretty good. I’ll keep reporting back from the other side. The pizza is a must make. You would love this.
Keep me posted as I really would like to change a few things. By the way the new loaf just started living its life in my tiny bathroom- it’s growing and I’m waiting patiently until tomorrow morning
Wow love the pizza:-) looks delicious
Thank you so much. They were easy to make too!
First off, congrats on the big move!! Your new site looks beautiful and I am excited to see where it goes from here. Second of all, I need (or knead haha) this pizza in my life! It sounds delicious and I’ll definitely give it a try.
Thank you so much! I’m excited about the new digs too! Lol re kneading the pizza. You def do. Sooo worth it. Love reading all of your latest too. There’s always a special place in my heart for bk. 😉
Congratulations on the move 🙂 You could have no design and your blog would still be stellar, but definitely like what you’ve don here. And the pizza, too! Craving a slice 🙂
Thank you so much. You are too kind and seriously make my day with your comments. I feel the same about you. Def try the pizza. The kiddos will love.
congratualion,…good job
This sounds really delicious and something new to try. Thank you for sharing this.
Simon
Thanks, Simon! Enjoy. Thanks for the comment.