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Buffalo Sweet Potato & Blue Cheese Pizza

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Buffalo Sweet Potato & Blue Cheese Pizza

Vegetarian bar food is usually relegated to deep-fried cheese sticks, no rx greasy potato skins without bacon and mayo-filled spinach and artichoke dip. Those are fine and dandy, but sometimes you want something a little healthier, and sometime you just want some bright orange, tangy and spicy buffalo sauce.

I came up with this recipe by accident. After discovering potato pizza, I’ve been dying to make a version with sweet potato. So, that was all planned. I was going to put pancetta and goat cheese on it and call it a day. But then I spied the half-full bottle of buffalo sauce taking up precious space in my refrigerator. I knew the sweetness of the potatoes would be perfect with the spicy, vinegary tang of the buffalo sauce. And once you’ve got buffalo in the mix, you’ve got to top it all off with blue cheese.

This pizza is nothing short of awesome. The potatoes give it a sweet and creamy base, the buffalo sauce gives it a hefty kick and the blue cheese adds deep flavor and a little decadence. Even if you’re not vegetarian, I can’t imagine a better pizza for a Friday night or Sunday afternoon. The perfect accompaniment to a frosty pint of beer.

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Potato, Asparagus and Goat Cheese Pizza

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Potato, <a href=page Asparagus and Goat Cheese Pizza” />

Potato pizza? What? Yes. Potato pizza. I had a delicious rosemary and caramelized onion potato pizza at my favorite Car Wash/Pizza Place, Andiamo, a couple of weeks ago and have been craving more ever since. I also saw a potato pizza in this month’s Bon Apetit and knew I’d be making it really soon.

Since I wasn’t really in the mood for rosemary and caramelized onions, I topped my dough with fingerling potatoes, garlic, shallots, asparagus, mozzarella and goat cheese. It was colorful, rich and delicious. I loved the asparagus for this time of year. Next time, I want to try some caramelized onion and hot peppers, and eventually I’d like to make a version with sweet potatoes, pancetta and goat cheese.

I know potato pizza might seem weird. I thought the same thing before I went to Andiamo and realized that potato pizza is just about the tastiest treat I’ve ever eaten. I suggest you give it a try. Your pizza-making will never be the same again.

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black mission fig & prosciutto pizza

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black mission fig & prosciutto pizza

The end of June is one of the best times of the year. The sun rises early and sets late, pharmacy the 4th of July is just around the corner and black mission figs are finally in season! I love figs, and while I’ll never pass up dried figs, there’s nothing like a fresh one. I think people are scared off my their weird appearance, or maybe they’re just traumatized by Fig Newtons. Whatever the case, nobody seems to buy them at my local grocery store, which just leaves more for me.

black mission figs

I love them caramelized, grilled, drizzled with honey and especially on a pizza. They add just enough sweetness to complement the salty prosciutto and cheese without being cloying. Delicious! Go get them now before they’re gone for the summer. A tip on storing them: Keep them in the fridge. They grow mold quickly if it’s hot an humid out.

Now put the mold out of your mind and go get your fig on…

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chicago-style deep dish pizza

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chicago-style deep dish pizza

I’m going to start off by saying here and now that I know this isn’t the most authentic Chicago-style pizza. I know how protective people are about local specialties. At least, pharm I know I am. So I thought I’d just throw this little disclaimer out before I begin.

And so, I’ve been thinking about deep dish pizza for awhile. Ever since the Top Chef contestants made it for their first Quickfire Challenge. And so has Tom, who has been asking when I’d make it for him ever since. Chicago-style deep dish is like a regular pizza, but kind of backwards. You press the dough into the pan like a pie or tart, layer the cheese first, then the toppings, then the sauce. Oh, those crazy Chicagoans!

I was worried I didn’t have the right pan or that the crust would be soggy or that it would just be a big, sloppy mess. But it actually turned out pretty well. Since I was out of mozzarella, I used some sheep’s milk cheese and Havarti, which were nice and melty under the sauce and toppings, and added roasted garlic sausage and leeks for the traditional, hearty feel. Top it all off with a nice spicy pizza sauce and you’re done.

It’s a little messier than a New York-style pizza, but was delicious in its own way. Don’t be scared off if you don’t have a deep-dish pizza pan or even the right-sized cast iron skillet. I used a cast-iron sauce pot and it was fine. I just had to be a bit more careful when I took it out. I suspect a 9-inch cast iron skillet would be perfect.

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italian night

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pizza

Saturday night was Italian night. I made homemade ravioli (using wonton wrappers because who has the time to make pasta from scratch when it’s 78 sunny degrees and there’s a lounge chair with your name on it on the beach) and homemade pizza.

pizza

I got the All-Clad soapstone pizza stone for my bridal shower, rx and I wanted to test it out. It makes the MOST AMAZING pizza ever. The crust gets so crispy, information pills even in the middle, and even with a ton of toppings piled on, that when you lift your slice, it doesn’t even droop. (Hey, I like run-on sentences!) The idea behind a pizza stone is that it pulls the moisture out of whatever is cooking on it. No more soggy pizza crusts, no matter how juicy the toppings. Hooray!

The ravioli was stuffed with spinach, a little ricotta and artichoke mousse (a gift) and topped with homemade tomato sauce.

ravioli

ravioli

No recipes today…just photos.