With our garden flourishing and autumn approaching, Esther and I have been harvesting like maniacs before we have to say good bye to a lot of our plants as the cold weather comes in. We have bags and bags and bags of fresh herbs piling up in our apartment dying to be eaten.
Last night, I decided to mince up our herbs and whip it with some goat cheese and cream as the base for a delicious beet pizza! It was gorgeous, rich, and delicious! The herbs created a brightness to the pizza and gave interesting new flavors for each bite. One time, you’ll taste parsley and the next, you get a hint of mint! Plus, it was real easy to make!
Beet and Herbed Goat Cheese Pizza
8 oz. Soft Goat Cheese
1-2 T. Fresh Parsley
1-2 T. Fresh Green Onion
1/2-1 T. Fresh Rosemary
1-2 t. Fresh Chocolate Mint
1-2 T. Fresh Basil
1-2 T. Heavy Whipping Cream
Black Pepper
2 Medium Beets, peeled and thinly sliced
2 lb. Pizza Dough
Flour
1 bunch of Beet Greens
3/4 c. Beet Green Stems, sliced
1/2 c. Parmesan Romano Cheese, grated
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Set your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, prep your beets. Save your stems and greens! Peel and thinly slice your beets into circles or half-moons. Set aside.
Rinse and slice up your beet greens and stems so that they are ready to sauté right before you pop the pizzas into the oven. Mince up your fresh herbs. I did a mixture of green onion, parsley, rosemary, basil, and a touch of mint, but feel free to experiment with different flavors!
Next, place your soft goat cheese into a mixing bowl and, a spoonful at a time, fold in your fresh herbs. Take your time and pour in as little or as much whipping cream as you need to help with the mixing process. I used the full 2 T. of cream, but only because I like my cheese extra whippy! Season with some fresh ground pepper to taste. Pop the cheese into the fridge when it’s ready and start making the beet greens.
In a medium skillet, sauté the stems until they are just tender with some olive oil. Throw in the greens until they have wilted and sprinkle on some salt. Now it’s time to prep the dough.
Similar to the shiitake mushroom and gorgonzola pizza, knead out any air bubbles in your pizza dough. Split the dough into two pizzas. Use your judgement in terms of circumference. You are going to want a denser outside crust and a thinner inside!
Dust a pan with flour and place the dough on top! Lightly sprinkle some salt onto the dough and brush on some olive oil on the surface.
Next, grab your cheese, while saving about 1/4 of the cheese mixture, place dollops around the surface and use a knife to spread out the big hunks of cheese. Once the dough is covered, neatly place your beets evenly across the dough. Brush the beets with olive oil so that they shimmer and to help with the cooking process. Season your pizza with salt and pepper to your liking!
In different spots on top of the pizza, spread out your greens and stems.
Pop into the oven for about 8-9 minutes, then open the oven and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top! Cook for another 5-6 minutes until the pizza’s crust is golden brown and the beets appear to be cooked all the way through.
Place the pizza onto a serving platter or, in our case, a cutting board to cool and add some additional dollops of goat cheese onto the pizza that will melt just in time for serving! Enjoy!
This blood red pizza is absolutely mouthwatering! I am so happy that we made so much of it because I am so thankful for these leftovers! The beets roasted perfectly highlighting their earthy flavor and they balanced nicely with the acidity and creaminess of the goat cheese. And really, who can say no to a pizza this beautiful? Seriously.
Love,
Mimi
Soups & Roots & Rants 