#28: The GFC Pizza Recipe 6/18/10

While enjoying the pizza of the week Andrew and I often critique the one we are eating and then discuss what we should have the following week. This gives me time to plan how I’ll prepare the pizza and get the ingredients. But this week was different because it was the first week of our participation in a community supported agriculture program offered through the Good Food Collective (GFC). Rather than planning my recipe in advance, I decided I would use whatever vegetables came from the local farms this week.

Andrew picked two bags full of goodies from the collective’s RIT distribution station. This week’s harvest included chard, mixed greens, garlic scapes, sweet peas, strawberries and sage. The GFC distribution guys gave Andrew a quick run down of how to cook the veggies, which he then reviewed with me. The chard, which I mistakenly thought was rhubarb, can be cooked like spinach using the entire stalk. Garlic scapes are something I have never seen before, but they intrigued me. They are long, thin and green and only smell like garlic when cut open. To cook them I cut them from the bulb, then chopped and sautéed as I would onions or “regular” garlic. I then added chopped chard and a small handful of crushed red pepper. To the dough I added mozzarella cheese, the chard sauté, and sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top. While the pizza was baking I cooked the sage leaves in a pan on medium low heat where they curled and released a lovely aroma. Once the pizza was finished I scattered the sage leaves on top.

The flavors from all the ingredients complemented each other so well. I enjoyed the challenge of preparing the pizza with ingredients I did not select; it was like I was on some reality cooking show. So, not only was the pizza delicious, it was visually appealing and it supported our local farmers. As you check back in the following weeks don’t be surprised if you seem me using more seasonal vegetables in my pizzas because the GFC runs through October!