House Spouse

Perhaps the only thing better than getting to bike too and from a fabulous farmers market is preparing (and eating!) a meal so fresh and delicious that even a skeptic’s eyes are widened with surprise as he chews what he expected to be a dry and bland slice of pizza.

This was a happenstance meal, my favorite kind, because they remind me that while I spend far too much time reading food blogs and cook book for recipes, that sometimes I am truly inspired and am able to cook with both heart and creativity. Not that I’m not already doing that, but occasionally I’ll wonder what happened to the days when I never used recipes and just threw things together for dinner. Granted, there were some real doozies, but the thrill of just trying to see what happens was pretty fun, too.

The salad is just a spicy mix of wild arugula and watercress, slightly wilted under a warm balsamic vinaigrette. Those little purple flowers are chive blossoms, which I promise to tell you more about some other time because it included a personal encounter with a celebrity chef. The boldness of the greens was mellowed slightly by the warm dressing, but not so much that it didn’t provide a nice foil to the rich, almost buttery pizza. I used a Joy of Cooking recipe for the crust and red spring onions from the farmers market, but I’m sure this would be nice with large red onions, too.

Fennel and Onion Pizza Bianca

Ingredients
For the dough:
1 1/3 cups warm water
1 package or 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 T olive oil
1 T salt
1 T sugar

The toppings:
2 T fennel seeds
1/2 to 1 cup red spring onions, sliced thin (just the bulb)
4 oz goat cheese
kosher salt for seasoning

Combine the water and yeast in a large bowl. Let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, olive oil, salt and sugar and mix, either by hand or in a mixer on low speed for about 1 minute. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer to a bowl lightly coated with olive oil and turn once to coat the dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Preheat the oven to 475 F, and grease 2 baking sheets and dust with cornmeal. Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Roll one piece into a ball and let rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 10 to 15 minutes. Divide the other piece in half again and roll each into a log. Loosely cover these and allow them to rest

In a small skillet over medium high heat, toast the fennel seeds. Remove to a small dish to cool. Heat some oil in the same pan and cook the onions, allowing them to soften and caramelize. Set aside.

Roll the two smaller pieces of dough into long, thin crusts, rolling and stretching to make it nice and thin. You can save the other half in the fridge for another time. Place the crusts onto the baking sheets and brush with olive oil. Push dents into the surface using your fingers, to prevent bubbling and allow to rest another 10 minutes. Evenly distribute the onions, then the fennel seeds over the top, and finally top with small spoonfuls of goat cheese. Sprinkle with kosher salt to season. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the crust is golden.

(The onions get lightly crisped in the oven and the goat cheese gets a crusty top, but is so warm and creamy inside… if I had an air conditioned kitchen, I’d be making this right now.)

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