The beet greens have such a nice fresh flavor, not bitter at all like some greens can be. The stems have a very mild beet taste. We blanched the leaves & stems in the microwave for a minute to soften them up before putting them on the pizza. (I also do this if I want to freeze them to use later in thinks like soups & stew.) We had planned on pairing it with a little chopped garlic but then noticed that some of the garlic scapes in our garden were ready to harvest so we used one of them instead. Scapes are so perfect in a application like this giving a garlic flavor that isn't sharp or overpowering like raw garlic. Other than that this pizza just has some fresh mozzarella & freshly ground pepper, very simple but really full of flavor.
The scape is the flower stem of a garlic plant. They get cut off to help increase the energy put into growing the bulb & they are mighty tasty! You should start seeing them at farmers markets in our area the next couple of weeks.
For the crust of this pizza I added a little wheat bran. It give a nice flavor, texture & color to the crust as well as some healthiness.
Beet Greens & Garlic Scape Pizza
Wheat Bran Pizza Crust
1 T olive oil plus extra for the bowl
1/2 c warm water
1/2 t dry yeast
1 t kosher salt
1/4 c wheat bran
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
Mix the 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the warm water. Stir in the yeast then the salt & wheat bran. Stir in the flour until you can't stir anymore with a spoon. Knead the dough until it is smooth & elastic, about 10 minutes. If the dough is sticky add more flour a little at a time.
Put a little olive oil in the bottom of the bowl. Put the dough in & turn it to coat with the oil. Cover & let sit until double in size, about 2 hours.
Making the Pizza
10 - 12 baby beet green leaves with stems, chopped (you can use chard here instead since they are basically the same thing)
olive oil
8 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed
1 garlic scape, sliced into small pieces (use a clove of garlic if you can't get scapes)
freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Put the beet greens & stems into a plastic bag. Microwave on high for 1 minute to blanch. Set aside
Lightly oil a baking sheet. Spread the dough out into a rectangle about 12" x 18" on the prepared sheet. Scatter the cheese cubes around the dough. Sprinkle the garlic scapes & blanched beet greens over the cheese. Season with pepper. Bake for 13 -15 minutes until the cheese is melted & bubbly & the golden brown.
Makes 1 pizza
We are really enjoying putting all sorts of different seasonal ingredients on our pizzas lately, ramps, garlic scapes, beet greens...what is your favorite, perhaps a little unusual, pizza topping?
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Beet greens are some of my favorite veg! I've never tried them on pizza, but this looks absolutely fantastic. Love the bran in the crust as well.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, sauteed celery makes a great addition for pizza. We love putting together cajun jambalaya pizza with shrimp, celery, onions, garlic, cajun seasoning, and chopped fresh tomatoes. SO good.
Love beet greens! They have such a wonderful flavor. Pizza? Beet greens and garlic scape? Awesome idea!
ReplyDeleteI've never had beet greens, but now I want to start looking for them.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this idea, Kat. I've had stir-fried beet greens before (dressed them in a little balsamic reduction if I remember correctly) but I found them to a be somewhat bitter. I wonder if that had something to do with the beets now, as you said yours weren't bitter at all. I would imagine the sweetness of the mozzarella and the scapes would be a lovely accompaniment to the beet greens, even if they were a bit bitter (as in the greens I got).
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
If we ever move to your neck of the woods I think I need to eat at your house at least once a month.Of course I would say once a week because I woudn't want to impose or anything.:) Always something good.
ReplyDeleteCarter - I wonder if the difference was we used the greens from baby beets, so they were baby beet greens not time enough to get bitter
ReplyDeleteI love it! Will be making this pizza as soon as my garlic's are ready to give me those scapes! We're in Saint Paul and apparently our garlics are about a week behind yours.
ReplyDeleteThat pizza really sounds so good! Kudos to you!
great pizza, kat! i must say that i'm so glad that ya'll make use of all your produce. pea tendrils, beet greens--you don't waste a single thing!
ReplyDeleteGarlic scape pesto, garlic scape soup and now garlic scape pizza with greens. I hope the garlic scapes are ready when I head to the market.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so now I really have to try the greens. I think I'd probably like them better than the actual beets. Great crust!
ReplyDeleteI haven't made the leap to making pizza dough but really should try one of these days. I love beet greens and this pizza sounds killer.
ReplyDeleteI have some red and golden beet greens that need trimming and Friday I am making pizza. Great idea.
ReplyDeleteI see garlic scapes a lot at the Shoreview market and have always hesitated to purchase them despite the $2 price tag for a huge bunch. I should try some on pizza. I think we'd enjoy that.
ReplyDelete