Pizza Today - March 2018 - 42

IN THE KITCHEN

FEAR & LOATHING
IN LAS VEGGIES
Story John Gutekanst Photo Josh Keown

etween winter and
spring, the availability
of summer vegetables
has gotten tremendously better. But
as a penny-pinching restaurateur,
the frightening prices are enough
to give a snowman the shivers. As
a pizzeria owner, I have to keep
certain hot-climate menu items in
play, but every winter I brace myself
before looking at those inflated
invoices. A few years ago I realized
that a new crop of winter vegetables
is readily available in these cold
winter and pre-spring months.
Some of these are traditional winter
vegetables, while others are the
product of a new breed of farmer
who is equipped with green houses
and "High Tunnels" that protect
winter herbs and vegetables from
freezing.
Here are is a menagerie of winter
products to spice up your menu mix:
* BABY KALE. This tender
youngster doesn't need to be cooked
before placing on a pizza; and
it's great with Parmigiano cream,
cheddar, feta and Gruyere. Beet and
walnuts with pecorino and mozzarella is a great pizza combination.
Chilies, barley, apples, chives, leeks,
garlic, onion, mushroom and potato
are also great accompaniments to
kale.
* SWISS CHARD. Chard is best
de-stemmed and blanched before
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topping. Great with lemon zest,
onions, garlic, chili flakes, cumin,
pine nuts, raisins, potatoes, mushrooms and lots of beans. Chard is
brilliant baked with stilton, gorgonzola, creamy ricotta, feta and my
favorite combo of Taleggio-ChardPersimmon jam and pecan.
* PEA SHOOTS. Easy to grow,
crunchy and sweet. These tendrils
are best served after the oven on a
pie with Parmigiano, feta or chevre.
Great with garlic and mushrooms
or tossed with olive, sesame or
peanut oil with pears and radishes.
Good with kale, corn, chives, shallots and lemon.
* COLLARD GREENS. These strong
leaves can be sautéed or longbraised before topping. I love them
with bacon, garlic and lemon with
chilies and fontina cheese. Ricotta,
bell peppers, sesame, leek and pork
are traditional pairings. Peanuts,
fish sauce, morel mushrooms and
chicken are all great here.
*RADICCHIO. It's a best pizza topping in my view, and it lends a bitter
counterpoint when topped after the
oven or sautéed with garlic, lemon
and anchovy for a raucous, colorful
crunch. Radicchio is fantastic with
gorgonzola, Asiago, Fontina, goat
and Parmigiano. Don't forget pairing with apples, pears, mushrooms,
fennel and garlic. Walnuts, pistachio, pine nuts, balsamic and pecans
finish this off nicely.

LET'S FACE IT: LARGE, DENSE VEGETABLES ARE ALWAYS THE BEST VALUE. If you have a lot of great prep

people like me, these vegetables can
be an asset to your restaurant. If you
are a freezer-to-oven place and you
pride yourself on saving labor at all
costs, you may just look for the time
when these are pre-prepared.
* LEEK. I cannot get enough of
running chopped leek through my
conveyor ovens with a little olive oil.
It is perfect with artichoke, ricotta,
Parmigiano, potato, Jerusalem
artichoke, Gruyere, halloumi, cheddar and pecorino. Throw in potato,
crème fraiche, mushrooms, lemon,
mint and sweet peppers. One of my
best selling breads is the "Leek-aChoke." (You can easily figure that
one out.)
* DAIKON. Pickling daikon of
all colors is my favorite after-oven
activity. It's like putting a carnation on my lapel. Thinly sliced and
quick-pickled with salt and sugar
is enough for these, although thin
threads with cucumber and scallion
brings a cool element to pizzas.
Some people have an aversion to
cooked daikon.
* RADISH. Like daikon, these are
a colorful, thinly sliced after-oven
display that especially pair well with
lemon, fava, cabbage, celery, chives,
cilantro, cucumber and dill. Cheeses
pair well with radish like Jack, bleu,

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Pizza Today - March 2018

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