Perusing "Clean Start" for the first time, I noticed it is also organized by season, which I think is just an incredibly smart way to organize a cookbook. Also, at each page turn, I found myself thinking wanting to put each new recipe on the menu for the upcoming week. Then I would turn the page and rethink that decision.
My first foray into this new time was Polenta Pizza. Walters mentions that many gluten-free folks she knows cite pizza as one of the things they miss the most. I'm not gluten-free folk myself, but I know at least one person regularly checking in here is, and presumably many more of my fellow orbiting vegans as well. Even if you are gluten-friendly, try this one because it's yummtasmic.
Polenta crust:
3 cups veggie stock or broth ( I tend not to keep big cans or containers of veggie stock around for "real estate" reasons, ie I can't spare the space, and instead keep a tiny little box of Rapunzel bouillon cubes handy, so I can make up as many cups as I need in a jiffy.)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp each dried basil, oregano, and parsley
Black pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cups polenta
Cornmeal to "flour" baking sheet
Bring your broth to a boil, reduce heat to medium and stir in the salt, herbs, and oil. Whisk in your polenta gradually, whisking as you go, and keep on whisking. The continuous whisking gets old after a minute or two, but soldier on, and don't stop until your mixture has the thick consistency of hot cereal, like grits or cream of wheat. At this point, pour, or more likely spoon, the polenta into a tart pan, or a pizza pan with at least a 1/4" to help inch depth, and evenly distribute the polenta, being careful not to leave any holes or thin areas. Walters says you can fill two 11" pans , I was only able to fill one. I do suspect that maybe I let the mixture get a little bit too thick, and perhaps if I'd giving my whisking arm a reprieve a minute or two earlier, I could have spread the batter out to make a thinner crust, and thereby doubled the surface area.
As it was, I certainly didn't mind the thick crust. Put your pan, or pans, into the fridge to cool and firm up, 30 minutes or so. Then overturn the pans(s) onto a baking sheet floured with cornmeal.
As you will see, my crust didn't crumble in the process, however it did stick to the pan a little, and I was left with a few separate pieces, but I did a reasonable job of smoothing it back together. It re-separated in the oven though, so be warned, maintaining the structural integrity of the dough is crucial if you're overly concerned with a "pretty" result. When it comes out pretty, I'm generally stupefied, but as long as it comes out tasty, I'm pleased.
For the topping, I chose to use TW's suggestion of kale and Maitake mushrooms, but really, you could do just about anything you would put on a "conventional" pizza.
To make the Kale topping:
1 leek, sliced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp Mirin (a sweet rice cooking wine, Whole Foods has gotcha covered.)
2 Maitake mushrooms (they're sizable, and you'll real them up in the process, one 4 oz package will be just a little more than you need.)
1 bunch of chopped kale (save yourself the trouble, and buy a pre-chopped bag, unless for some reason you need the leaves intact.)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup tomato sauce (you could easily purée one tomato, a little olive oil, and perhaps a spice or two in the vitamix to make a small batch, or buy a jar of something, just be wary of too many ingredients on the label.)
To make the topping, your going to sautée your leeks in the oil until they're nice and tender, you'll eventually get a handle on when they're how you like them, then youll add the next few ingredients one by one, giving them a minute or two each to meld, soften, and otherwise commingle with the other swingers at the party. Crumble the mushrooms, with your hands, before you add them to the pan. You can buy an expensive mushroom crumbler at Williams Sonoma, but it won't save you any time, and it's a bitch and a half to clean. Some say two bitches.
Once you add the kale, drizzle another tbsp or so of olive oil and give it an emphatic pinch of salt. That is to say, use very little, but really throw your wrist into it. It's always more fun to put your body into it. I'd give it another few minutes to wilt a bit, then you're ready to put it all together.
First, congratulate yourself on bearing with me thus far, then spread the sauce on the crust, and bake for 40 minutes at 350.
Then smother lovingly--being careful to allow your fledgling pizza some personal liberty, otherwise it will just rebel--with the kale topping, and bake another 15 minutes.
You will love this! Wonderful things happen to kale when you introduce it to a saucepan, and a little threesome with the mushrooms adds a nice savory touch that you'll still respect in the morning.
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Location:Madison, CT
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