I’m not sure I understand the difference between pizza and flatbread, except the pizza generally has a sauce (except for mine) and is round. Flatbread, to me, should be rectangular. The debate is pointless to me, as long as it tastes good. I started out this recipe by making the dough a day ahead and storing it in the fridge. I timed myself, it took 7 minutes and 15 seconds to prepare the dough. I then ran an errand while it rose, et voila, convenience for the next evening’s meal.

The choice for toppings was random, centering on the vague idea of a potato flatbread. I picked up a few red potatoes and was on the lookout for leeks, which were nowhere to be found. I guess they are out of season now. I DID run across some lovely radicchio, and thanks to the handy seasonal veggie tool, I knew it was in season. The choice of cheese was also purely coincidental. They had some Gruyère out for sampling at the Whole Foods and I thought the nuttiness would go well with the bitterness of the radicchio. Gruyère is a mild stinky cheese, but don’t be put off by the stank. Once it melts it’s mellow and adds a nice bit of saltiness.

The results were satisfying and fantastically simple, the perfect comfort food for me. If you aren’t up to preparing your own dough you can buy refrigerated pizza dough. I recommend slicing the potato paper thin so they will cook all the way through. I use a mandolin slicer to do that, but you could use a sharp knife and your mad knife skills and get the same result. Now I seriously need to get to my packing

Non-natural lighting. Meh.

Potato and Radicchio Flatbread

Dough recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4
Total time 2.5 hours, but only 30 minutes is hands on (look at how I justify this behavior here)
Cost per serving $4

For the dough:
3/4 cups white flour
3/4 cups wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the topping:
2 oz. Gruyère
1/2 head of radicchio (save the other half for a salad)
1 medium red potato
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 glug of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper

1. Mix the flours, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and olive oil, stirring mixture into a ball. You will probably not be able to make it into a homogenous ball, but there’s an easy fix for that. Smitten Kitchen says to dump everything onto a floured surface and let it sit, covered by the empty bowl, for a few minutes. When you come back to it you should be able to incorporate every bit into a ball.
2. Knead the dough a few times: fold it in half, press it with the palms of your hands, turn it a quarter turn, repeat. Lightly oil the bowl and roll the dough ball around the bowl to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1-2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
3. Dump the dough back onto the floured surface and press the air out of it. Make it into a ball again and let it rest covered for another 20 minutes. At this point you can wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight.
4. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle some cornmeal on a cookie sheet. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle. Place it on the cookie sheet.
5. Grate the Gruyère on the large holes of a box grater and set aside.
6. Coarsely chop the radicchio and slice the potatoes thin. Place the veggies and the onions in a large bowl and add a nice big glug of olive oil, the salt and some black pepper to taste. Toss the veggies to coat.
7. Pick out the potato slices and layer on the rolled out dough. Dump the radicchio and onion on top, then sprinkle with the cheese.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and let the flatbread rest a minute or two. Cut into squares and enjoy.

I didn’t create a nutrition label for this recipe because, frankly, I couldn’t be bothered to. I’m not as concerned about the minutia of nutrition for the next few days. As long as I don’t resort to fast food, I figure I’m doing all right.

I saw this recipe for a butternut squash pizza on Real Simple and knew I could make it real simpler. Instead of using the refrigerated dough the recipe calls for, I turn to my quickie standby for mini pizzas: the pita. This recipe comes together in under 30 minutes with the pita as the crust. If you wanted to use the refrigerated dough or get even fancier and make your own dough, I’m sure the results would be irresistible.

I jazzed up the recipe a bit by using a goat’s milk ricotta with smoked paprika. Oh hell yes. This lovely fresh cheese is made by a local Texas company called Poia. If you can’t find it you can mix a little paprika with some regular ricotta. The smokiness of the paprika works well with the sweet roasted squash, so give it a shot.

Butternut Squash Pita Pizza

Serves 6
Total time: 30 minutes
Cost per serving: $3

1 butternut squash, or 1 package of pre-cut if you are feeling REALLY lazy
1 small yellow onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 package of 6 whole wheat pita bread
1/2 cup fresh part-skim ricotta
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel and cut the squash into bite-sized chunks, about 1/2 inch. Slice the onion into 1/4 inch rings.Put the squash and onion in a bowl, drizzle with the oil, season with the salt and pepper, and toss. Place in a baking dish and roast about 20 minutes. Transfer back to the bowl.
3. Spoon the squash and onion mixture onto the pitas. Mix the ricotta with the paprika (if using) and place little dollops of the ricotta around the pita. Sprinkle with the thyme.
4. Place the pitas back in the oven and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the pita starts to brown and the cheese melts.

Was I kidding about the vitamin A? This little pizza is a nutrition boon. I pictured it above with the Tangy Roasted Brussels Sprouts I made the other day. After eating that meal I felt like SuperWoman.

What follows is only in the loosest sense a pizza. I thought about calling it a garden flatbread, but that sounded poncey. Plus my new favorite book, The Recipe Writer’s Handbook, discourages cryptic and silly recipe names. I’m so, so guilty of that.

If you don’t have all of the ingredients I list below, not a big deal. You can use a technique I like to call im-praaaaah-visation. As long as you can cut it into bite-sized pieces and it won’t be ick if you cook it, throw it on the pita. The combo I use below, however, is quite magical and has plenty of iron from the pumpkin seeds, which toast up in the oven. I love the bitterness of the radishes, the sweetness of the squash and pumpkin seeds, and the saltiness of the feta and olives all mingling together.

Garden Pita Pizza

Serves one
Total time: 10 minutes
Cost per serving: $3-5 depending on your toppings

1 whole wheat pita
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup (1 oz) fresh spinach
1/3 cup (1.5 oz) thinly sliced squash
1 radish, thinly sliced
4 green olives, quartered (I used some marinated olives from the olive bar)
2 tablespoons (0.5 oz) raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup (1 oz) feta cheese
Italian seasoning (optional)

1. If you are using a conventional oven, heat it to 350 degrees. I use a toaster oven so I skip this step. If you haven’t already prepped the veggies you could do that while the oven heats.
2. Drizzle the olive oil on the pita, and spread it around with your fingers. Sexy.
3. Spread the spinach out on the pita, then top with the squash and radish slices. Sprinkle on the olives, pumpkin seeds, and feta. Toss a few dashes of Italian seasoning on top, if using.
4. Place in the oven for about 5-8 minutes, or until the pumpkin seeds begin to brown. Serve cut into wedges.

Check out the nutrition information for this meal. The cholesterol should actually be 8%, but for some reason it keeps calculating to 33%. I think it’s just a glitch. More importantly, look at the fiber and vitamin content! You could do a lot worse

I got a little behind in my posting. As you can see, this recipe is for late summer veggies, but it’s pretty much still summer in Houston so I figured I squeeze this one in. You can substitute the veggies in this recipe for what’s in season in your ‘hood. The standout here is the homemade pizza crust. If you have never done this before, don’t be scared. It’s really easy. The hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise for ~2 hours. This crust recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen. Go visit Smitten Kitchen! It’s food pr0n!

Homemade Late Summer Pizza

Makes one thin crust pizza that will serve 2 hungry adults
Total time 2-2.5 hours
Cost per pizza about $8

For the dough:
3/4 cups white flour
3/4 cups wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the toppings:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2-3 Heirloom tomatoes, different varieties
1 small zucchini squash
1 ounce fresh goat cheese
1/2 cup shredded smoked mozzarella
Italian seasoning

1. Mix the flours, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and olive oil, stirring mixture into a ball. You will probably not be able to make it into a homogenous ball, but there’s an easy fix for that. Smitten Kitchen says to dump everything onto a floured surface and let it sit, covered by the empty bowl, for a few minutes. When you come back to it you should be able to incorporate every bit into a ball.
2. Knead the dough a few times: fold it in half, press it with the palms of your hands, turn it a quarter turn, repeat. Lightly oil the bowl and roll the dough ball around the bowl to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1-2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
3. Dump the dough back onto the floured surface and press the air out of it. Make it into a ball again and let it rest covered for another 20 minutes.
   
4. Preheat the oven to its highest temperature. Halve the tomatoes, then slice as thinly as you can. Slice the zucchini thinly. You can use a mandoline like I do to get super thin slices quickly.

5. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out onto the floured surface. I shoot for about a 12 inch round, but I can never get it perfectly rounded. My crusts have a more “organic” shape. Brush the top of the dough with the olive oil, then arrange the sliced veggies on top. Drop little dollops of goat cheese around the pizza, then top with the smoked mozzarella. Sprinkle on some Italian seasoning.
6. Sprinkle a little cornmeal on a baking sheet and slide the pizza on. Bake in the super hot over for about 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is browned and the crust is blistery.

I double this recipe and make two pies because this combo is heavenly and it goes fast. The smoked mozzarella gives it a meatiness, and the tomatoes and zucchini keep it light. This can be easily adapted to any season. Just use whatever is cheap and prominently displayed in the produce section. That’s usually how I remember what’s in season.