Our little herb patch is one of our the very best parts of the farm. When it comes to harvest day, there is nothing better than the aroma of the freshly picked herbs filling the harvest crates. This week we’ve been selecting an amazing blend of Italian herbs including rosemary, sage, marjoram, thyme and oregano for our veg box customers. By the end of the day, if you closed your eyes in the packing shed, you could well have been transported to the bustling markets of Naples or Rome as the quintessential herbal perfume filled the air.
Naturally we decided to make pizza for dinner! This recipe is classically Italian and while it doesn’t seem like an obvious combination to put potato on pizza, it is absolutely delicious! We added some creamy soft goats cheese and a tangy kale salsa verde which brings the whole dish to life! The pizza dough is a very quick and easy recipe, perfect for knocking together after a long day at work but if you want the true Napoli pizza experience then take the time to follow a recipe like this: https://www.weekendbakery.com/posts/a-pizza-adventure-part-ii-new-24h-dough-recipe/
Our kale salsa verde can be used for lots of other dishes too so if you have extra, make sure to try it stirred through pasta or roasted vegetables too!
We hope you enjoy this recipe, we certainly did… we polished off two big pizzas far too quickly!!
Preheat your oven to its highest setting at least 45 minutes prior to putting your pizza in. If you have a pizza stone make sure you have that heating in the oven.
Dough
5 cups strong white bread flour + some for dusting
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
2 1/4 cups water
Weigh out your dry ingredients and mix together well.
Next add your water and bring together to form a dough - you can use a kitchen mixer with a dough hook or your hands.
The dough should be sticky but not sticking to the edges of the bowl, if its to sticky simply add a touch more flour.
Knead the dough well for 8-10 minutes until it is nice and smooth and elastic.
Bring the dough together in a ball and lightly oil the surface with olive oil. Place back in a clean bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Allow to rise until doubled in size.
Once well risen, knock back the dough and rest for 10 -15 minutes.
Stretch or roll the dough into your pizza shape, place onto parchment paper and brush the top with extra virgin olive oil, all the way to the edges.
Kale Salsa Verde
100g Red Russian kale
150ml cold pressed rapeseed oil
1 garlic clove peeled
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt
Wash and de-stem the kale.
Combine ingredients in a food processor, use the pulse setting to get a rough pesto consistency. Loosen with some extra oil if necessary. Add salt to taste.
Toppings
4-5 medium sized potatoes
200g soft goats cheese
20g Fresh Italian Herbs (rosemary, sage, oregano, marjoram, thyme)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Scrub your potatoes clean, place into a pan of cold salted water and bring to boil.
Cook until they are just turning tender - you should be able to quite easily pierce them with a fork.
Remove from the water, allow to cool slightly and then slice thinly into rounds
Top your pizza dough with a layer of potatoes, add a scattering of the Italian herbs.
Place on a tray in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the base is nice and crisp and the potates are beginning to turn golden brown.
Finish with a drizzle of the salsa verde, a few good dollops of goats cheese and some cracked black pepper, plus another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
This recipe is delicious both warm and cold so definitely keep your leftovers for tomorrows lunch!