I know that my first three posts have come fairly quickly.  I was a little late getting the first published, and quickly followed with post two.  This week allows me to get more on my intended schedule.  I hope to publish on Wednesdays or Thursdays.  CSA deliveries are Tuesday through Thursday, so hopefully a more current publishing schedule will make it easier to actually use the recipes eat more of what comes in each box.

Box contents:

A large bunch of swiss chard

A bunch of Arugula

Radishes

A Garlic scape

Asparagus

Green Onions

Cherries

Peaches!!!

A Cilantro plant

OK, seriously….Peaches in June??  We’ve been CSA members for a very long time, and this is the earliest I can remember seeing peaches in one of the boxes.  I know Farmer Mark has planted trees that mature their fruit over a long period of time, but this is really early.   

The second treat in this week’s box is the garlic scape.  Scapes look a little like a green onion without the white part.  They are typically long and green, and have a little bulb at the tip.  What are they? You say…scapes are the part of garlic that grows above the ground.  Farmer Mark cuts them off so that the bulb gets most of the growth of the plant.  Scapes are milder than cloves.  As the base they may be a little woody.  They provide a wonderful garlic flavor to any dish you would add garlic to.  I prefer them cooked as opposed to raw.   They’re rare and wonderful.

This week, I’m going to try to help you use your scape. 

Pizza is a great family meal.  Kids and adults both love pizza in all shapes and flavors.  Almost anything can top a pizza, from plain cheese to more complex concoctions.  I went with garlic scapes, green onions, sausage, prosciutto cheese and a combination of smoked mozzarella and aged provolone.  Use your favorites, or things your kids will eat.

Cooking the pizza is a little tricky.  I use a pizza stone.  I’ve also used sheet pans.  If you use a sheet pan, be sure to also use spray oil so the crust doesn’t stick.  The spray will also help the crust to brown.  If you use a pizza stone, heat it well in the oven. Heating the stone also helps to brow the bottom of your pizza, and helps it cook evenly.

Dough is also a little tricky.  I’m not going to provide a dough recipe.  There are lots available online, and stores often sell premade dough of good quality.  I used a dough from Wegman’s .  It’s the same dough they use for their in house pizza.  Trader Joe’s also sells a good product.  Its perfectly ok for the dough to sit in the fridge.  It will last a week or a little more, and dough that is a little sour is really delicious.  If you’re using a store bought dough, be sure to let it sit out for several hours to come up to temperature.  This allows the yeast to activate, and start to rise again.  This is important to a successful experience.

My Week 3 pizza

4 inches of garlic scape chopped very fine

2-3 green onions sliced very thin

4 oz prosciutto ham

4 oz Italian sausage

¾ cup good pizza sauce (I use a jarred sauce made by Mids )

1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella

1 cup shredded provolone (use good cheese, it matters)

2 T chopped basil

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.  Put your pizza stone in the oven while it preheats.  While the oven is getting hot, roll your dough.  You want to get it as thin as possible, and you want to try and keep the diameter to something close to the diameter of your stone.  You may need flour on your rolling surface to keep the dough from sticking.  That is fine, and won’t hurt the dough.  Lightly flour the rolling surface and both sides of the dough and things should be fine.  Use a little more flour if the dough starts to stick again.

To assemble the pizza, carefully take the stone out of the oven, and place it on something that will easily allow you to pick up the stone without messing up the toppings.  I use an upside down stock pot placed on my counter.  With the stone on top of the pot, lightly spray the stone with spray oil.  Carefully and lightly fold your dough in half.  Carefully pick up the dough and place it on the stone.  Don’t forget…the stone is very hot (I’ve made this mistake…ouch!).  Then unfold the dough so that the entire stone is covered.  You may hear a little sizzle as the dough hits the stone.  That is fine.

Take the sauce and spread it across the pizza.  I use the back of a large spoon to do the spreading.  Top with the garlic scapes, then the onions, then sausage, and ham.  Try to keep the toppings as even as possible.  Once the toppings are on, add the cheeses.  I mix mine together first, you can do one then the other.

Bake in the 500 degree oven for 12-14 minutes.  Check every so often to make sure that the pizza doesn’t get too done.  Let it sit for 2-3 minutes when it comes out so that it cools a little bit.  Top with the chopped basil.  Slice with a pizza cutter and serve.