Can you think of any ingredient that you haven’t seen slapped on a pizza at one point or another? Pizzas come in thin crust, deep dish, vegan, cheese-stuffed, dessert varietals, even as deconstructed versions of other well known meals (cheeseburger pizzas anyone?). So it just seemed like a really good idea to me to order a pizza with my beloved butternut squash and goat cheese last year at a favorite Boston haunt. And it was. Being 3,000 miles away now it’s a little harder to indulge in my regular cravings for this pie, but I was inspired the other day by, you guessed it, some leftover ingredients and a bag o’ dough from Trader Joe’s. I know that I may be revealing myself to some of you as a home cooking poser by buying pre-made dough, but honestly, I don’t like to bake and I don’t like following recipes so a prêt à porter canvas to experiment on with freestyle ingredients really appeals to me.
This pizza is unique in that there is no sauce. The roasted squash acts as a base for the other ingredients and is moist enough so that things stick to the pizza and it isn’t too dry. The braised leeks help with moisture and flavor as well. This pizza combines the best flavors of fall and winter into an easy and portable meal that I can take to work the next day!Anything that fits conveniently into tupperware (stuffed squashes, I’m talking to you!) is just fine by me.
Squash, Leek, and Goat Cheese Pizza
serves 4
1 medium butternut squash
1 bunch of leeks, root and stem removed and the remainder julienned
2T. chopped fresh sage
3oz. goat cheese
1 package of uncooked pizza dough
1t. dried oregano
olive oil
1c. water or broth
To make the squash, heat over to 450 degrees. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds and stringy bits. Apply a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper to the cut side of the squash and lay it face down on a cookie sheet. Cook for about 30 minutes or until soft when poked through with a fork. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Heat pizza peel in the oven at 500 degrees (or preheat a cookie sheet at 500) and make sure your dough is out of the fridge and coming to room temperature. In a small skillet heat several tablespoons of olive oil and about 1/2 t. oregano over medium heat. Once warmed, add the leeks careful not to overcrowd and raise the heat slightly. Saute until starting to brow. Fill the skillet with about a 1/2″ of water or broth and cover with a lid. Cook for another 3-5 minutes or until leeks are cooked through. Using your hands and white flour or cornmeal, stretch the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper (**great trick that helps to avoid the crust sticking to the peel or pan and is a great way to get the pizza from counter to oven).
Spoon out the roasted squash, discarding the skins, into a bowl and mash up. Spread across the dough, leaving a 1″ edge for the crust. Spread thin slices of the goat cheese, the leeks, and the fresh chopped sage uniformly across the pizza. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2t. of oregano over the pizza and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
