"All in all it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer - one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going - one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world."
~ L.M Montgomery
Thanks for letting Lucy Maud cover for me today. My mind is elsewhere - mainly on the summer produce that needs picking just outside my door. Beans aren't gonna blanch themselves! Plus this week has been heavy with deadlines and work, and I'm just tying up a few loose ends before I head out of town for a bit. Finally my mini-vacay is here! Not venturing far - just jumping in the car and going to see some of my favourite people in the whole world; key players in some of my never-to-be-forgotten-summers. It feels like eons since I've hit the road; windows down, music loud, with just the horizon to drive into. Well, let's rephrase that. I hate hair in my eyes, so the windows are up. Music is loud, but not that loud (I'm old after all), and I'll be squinting while driving into the sun. But it's my road trip, dammit, and it's gonna rock.
And so my going away present to you is this pizza - a great way to use up the ample amounts of chard you may be finding in your CSA or gardens right now. Cooked with leeks, fresh corn and garlic, it makes a mighty fine topping. Those cherry tomatoes are sweet like candy and really match perfectly with the fresh basil. I had bocconcini to use up, but go ahead and use goat cheese or feta as a replacement. It's pizza, so feel free to play around. Use caramelized onions instead of leeks or kale instead of chard. I won't look away if you add bacon either. Might even give you a high-five. If you serve it with a little balsamic reduction drizzled on top - well that gets you a fist bump.
And with that, I'm gone like the wind.
Swiss Chard & Corn Pizza with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
I used the same crust I used
here. It was even frozen for more than a month and still perfect.
Rolled out to about 9x13 inches, it proved to be a great base. That being said, feel free to substitute your go-to crust.
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups sliced leeks, be sure to rinse them well
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chili flakes
6 cups Swiss chard
1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels. Leftover corn on the cob would be great too.
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 cups fresh cherry tomatoes, cut in half
100 grams bocconcini cheese, sliced
handful fresh basil leaves, torn
Roll out your crust so it's roughly 9 x13 inches. Grease a bake sheet with olive oil and sprinkle a little cornmeal on top. Place the rolled out dough on top of this. Preheat oven to 450*F.
Heat butter and oil in a deep skillet. Saute the leeks until softened and starting to brown, about 10 - 12 minutes. Add the garlic and chili flakes and cook another minute. Stir in the chard and corn, cooking until chard is wilted and corn warmed through - about 3 minutes. Let cool a few minutes - slice your cherry tomatoes and cheese while it is cooling. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella on top of dough. Spread the chard filling on top of this. I had about a cup extra which I saved for sandwiches later in the week. Arrange the cherry tomatoes and bocconcini on top of the chard filling. Slide into the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden and melty. Scatter fresh basil leaves on it once out of oven. Slice into wedges. Serves 3-4.
