Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 2c beet or turnip greens, from 1 bunch of beets or turnips, leaves separated from ribs and leaves chopped, ribs diced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 oz goat cheese, softened
- 1 to 2 tsp milk
- 1⁄4 tsp dried thyme (optional)
- 1 (12-inch) tortilla, lavash, or wrap
About this recipe
You can treat beet greens as you would Swiss chard in many recipes. Their tender texture and mild flavor blend easily into dishes and makes them very versatile. Turnip greens are a smidge more bitter. You can use them in recipes where you would normally include Asian choys, broccoli rabe, or other hardy greens. Both beet and turnip “bonus” greens also have enough flavor to stand alone and are delectable in dishes that highlight their unique taste and texture.
Call it a nifty shortcut or a sneaky cheat, but using a tortilla as a pizza crust makes this little homemade pie a snap. Whip it up for lunch or a light dinner, or cut it into squares and serve it as an after-school snack or cocktail nibble. I use sautéed greens and goat cheese as the toppings here, but you can riff on the recipe with any combos that you like: traditional tomato/mozzarella, Swiss/mushroom, fig/blue cheese and on and on. You can also use any size tortilla you have on hand or even rectangular lavash, if that’s what’s in your fridge. You can scale the goat cheese spread up or down, depending on the size of the pizza. It’s all good. Really good.
Makes one 12-inch pizza
Instructions
Place the oil and garlic in a medium-size sauté pan and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Set over medium heat. The garlic will transfer its flavor to the oil as the pan warms. When the garlic begins to sizzle, but before it browns (2 to 3 minutes), add the diced ribs to the pan and sauté until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the greens to the pan and toss to coat them with the garlic and oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, lower the heat to medium-low, and sauté until wilted, stirring occasionally. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool slightly.
While the greens cool, combine the cheeses in a medium-size bowl, mashing with a fork to blend. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk, as necessary, to thin to a spreadable consistency. Add the thyme, if using, and a pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Spread one side of the tortilla with the cheese spread. Strew the greens on top. Transfer the topped tortilla to the pan used to sauté the greens and set over medium-low heat. Allow the pizza to cook until the tortilla is toasted and crisp, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the pan, cut into serving pieces and serve.
Copyright © 2016. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
