Beets, Currants & Swiss Chard
Sautéed yellow beets with beet greens, Swiss chard & shallots, red currants, Bucheron cheese, toasted croutons
This pizza should make you feel very French and rustic and like you just hopped off your bicycle after spending the morning filling your basket with the freshest produce and cheese and probably bundles of lavender from a farmer's market in Avignon. Or something. The point is, it's simple to throw together and it's all about really good ingredients. So it'll taste great regardless of where in the French countryside you are (or aren't).
Recipe
Ingredients:
1 ball of pizza dough
flour for dusting
semolina flour for pizza stone
olive oil
salt & pepper
butter
bucheron cheese (or a similar soft goat cheese), sliced into rounds
a handful of fresh red currants*
a couple thick slices of crusty bread, cut into cubes
1 bunch Swiss chard, large ribs removed & leaves roughly chopped
2-4** yellow beets, peeled & sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds (if they still have their greens, remove & chop them with the Swiss chard)
1 shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons dry white wine
*These are in season this time of year, but if you can't find them, feel free to sub out for another tart, juicy fruit like pomegranate seeds (these will be a little sweeter than the currants, but still delicious)
**The amount will depend on the size of your beets, but just think of it as enough slices to cover a pizza
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 550° F, or as hot as it will go. While it's heating, melt about 3 tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and are starting to brown.
Add the beets to the pan and season with salt & pepper. Reduce the heat and let them soften and caramelize for about 15 minutes, turning once or twice to make sure both sides are cooked evenly.
When the beets are starting to become tender, add the greens and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cover the pan, cooking until the greens are nice and wilted. You can peek occasionally and add a tablespoon or two of water if necessary, cooking until it's fully absorbed. Season to taste and remove from the heat.
While the beets are cooking, you can toast your croutons. Melt a teaspoon of butter in a pan over medium heat and add your bread cubes, stirring until they are toasty and just starting to brown (remember, they'll toast up even more in the oven).
When all the ingredients are ready and the oven is hot, you can start preparing your dough using the instructions on the right. After you've baked it for a minute, take it out and brush it lightly with olive oil. Next, lay the bucheron slices evenly across the pizza, followed by the mixture of beets & greens, the croutons and a handful of currants.
Bake until the crust is a nice golden brown, then take it out. You can add a couple extra currants now if you want an extra burst of freshness. Then just slice it up and enjoy!