My crazy friend Karen just returned from a summer-long tour all around Central America, punctuated by getting a concussion from a falling coconut. (This is so Karen. You just have to know her to love her.) When I found out she was coming back to town, I offered to cook dinner so we could catch up, ie, gossip. Pizza was obviously just the thing, being hand-held and allowing for maximum conversing. I also thought that prepping a simple dinner for a few hours would help me relax and get out of my head a little bit. Or yeah, take out my aggression on some dough. :)
I've never tried the pizza techniques in Vegan With a Vengeance, always being quite content with Joy of Cooking's classic recipes, but I decided to give it a swing the Isa way. And...WOW. The crust is phenomenal. Despite not having proper pizza pans and having to grill on a crazy cookie cooling-rack, the crust was perfectly chewy, crunchy and amazing.
I also tried the sauce and basil-tofu ricotta from VWaV with equally good results. That sauce is scrumptious, I could eat it with a spoon. And the ricotta is amazingly "ricotta-like", aside from just being yummy in its own right.
Having gotten this far, I know I should have just gone ahead and tried the "Isa Pizza" with pesto and olives and the like, but you know? It takes a special mood to make pesto. I have done it before, I'll do it again, but I have to be in a very particular mind-set to make it, for some reason. Its not something I'll just whip out on a whim.
At any rate, I topped mine instead with spinach, pineapples, broccoli, and thin sliced shallots. It was super, and Karen the non-vegan dug it too.
For dessert, I made up a really simple treat: they sell these marinated figs at the store now (marinated with such things as cloves and vanilla) in a little plastic case. I microwaved them for 20 seconds, and poured over scoops of vanilla soy-dream. Some crystallized ginger would be nice on top as well. Very rich but delish.
Song of the Day: Of Montreal- So Begins Our Alabee
I love the VwaV pizza crust and sauce recipes! I've yet to try that Isa Pizza either, but come to think of it, I have a bunch of frozen pesto...maybe I should add that to my make-next-week list.
ReplyDeleteThat pizza looks really good. I have yet to do a pizza with a tofu ricotta. I am really starting to like tofu these days. It is so useful.
ReplyDeletebowls of marinated figs with soy ice cream sounds heavenly - and so does your pizza, T! isa's pizza crust recipe = the best, and her ricotta is our favorite as well. i hear ya on having to be in a pesto make'n mood. we have a TON of basil in our garden that needs harvesting, but i'm not in the mood to make pesto just yet. for me, it takes a lot of tasting and time and i always make a mess - i just don't have the energy for pesto make'n right now.
ReplyDeleteoh yeah - and your toppings = awesome! pineapple, broccoli, shallots - mmmmmmmmm!
marinated figs! where have you been all my life?
ReplyDeleteOhhh, you should totally try the Isa Pizza. It's so so so good! I use the Cashew Ricotta from VCON on it and it is yum!
ReplyDeleteMarinated Figs! What!
pizza and ice cream??? sounds like my perfect night!
ReplyDeleteWe make pizza nearly weekly and I almost always use the VWAV recipe - but I use mostly spelt flour w/the regular. Never disappointed, always perfect. I love Isa!
ReplyDeletejust linked this article on my facebook account. it’s a very interesting article for all.
ReplyDeletePizza Rack