Fig, Goat Cheese, and Prosciutto Pizza

What I've accomplished since the last blog: defending and submitting my dissertation, putting a house on the market, and making 15 pounds of Easter lamb. Also, three homemade pizzas. The last one was a fig and goat cheese pie that I think is technically a dessert pizza, but we made into dinner by adding some prosciutto and caramelized onion to balance the sweetness. Yum!

Fig, Goat Cheese, and Prosciutto Pizza
Serves: 2 hungry people
Time: 30 minutes

- half of a small onion
- 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
- crust (either dough for, or pre-made 12-13" crust)
- 6 oz goat cheese (the soft kind; not feta, which is salty)
- 3 ripe figs or a handful of dried figs (if dried, soak in water for a few hours or overnight. This will soften them up and prevent burning)
- 2 slices of prosciutto
- fig jam (optional)

Take all of the necessary ingredients out of the fridge so that they can come to room temperature (very important for the cheese). Thinly slice the onion. Coat the sliced onion in oil and cook over medium heat. Keep an eye on the onions, stirring occasionally, until just starting to brown (caramelize). Don't let them burn! Remove from heat when done and set aside.

While the onions are cooking, thinly slice the figs and set aside. Pull the prosciutto into thin strips and also set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If you're going to be using a pizza stone, make sure that's placed into the oven before you pre-heat.

Roll out dough, or go find your pre-made buddy. If you're transferring to a pizza stone, make sure to put lots of cornmeal under fresh dough to prevent sticking. This recipe will also work great on a baking sheet or pizza pan. Prepare to get messy. Try to slice the cheese into thin rounds (inevitably this won't work, just pretend it's like playdough). Pat gently into thinner discs and clumps and place directly onto dough. You don't need to cover every spot, but be careful when distributing because this sort of cheese doesn't melt much.

Next, place the slices of fig. If you decided to add some fig jam, drizzle or drop small amounts all over the pizza and especially anywhere there is still naked dough. After that, top with prosciutto, and finally the onions. If you're transferring fresh dough to a pizza stone remember to loosen it from the paddle and put extra cornmeal around the edges, especially in front.Bake in oven for about 7 minutes. The cheese will bubble, but it won't melt like traditional pizzas, so a crispy, golden crust is your goal.

before the oven

after the oven

Bonus: Pizza dough
(makes three, 12-13" thin crust)
I follow a recipe from a book, so I can't exactly give this step by step, but the dough is amazing, with a hint of fresh olive oil in the flavor.
- 1 quarter-oz package dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1-1/2 cups warm water
- 3-1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal or semolina (better)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 table spoons olive oil

Combine 1/2 cup warm water, yeast, and sugar and let sit five minutes. Combine yeast mixture with everything else until sticky mass of dough forms. Knead until smooth, adding more flour if too sticky, more water if too dry. An electric mixer really makes this step better! Once kneaded, place in bowl coated with cooking spray, cover with kitchen towel and let rise, about 1-2 hours. Punch down and divide into 3 portions. These can be frozen for future use!

Pizza Rustica

What could be better than a simple, delicious pizza? The tiny, fresh tomatoes in this recipe are key. They stand in for sauce and are a little sweet, balancing nicely with other simple ingredients, like fresh herbs.


Pizza Rustica
Servings: 4-6
Time: 35 minutes (20 prep, 15 in the oven)

13 oz pizza dough (buy it to save time; fits standard cookie sheet)
8 oz fresh mozzarella sliced into ovals
1 pint of grape or small cherry tomatoes
1 table spoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Dried rosemary
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/8 of a teaspoon of salt
Red Pepper flakes
Fresh spinach (or basil if you want more flavor)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place tomatoes and olive oil into frying pan and cook over medium low heat, stirring every once in a while.

Meanwhile, Roll out dough onto lightly greased or parchment covered cookie sheet.

Check on tomatoes. They should cook for about 5 minutes. When they start to become soft, add the garlic, herbs, salt, and a shake of red pepper flakes. Continue stirring and cooking until you can easily pop or crush tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula. Remove from heat at that point, and crush the remaining tomatoes.

Place mozzarella slices directly onto the dough, spacing them equally apart so that when they melt, the cheese will cover the entire pie. Using a spoon, drop small amounts of tomato mixture in different places directly on top of the cheese and dough.

Place fresh spinach or basil leaves in between the tomato splotches.

Place pizza in oven and cook until the cheese is melted and turning golden brown in some spots and the crust is golden.

Taco Pie

And now for the recipe you've all been waiting for! Ok, at least Veronica has been waiting for Taco Pie to appear. This recipe comes from Rob's mom and is delicious and super easy to make. Taco Pie is basically a take on mexican pizza, but begins with crescent rolls. The crescent roll crust is a great time-saver and adds a crispy, almost buttery flavor that turns out to be an important part of the recipe. Similarly, make sure the tomato sauce does not contain herbs and other flavors because otherwise it will taste strangely after mixing with the taco seasoning. This is a fantastic potluck dish by the way. And if you are trying to eat healthy, you can easily substitute low fat crescent rolls, cheese, sour cream, and meat.

Taco Pie
35 minutes (20 prep, 15 oven)
6-8 servings depending on slices

- 2 packages crescent rolls (original)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1.5 to 1.75 cups shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheese
- 1 package (or 1/4 cup) taco seasoning
- 2 cans plain tomato sauce (8oz each...the little Hunts or Del Monte cans)
- 2-3 small chopped tomatoes
- 1-2 cans sliced olives (2.5oz each)
- sour cream

Preheat the oven according to the crescent roll package. Grease or Pam a standard (9.5x15ish? cookie sheet (the kind with very low sides). Unroll the dough as a big sheet and press it into the bottom and sides of the pan (you might have 1-2 crescents left over. Make sure the seams between the crescents are pressed together well and prick all over with a fork. Cook the crust until just golden, about 7 minutes. When finished, pull out and leave to cool a bit. Turn the oven up to 375.
While the dough is cooking, brown the ground beef in a non-stick skillet. Drain the grease and then add the tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Stir well and simmer until just bubbling, about 5 minutes. Spread the meat and sauce onto the cooked crust. Top with olives and chopped tomatoes. Cover everything in cheese. How much cheese is up to you...we usually have a 1/4 cup left-over from one of those 2 cup bags of shredded cheese. Put in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese melts. Serve with sour cream. That last step is really important if you like sour cream.


If you don't like tomato or olives, just leave them out. This is a beautiful tomato-less version put together by the "'obs". If those boys can do such a nice job, so can you!