WINK Magazine 02.06 A THOUSAND WORDS Column


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When The Moon Hits Your Eye Like A Big Pumpkin Pie...

Its OCTOBER! (And the Recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Harvest Pizza Pie!)

By Lori Rosetti, Oogie's Ice Cream

When the leaves begin to change to color, crunching under your shoes as you stroll down the street with an unmistakable crispness in the air, there is one thing you can be sure of—an overabundance of pumpkin recipes will be coming at you from every direction. They will grace the pages of every magazine, newspaper, blog and website. The cooking shows will make pumpkin pies, muffins, soups, chowders, rolls and breads in more varieties than you could ever imagine existed.

Pumpkin is, after all, the quintessential fall fruit. Or is it a vegetable? (It is technically a winter squash. Everyone has their own opinion, but with its abundant seeds and fragrant, gem-toned flesh, let's call it a fruit, as WIKIPEDIA would suggest.)

Pumpkin is the main ingredient in your Halloween Jack-O-Lantern and your Thanksgiving pies. Also, canned pumpkin is often used as a dietary supplement for cats and dogs experiencing digestive problems. Packed with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals, the health benefits of the pumpkin far outlive its season. So, fruit or veggie, we can all agree that it is one pretty special squash!

Then there is pizza... the chef's perfect canvas, the dieter's Achilles' heel, the ultimate comfort food. Originating in Naples, Italy, the first pizzas were simple, consisting of thin crusts, tomato sauce and cheese, baked in a super hot oven until brown and bubbly.

Left: A juicy slice of Vegan Pumpkin Harvest Pizza.

Nowadays, pizza comes in all shapes and sizes, some of the mass produced cardboard crusted grocery store frozen examples may be nothing to write home about, but many local specialties have a loyal following that goes back generations.

From deep dish Chicago style, the thin crusted New York variety, Wolfgang Puck's gourmet Spago pizza that rewrote the pizza rule book in the early 80's, and even the spectacular tomato pie from our own Easton Bakery here in Easton, Pennsylvania, all meet the criteria of a pie that stood the test of time. But what really makes a marvelous pizza? Great crust, delicious sauce, stretchy cheese, and in this case, seasonal vegetables.

Above: Vegan Pumpkin Harvest Pizza, just out of the oven. Its still not done, though…

But it's not done yet. While the pie is baking, toss up a baby spinach, dried cranberry and toasted walnut salad, dressed with a maple balsamic vinaigrette to heap on top of the freshly baked pie. The warmth from the pizza will slightly wilt the spinach, marrying the pizza and the salad into a delicious concoction that is like an Autumn fireworks show in your mouth.

Non-vegans, don't you fret. You can use regular dairy cheese if you please. So, put on your favorite sweater, turn on the football game, chill a six pack of pumpkin ale and whip up some Vegan Pumpkin Harvest Pizza for you and a few of your closest friends.

RECIPE - Vegan Pumpkin Harvest Pizza
For the Crust: 3/4 cup warm water 1/2 tsp sugar 1 package dry yeast 2 cups whole wheat flour 2 cups white flour 1 cup pumpkin puree, fresh or canned 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp. sea salt 1 tsp. freshly ground black black pepper 1 tsp. chopped rosemary 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 tsp. finely minced fresh garlic 1/4 cup cornmeal	Above: Dough!
PREPARATION: In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine warm water, sugar and yeast. Let set for 10 minutes for yeast to bloom, it will become frothy. Add the remainder of the ingredients except for the cornmeal and mix with the dough hook attachment for approximately 10 minutes. If the dough is too sticky to work with, you may need to add a bit more white flour, 1/4 cup at a time. If you don't have a stand mixer, just roll up your sleeves and mix it up by hand. It will take a little longer, but it will come out just as good, if not better. Form dough into a ball and coat with a thin layer of olive oil. This will prevent the dough from drying out during the rising process. Rest in an olive oil coated bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, 90 minutes to 2 hours. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Brush your pizza pan(s) with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. Depending on the size of your pizza pans, this recipe will make two 16 inch pizza pies. Divide your dough in half and form into two even balls. Roll ball into circle on lightly floured board and transfer into prepared pan by wrapping the crust onto the rolling pin and unwrapping it onto the pan.
Top your pie with: 1,1/2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce 8 ounces Daiya Mozzarella style shreds Carmelized sweet onions Roasted red pepper strips	Above: Your Pumpkin Pie should look like this before you put it in the oven. Below: Finally, it is ready to slice & eat!
BAKING DIRECTIONS: Bake at 500 degrees for 15-20 minutes until brown and bubbly. For the last few minutes, transfer the pizza out of the pan and directly to the oven rack to crisp the bottom of the crust. While the pizza is baking, prepare a simple salad of: 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves 1/2 cup lightly toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup dried cranberries Dress the salad with this Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette: 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 2 Tbs. maple syrup 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar Salt & pepper 3 Tbs. olive oil Whisk first four ingredients, then slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Toss dressing and spinach salad.
Remove pizza from oven. Spread spinach salad evenly on top. Slice and dig in! Cook's Note: Due to the recent pumpkin shortage, sweet potato or squash puree may be substituted for the pumpkin in this recipe.

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