Pizza Today - November 2020 - 31

Warm & Cozy
Add more comfort foods to your winter menu

W

ith all of the chaos
happening in the world
right now, I've been
actually looking forward to winter.
Yes, I know it won't magically wipe
away all of the problems that seem
to grow daily. But in a small way it
seems like a clean slate. The fires will
be out and the colder months are a
time to slow things down a bit. It
also means a change of season and
produce, an opportunity to mix up
your menu. Who knows exactly what
will happen in this Covid world, so
it's a good idea to be prepared by
adding a few extra comfort foods to
your rotation as well as items that can
easily be made to go.

with bacon and chives. You can even mix
potatoes into the dough itself to create
a more tender crumb. One of my recent
favorite combinations is paper thin potatoes with roasted poblano peppers and
garlic. If you have a deep fryer you can
dress it up a little more by frying a few
slices of lemon as a garnish.
In the same family as potatoes are
other root vegetables. While I don't love
turnips as much as potatoes, they are
fantastic as base vegetables. Use them in
side dishes or cooked down with braised
meats. The winter months are definitely
a time for slow cooking so if your shop
has the capacity to offer up some meat
or vegetable entrees other than pizza, I

By
Audrey Kelly
Photos
Josh Keown

can't imagine a better time.
Winter squash is another vegetable that can be prepped in
numerous different ways. It is
fantastic roasted and pureed as a base
for pizza or cubed as a topping. It can be
made savory or sweet. I've done different events the last few years and made
a variation of a squash pie for both. The
first year I did roasted butternut with
Swiss chard, caramelized onions and a
balsamic reduction. Last year I changed
it up with roasted Delicata squash with
broccoli Raab, stracciatella, Calabrese
honey and spiced pumpkin seeds. The
great thing about a lot of the heartier

While the winter months don't
offer the abundance of produce
that summer provides, there are
certain vegetables that we can count
on. Greens, for one. This is a great
time to play around with some of the
heartier varieties. Kale, of course, but
there are so many more. Collard and
mustard greens, escarole, chard and
arugula. The great thing about greens
is that they are so versatile, not only
on a pizza but throughout your whole
menu. They can go on before the pie
is baked or topped after it comes out
of the oven. You can sauté them with
garlic, olive oil, chili flakes and lemon
as a side dish or massage them with a
bright vinaigrette for a salad.
Then there are potatoes. Definitely
my second favorite carbohydrate after
dough of any kind. In Italy, pizza con
patate, or pizza with potatoes, is seen
all over. You can slice the potatoes super thin and layer them on top of the
dough, seasoned with some rosemary,
extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Alternatively, they are great mashed up
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10/12/20 2:34 PM
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Pizza Today - November 2020

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