I am based out of Las Vegas. One of the things I miss most about my hometown in upstate New York in the summertime is the smell of freshly cut grass. I’m sure most of you live in a neighborhood where there is at least one house that has a meticulously manicured lawn. You know, the kind with the crosshatch grass design, almost like a major league baseball stadium. That was my house growing up. My dad loved the lawn. He loved everything about it: watering, mowing it, etc. I was probably the only kid in my neighborhood who was not allowed to cut their own lawn! Anyway, that got me thinking about this pizza and how the randomly laid leaves of spinach reminded me of a beautifully, freshly mowed lawn. However, this tastes so much better. So, this month’s pizza will be named “Get Off My Lawn” for all you people out there who really
appreciate that lawn life, just like my dad did.
Herb Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- juice of half lemon
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon minced chive
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- ½ cup olive oil
- Pulse all ingredients in food processor until smooth.
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Get Off My Lawn Pizza:
- Roasted tomatoes (will make 4-6 pizzas)
- 8 Roma or Campari tomatoes (I prefer Campari)
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt (sprinkle)
- Black pepper (sprinkle)
- Fresh spinach (bunch)
- 1 8–9-ounce pizza dough
- 2 ounces fresh & 2 ounces whole milk mozzarella
- 1 ounce ricotta
- Grated Parmesan
- Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
- Cut tomatoes in half and place cut side up on a lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil, salt and
- pepper. Apply thyme sprigs on top of tomatoes and bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on juiciness and freshness of your tomatoes … the juicier they are, the longer they will take to roast).
- On a floured board, stretch your pizza dough to desired size.
- Top with both styles of mozzarella, ricotta and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan.
- Cook pizza in a 600 F oven, turning as necessary for 5-7 minutes.
- Take pizza out of oven and rest it on a cooling rack. While pizza is resting, add a handful of fresh spinach to a mixing bowl and add 1-2 tablespoons of vinaigrette.
- Toss by hand, really incorporating and covering all parts of spinach leaves with the vinaigrette.
- Toss lightly (you want to keep the integrity of the leaves).
- Carefully layer spinach around pizza and tuck in roasted tomato wherever there is a spot where you can see the white cheese.
- Cut and enjoy!
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