Rooters of the Lost Ark
Author: Pizza Today
Recipe type: Pizza
Courtesy of John Gutekanst, Avalanche Pizza, Athens, OH
Ingredients
- 2 medium parsnips
- 2 medium salsify roots
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1¼ cup chicken stock
- 1 medium sized kohlrabi
- 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup grated mozzarella/provolone
- ⅓ cup fresh chevre goat cheese
- 2 scallions chopped thin for garnish
- Salt, pinch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 485 F.
- Peel the parsnips, salsify and Yukon gold potatoes on a cutting board. (If you are not familiar with salsify, it has a very woody bark and thin root. Use caution to get all the woody outside off and keep as much flesh as possible.)
- You will have to place the salsify in water with the juice of ½ lemon to stop browning of the salsify flesh. (This lemon water will be used later).
- Cut the roots of the parsnips and salsify into coins.
- Using a mandolin, cut the Yukon gold potatoes thin but thick enough to keep their round shape. Place them in cold salted water for 15 minutes until limp to leach the starch out for better cooking.
- Place the salsify and parsnips in a pan filled with heated 1¼ cups chicken stock and cook for 8 to 12 minutes until just al dente. (Test with a knife).
- Strain the roots of the broth and reserve the broth.
- Cut the kohlrabi at both ends.
- Remember that the “woody” side of a purple kohlrabi is on the bottom, (side where the stems are shooting away from), so cut this end thick.
- Turn the kohlrabi and cut through the skin with a knife with a downward motion following the natural curve of the vegetable. (Like carving the skin off an orange).
- Cut the kohlrabi into centimeter discs.
- Pour the potatoes in a colander and rinse the now limp potatoes then squeeze all the liquid out without tearing them.
- Taste to see if they are still too salty and if so, rinse and squeeze again.
- Place on a paper towel.
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan under medium-high heat and place the kohlrabi in the pan with a pinch of salt.
- Saute for 7 minutes or until golden-browned on both sides.
- Place on a paper towel.
- When cool cut into thin strips. Sauté the potatoes in the pan adding more oil if necessary until they are cooked. Do not brown the potatoes as this will happen on the pizza.
- Form your proprietary dough into a 12-14-inch pizza disc.
- Top with the mozzarella/provolone mix then the kohlrabi, potato, parsnips and salsify and bake in a 485 F oven.
- When golden brown and fresh from the oven, dollop the fresh chevre all around the pie and sprinkle the scallion on the pizza.