December 20, 2008

I Have A Dream....



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Do you ever dream about food?


Ok, that’s a ridiculous question – OF COURSE YOU DO! Who hasn’t dreamt about a meerkat dining on short ribs that you’ve braised on an old stove at your Grandmother’s house, while you practice the piano for a recital in front of the whole 4th grade class? Or being chased by Sandra Lee into an alley, who turns into a giant white spider that gets stuck in the corn syrup you’ve cleverly dumped on the ground? Everyone does!





I have been dreaming about a sweet potato pizza. I foolishly mentioned this dream to my husband, who always gets “the look” on his face when I want to “share” my food dreams. He immediately nixed the idea, because his idea of pizza is something with meat with meat sauce on a meat crust. Topped with meat. Anybody got a recipe for meat beer?



But I figure dreams are meant to be LIVED, people! Martin Luther King doesn’t have a birthday vacation day for nothing!



There was nothing much in my refrigerator for dinner last night, but there were those sweet potatoes…some “emergency” refrigerated pizza dough…cilantro…and my dream.



Roasted Sweet Potato Pizza

Ingredients:
Some pizza dough (I swear to God, if anybody makes fun of my Pillsbury pizza crust, I’ll spam the comments on their blog….I was in a hurry, out of flour because of those dang Christmas cookies, and absolutely did not want to go the store, ok? Can you relate AT ALL??)



Cilantro pesto – process a big bunch of cilantro, a handful of pine nuts, 4-5 garlic cloves. Slowly add the olive oil, until the consistency of…well…pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Add a little of that Cotija cheese if you want. Or go buy some pesto. I am all about the dream - not the actual...work.



2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, sliced into 2” rounds, brushed with olive oil, and that you have roasted in a 350 degree oven until fork tender (but not mushy).


About 1/4 cup Mexican Crema with a little (about 1 teaspoon) cumin stirred in – or some other Mexicany spice – DREAM BIG!!!!


Cotija cheese, shredded or crumbled to toss on top – about 1 cup



So…you just press out that dough and spread the pesto all over. Slice the roasted sweet potato rounds into thinner rounds. Place on top of the pesto, overlapping if necessary. Drizzle the crema over the top. Scatter the cheese on top of crema. Bake at 425 until browned and bubbly.




Ok…the husband was scoffing and laughing at me. “Who ever heard of sweet potato pizza? That’s dumb!” This is our “special” way – him, making fun, me getting indignant and defensive. The wonderful dance of marriage. Then I have to kick his ass.



But the pizza came out of the oven at about the time my son, his girlfriend and their friends came by.
If a bunch of hungry, young 20-somethings don’t like it, my dream has failed. And I'll go watch re-runs of Top Chef and eat 9 Lindt truffles and some Chinese rice crackers.




But they loved it. LOVED IT!!! Even Mr. Smarty Pants grudgingly agreed it was "good".







"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, I am free at last!"

9 comments:

Emily said...

Sweet potato pizza? I love it!
i'm glad it was such a hit. Your husband should never doubt your wisdom.

I use Pillsbury dough sometimes. It's good in a pinch.

Mary Bergfeld said...

You're a truly original thinker. I learned a long time ago to never question anything that works and I know you speak the truth - so sweet potato pizza it is! Kid you not - there is still time to get this into Mama Mary's Pizza Contest. Go for it.

Birdie said...

I agree with Mary! Do it Catherine. Enter it into the Mama Mary's Contest and just think---How much fun will you have with your husband when it wins!!!!

Thistlemoon said...

Sounds yummy! I love sweet potato everything!

I have dreamt about egg nog lattes twice in the past 2 months!

Catherine Wilkinson said...

Emily, good idea, huh? And Pillsbury dough gets a bad rap!

Mary, thanks, but I'll pass on the contest...I have soooo much to focus on this week! But thanks!

Birdie, oh...don't you worry...my husband always regrets his comments about my cooking! HA!

Jenn, follow your dreams!!! That sounds great!

Anonymous said...

My dreams are usually too dirty to talk on a food blog but DAMN.. you're a genius or better.. a VISIONARY if you can come up with such creations in your dreams. And one that passes the toughest test of all.. a bunch of starved 20-something.

I applaud you for your creativity catherine. :-)

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

This looks awesome! You should've saved the recipe as A PBO entry. You don't know how glad I am that you are back blogging:)

Heather said...

Store-bought dough? I ain't mad atcha. I usually have a bag of it in my fridge, too. Baking from scratch is for suckas! (No offense to our lovely baker friends.)

peter said...

I actually dreamed about zombies last night, and it was scary. I like all forms of potato pizza- when I lived in Rome, there was a place that just did thin sliced potatoes with rosemary and truffle butter. Unreal.

 
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