seasonal delights

In the Wall Street Journal’s August 22-23, 2020 edition, there was a recipe for Ricotta, Summer Squash and Fresh Corn Pizza from chef Douglass Williams of MIDA in Boston. This recipe appeared in the Slow Food Fast column and takes all of 30 minutes. It was a nice twist on a white pie, especially with summer corn and yellow squash in season.
 
Beside the squash and corn, you’ll need 8 ounces of pizza dough, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper, ricotta cheese and fresh herbs (basil, mint and chives). As we are not fans of mint, I used just the basil and chives from my garden.

​Although you can purchase pizza dough at any food market or even your local pizzeria, it’s very simple to make in a stand mixer. I used homemade dough from a recipe in the cookbook “Naples at Table,” by Arthur Schwartz. I prepared the dough a day ahead and let it rise in the refrigerator. About an hour before I was going to make the pizza, I brought it to room temperature. I also par cooked the pizza on my gas grill before adding the toppings. I feel that it helps the dough get a nice crust on the bottom and aides in cooking the dough all the way through.
 
The dough is drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Tablespoons of ricotta are placed around the dough.  Thinly sliced squash and raw corn kernels are scattered across the pie with half the herbs and another round of seasonings before cooking.
 
This recipe is intended to be baked in the oven, cooking it on the grill worked out perfectly. Although my husband thought the pizza could have been a bit thinner. The pizza was delicious, light and tasty. I would make this again perhaps with fruit. Medusa Stone Fired Pizza Kitchen in Asbury Park makes a pie with Peaches, prosciutto, goat cheese, mozzarella and basil and has a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I think you could even take my next recipe and use it as a topping too, grilled prosciutto and figs with gorgonzola dolce!
 
Yes, Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs was a recipe that I recently made. The recipe appeared in the August 2020 issue of the magazine “Charleston.” This recipe was so easy to prepare, but it’s all about the ingredients! I purchased all the items from Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck, NJ. Unfortunately, they didn’t have gorgonzola dolce so I used regular gorgonzola. My husband did me the favor of doing my shopping for me, but I neglected to tell him how the prosciutto should be sliced (10 paper thin slices) and the deli person didn’t ask him. The prosciutto was a sliced thicker than prefer. Once I prepared the bundles, I loaded five wrapped figs on a bamboo skewer and grilled them for 30 seconds per side.
 
The figs were scrumptious! They were ripe and sweet and the bite of the gorgonzola playing against the smokey, salty prosciutto worked wonderfully. For a pizza I would place the prosciutto down first, scatter figs that are sliced in half on the top and place dollops of cheese around the pie. For interest, maybe some arugula?
 
Overall, two great recipes this week. 

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Ricotta, Summer Squash and Fresh Corn Pizza
The Wall Street Journal/Slow Food Fast
August 22-23, 2020

Chef Douglass Williams

Total time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

1/2 yellow summer squash, sliced very thin
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for pan
1/4 cup corn kernels, freshly cut off the cob
all-purpose flour, for dusting
1 (8-ounce) pizza dough ball, room temperature
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan
5 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1/4 cup mixed soft herbs, such as basil, mint and chives

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. In a medium bowl, season squash with salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil, and set aside. In a small bowl, toss corn with salt and ½ tablespoon oil.
2. Dust pizza dough and work surface liberally with flour. Starting at center of ball, stretch dough to form a 14-inch circle, evenly thin across and a bit thicker at edges.
3. Brush an inverted baking sheet with olive oil and place the stretched dough on top. Drizzle dough with olive oil, season lightly with salt and sprinkle liberally with Parmesan. Distribute ricotta in dollops across dough, then use the back of a spoon to flatten and spread dollops. Season liberally with pepper. Scatter squash, corn and half the herbs over the dough, making sure toppings don’t pile up. Finish with more Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and more pepper.
4. Transfer baking sheet with pizza to bottom rack of oven. Bake until crust browns, base crisps and cheese bubbles, about 7 minutes.
5. Carefully remove hot pizza from oven and top with more Parmesan, herbs and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately with a crisp summer salad.

——Adapted from Douglass Williams

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Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs
Charleston Magazine, August 2020

SERVES: 
6

INGREDIENTS: 12 fresh figs
1/4 lb. Gorgonzola dolce
10 slices prosciutto di Parma, cut into thirds
24 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least two hours
2 Tbs. aged balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS: Preheat grill to high (gas) or until coals are glowing (charcoal). Cut stems off figs and slice in half lengthwise. Place dollop of Gorgonzola in center of each fig half. Wrap prosciutto around figs and cheese and secure with bamboo skewers. Grill for about 30 seconds, then turn and grill for additional 30 seconds. To serve, arrange on platter and drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar.

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