Pizza with kale, artichokes and preserved lemon
Pizza with kale, artichokes and preserved lemon
I enjoyed some really good pizza on a recent visit to Edmonton. By day the restaurant is called Toast Culture, in the evening, it becomes Birch and Bear pizza. We had the lemon roasted kale with artichoke. The kale was the highlight for me – it crisped up like kale chips. Inspired by the delicious flavours, I came up with my own version.
Yields: 1 extra-large, 2 medium or 8 personal pan pizzas
Ingredients
Dough
1 package instant yeast
1 cup room temperature water
1 tablespoon cane sugar
1 cup plant-based yogurt - unsweetened
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sprouted spelt flour
2 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt
Toppings
2 cups pizza sauce – I use my leftover ratatouille sauce, simple marinara or pesto
1 cup artichokes - sliced
¼ cup preserved lemons – thinly sliced (homemade or store bought)
2 cups massaged kale (½ teaspoon olive oil and a pinch of salt)
1 cup tomatoes – sliced
¼ cup thinly sliced onion
¼ cup olives - sliced
Step
Mix the yeast, water, yogurt, and sugar in a small bowl. Let it sit while the yeast activates.
Sift the flour in a larger mixing bowl, add the salt and the activated yeast mixture. Stir until it forms a dough ball. Cover it with a tea towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Pour the dough onto a floured surface. Knead until it forms a smooth ball. Sprinkle a little olive oil in the bowl, place the dough back in the bowl. Cover it and place in a warm spot until it doubles in size.
You can make your pizza now or put the dough in the fridge until you are ready to use it. If you do refrigerate it, let it warm up on the counter before you start stretching it.
Preheat the oven to 500 F with a baking sheet, pan or pizza stone inside. I usually use an enamel coated cast iron frying pan.
Remove the steams from the kale, massage the leaves with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt. When the leaves are fully coated, set them aside while you prepare the dough.
On a floured surface, stretch the dough. Carefully bring the preheated pan out of the oven. Lay the stretched dough in the pan and add all the toppings except the kale.
Bake until the crust has nicely browned, between 10 to 12 minutes. The time depends on the thickness of the crust. Midway through baking, add the kale.
The pizza reheats well. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the leftover pizza slices on a baking sheet. Bake until heated through.
