Dark Days: Roasted Leek Confit Pizza |

This roasted leek confit was quite fabulous and formed the basis of an impromptu Saturday-night pizza dinner with friends, big and small. Handily for me, most of the elements of the pizza were also local, making it a perfect spotlight meal for this week’s Dark Days Challenge. I highly recommend it after a day of sledding and building snowwomen in the yard!

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Roasted Leek Confit Pizza

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe Quick(er) Whole Grain Pizza dough
olive oil
about 1 oz hard grating cheese, such as Parmigiano Reggiano
4 oz fresh mozzarella
1 cup roasted leek confit
1 tsp dried basil
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
cornmeal and/or extra flour, for sprinkling

METHODS

Make and shape the pizza dough.
Preheat the oven as high as it will go (550 degrees F on my oven). If you have a pizza stone, try to allow at least an hour of preheating.
Prepare the mise en place. Grate or slice the cheeses as necessary. Set out the cheesse, leek confit, herbs & spices, olive oil, and extra flour or cornmeal in preparation for assembling the pizza.
Transfer your pizza shell to a parchment-covered pizza peel, or one liberally sprinkled with cornmeal or flour. (Par-cooked pizza shells will not need parchment or cornmeal, although I always sprinkle some cornmeal for flavor). Or, if you do not have a pizza stone, transfer to a baking sheet or pizza pan.
Assemble & cook the pizza. Drizzle about 1 tbsp of olive oil on the formed pizza shell, and spread over the surface of the dough with your fingers, the back of a spoon, or a pastry brush. Sprinkle grated parmesan and dried basil over the shell. Spread leek confit liberally with the back of a spoon, then add mozzarella, more basil and more parmesan. Slide the pizza off the peel and onto your pizza stone, or transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Cook for 7 minutes, or until the dough edges have puffed up and browned and the cheese is bubbling and starting to carmelize. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3 – 5 minutes before slicing.

Yields two, 10- to 12-inch pizzas.

OPTIONS

This simple pizza would work nicely with the 12-grain pizza dough.
The mild mozzarella was a nice foil for the delicious leek confit; I think a soft, fresh goat cheese may also be fabulous.

LOCAL RESOURCES