"Pizza Polenta" with Creamy Parmesan Polenta, Homemade Brown Butter Rainbow Baby Heirloom Tomato Sauce, Crispy Pepperoni, a Drizzle of Gremolata Pesto, Burrata, + Fresh Basil

Okay, so I promised a couple days ago to feature a recipe that uses my favorite go-to Homemade Brown Butter Rainbow Baby Heirloom Tomato Sauce as a main component. And well, I think y'all are gonna really love this one because we sure did! Now the whole concept of this dish is to make a hearty bowl of polenta that tastes like a slice of fancy pizza. It starts with a big ole serving of my creamy parmesan polenta. This polenta is so versatile that you can eat it at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We make it at least once a week, it's that good. Anyway, on top of that dreamy porridge pillow comes a few ladles of that tomato sauce I've been raving about lately. The sauce has that perfect bite of acidity and sweetness that the tomato lends to the meal as a whole. Then comes the crispy pepperoni, which has texture. Now, I don't want y'all to go out and buy slices of pepperoni and just throw it on there because that just won't do. Go to the store, grab a log of pepperoni, and cut it into thick cubes, toss it into a skillet with a little bit of butter, and crisp it up until it has a gorgeous char to it. Next, I came up with a little mash-up of what I like to call "Gremolata Pesto", which is just mix of all of the ingredients from a traditional gremolata and a classic pesto. I have always loved the lemon zest that goes in a gremolata, it brings such brightness to any dish to put it on. And this condiment does just that in such a considerably rich recipe. I can't wait to drizzle it on my next homemade pizza or over some spaghetti + meatballs. Lastly and most importantly, like any good piece of pizza, you need some good mozzarella. Now, not any kind of mozzarella would do, so I quickly grabbed some Burrata while I was at the store. When you plop one of those ever-so-creamy Burrata balls into the center of the piping hot parmesan polenta and tomato sauce, the heat begins to melt the thin layer of cheese on the outside and the heavenly filling will begin to ooze out into the bowl. You meet heaven, heaven greets you and welcomes you inside, you can die happy now, rest assured. Garnish the dish with some fresh basil and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, and this bad boy is ready to go. I know y'all will enjoy this bowl of goodness just as much as we did!! Enjoy :)

Oh you know you want a bite of this...

For the Parmesan Polenta:

4C Unsalted Chicken Stock (Homemade or Store-Bought)

2 Large Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1C Stone-Ground Cornmeal

1T Kosher Salt + 1t Fresh Cracked Pepper

1C Freshly Grated Parmesan

4oz Creamy Fontina Cheese, Shredded

¼C Crème Fraiche or Sour Cream

4T Unsalted Butter

¼-½C Heavy Cream or Milk (to thin it out to your desired thickness)

For the Gremolata Pesto:

1 Small Bunch of Fresh Parsley

1 Small Bunch of Fresh Basil

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced into a Paste (with a little fleur de sel)

2 Organic Lemons, Zested

½C Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

½C Walnuts, Finely Minced

Kosher Salt + Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste

½C EVOO

1T White Balsamic Reduction (honey may be substituted)

For the Pizza Polenta:

Prepared Parmesan Polenta

1 Batch of Homemade Brown Butter Baby Heirloom Tomato Sauce, Warm

8oz Pepperoni, Cut into Cubes & Cooked until Crispy

Prepared Gremolata Pesto, For Drizzling

Balls of Burrata

Fresh Basil, For Garnishing

Red Pepper Flakes, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. For the Parmesan Polenta: In a large pot, pour in the chicken stock and add in the minced garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until the stock comes to a boil. Reduce to heat to medium-low and very slowly whisk in the cornmeal, whisking constantly to make sure there are no lumps. Switch to a wooden spoon and add in kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Simmer, while stirring constantly, for 10-12 minutes or until they are thick. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan thoroughly while you’re stirring. Move the pan off the heat and mix in the freshly grated Parmesan, shredded fontina cheese, crème fraiche, butter, and fresh herbs. If this mixture becomes to thick (either by overcooking and allowing it to sit too long), stir in some of the heavy cream/milk to loosen it again. Taste for seasonings and serve it immediately.

2. For the Gremolata Pesto: Finely mince the basil, parsley, garlic, and walnuts and place into a small mixing bowl. Using a Microplane, grate the Parmesan cheese and lemon zest in next. Stir in the olive oil and white balsamic reduction. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set it aside until you are ready to drizzle it on top of the dish.

3. In a small sauté pan, heat 1T of butter over medium-low heat. Add in the pepperoni and brown them until they are beginning to crisp up on the outside. This will take about 5-10 minutes. While the pepperoni is cooking, heat up a batch of your homemade Brown Butter Baby Heirloom Tomato Sauce in a small pot.

4. Assembling the Dish: Ladle in a few scoops of the Parmesan Polenta into a serving bowl, followed by some of the tomato sauce, burrata, some of the crispy pepperoni, a drizzle of Gremolata Pesto, chiffonade basil, and red pepper flakes. Serve while the dish is still piping hot!

Pizza "Rotolos" with Layered Pizza Dough, Homemade Creamy Ricotta Cheese, Slices of Mortadella, + Rustic Pistachio Pesto

My inspiration for the recipe creations featured on H+H come from multiple places. But some of my favorite dishes come about by just eating at restaurants. And today's recipe is just exactly that. My Mountain Man and I were watching a new special series called "Best Ever" on the Food Network, and the first episode revolved around the best pizzas around the country. To be honest, all of them looked amazing, and even Antico Pizza from Atlanta made the top ten (yay). However, one specific idea stole my heart and practically peer pressured me to try and recreate it the next day. It hails from Pizza Vetri in Philadelphia and they are known for their pizza "rotolos". This signature dish is comprised of pizza dough, mortadella, ricotta cheese, and a topping of pistachio pesto. Think of it like a hybrid, combining the technique of making cinnamon rolls, but with the ingredients of a calzone. I started the process by making a batch of my favorite pizza dough recipe, letting it proof overnight, and then separating it into three equal dough balls. Next, roll out the pizza doughs into rectangles (try to use minimal flour because we want them to stick together), and then stack all of the dough rectangles on top of one another and, using the rolling pin again, make sure the layered dough is rolled out to about ¼ - ½ inch thick and rectangular in shape. This process is very similar to making homemade, laminated croissant dough, so that it creates a flakier pizza dough once it is baked. 

 After your dough has finished being prepped, it's time to add the yummy fillings in layers of sliced mortadella, followed by spreading on some homemade creamy ricotta cheese. Season the top of the ricotta with a little bit of kosher salt + cracked pepper and finish it all up with some freshly grated parmesan cheese. All you have to do now is roll this bad boy up into a long log. 

 Now that all the fillings are added to the mix, roll the dough (making sure to keep it as tight as possible) and pinch the seam, so that the ricotta cheese will not melt out onto your baking sheet. You can decide for yourself how thick/big you want each individual rotolo to be, but we decided to make eight rolls. Place the finished rotolos onto silpat-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven until they have reached a golden brown color on the outside, as well as some melting of the ricotta cheese, while also making sure that the center of the dough is completely cooked through (we don't want any gummy, unbaked pizza dough here). Remove them from the oven and top the rotolos with some homemade rustic pistachio pesto while they are still warm. I loved the texture of the pesto because it had such a nice crunch from the toasted pistachios, but was also just as aromatic as a blended pesto. Well, I'm glad to report that these rotolos turned out fabulous and we will most certainly be making these again in the near future. So, I think y'all should give it a try!! If you don't want to make every component by scratch, like I did, you could easily go pick up the pizza dough, ricotta, and pesto at your local grocery store. It's extremely versatile and could also be used with any type of charcuterie, creamy cheese, and Italian based sauce!! Enjoy :)

For the Pizza Dough:

3 ¾C AP Flour (plus a little extra for when you roll out the finished dough)

2t Sea Salt + 1t Sugar

¼t Active Dry Yeast

1 ½C Water

For the Homemade Creamy Ricotta:

3C Whole Milk

1C Heavy Cream

½t Kosher Salt

3T Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

For the Rustic Pistachio Pesto:

1C Shelled Pistachios (½C should be coarsely chopped & ½C should be finely chopped)

2C Fresh Basil, Finely Chopped

3-4 Larges Cloves of Garlic, Finely Minced (it can also be grated or pressed)

½t Dried Red Pepper Flakes

2T Fresh Lemon Juice (also zest the lemon before juicing it, and add it to the mixture)

2T White Balsamic Vinegar + 1T Honey (you can add more honey, if you like it sweeter like me)

¾C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste

For the Pizza “Rotolos”:

Prepared Pizza Dough (the dough should be separated into three balls of dough)

1lb of Sliced Mortadella

Prepared Creamy Ricotta Cheese

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste

Freshly Grated Parmesan (enough to cover the ricotta or to your preference)

Prepared Rustic Pistachio Pesto

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with a Silpat. Set it aside.

2. For the Pizza Dough: Whisk flour, salt, and yeast in a medium bowl. While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add 1.5 cups water; stir until well incorporated. Mix dough gently with your hands to bring it together and form into a rough ball. Transfer to a large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature in a draft-free area until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and dough has more than doubled in size, preferably 18 hours (but anywhere between 12-18 hours would work as well). Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Gently shape into a rough rectangle. Divide into 3 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, gather 4 corners to center to create 4 folds. Turn seam side down and mold gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour; set aside on work surface or a floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining portions. Let dough rest, covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, until soft and pliable, about 1 hour.

3. For the Homemade Creamy Ricotta Cheese: Pour the milk, heavy cream, and salt into a 3Q non-reactive saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fryer thermometer. Heat the milk to 190 degrees, stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. Remove from heat and add in the lemon juice, then stir it once or twice (gently + slowly). Let the pot sit undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour. After an hour, you should have a tender, spreadable ricotta. At two hours, it will be spreadable, but a bit firmer (similar to the consistency of cream cheese). This ricotta will firm as it cools. Use the ricotta right away for maximum flavor + creaminess.

4. For the Rustic Pistachio Pesto: Place the shelled pistachios into a medium-sized sauté pan over medium heat (do not add oil). Toast the pistachios for 2-5 minutes until they are lightly browned + being to release a nutty fragrance. Coarsely chop half of the toasted pistachios, so that you’ll have some amazing texture when you spoon it over the tops of the “Rotolos”. Place the coarsely chopped pistachios into a mixing bowl and set it aside. In the bowl of a food processor, add in all of the fresh basil leaves, the 4 large cloves of garlic, the remaining half of the toasted pistachios, fleur de sel, + fresh cracked pepper. Pulse this mixture until every ingredient finely chopped/minced, but without turning it into a puree. You want this mixture to remain rustic + slightly chunky in texture. Using a rubber spatula, scoop out the minced basil-garlic-pistachio and put it into the bowl with the coarsely chopped pistachios. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar, and honey. Then mix it until the honey completely dissolves into the lemon juice + white balsamic vinegar. Add this liquid mixture to the bowl of the prepped pesto components and stir to combine. Lastly, pour in the olive oil and gently stir until you reach a cohesive mixture. Season it with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste (if needed). Set this pistachio pesto aside until you begin assembling the “Rotolos".

5. Preparing & Assembling the “Rotolos”: After your dough as rested for one hour, it is time to layer the pizza dough for optimal texture. Take one of the pizza dough and roll it out to about ¼inch thick, and follow this process with the two remaining dough balls. Once they have been rolled out, stack the three rolled pizza dough balls on top of one another. Using the rolling pin again, roll the pizza dough stack out until the layers become one and also reach a thickness of ¼ to ½ inch thick (by stacking the dough and rolling it into one rectangle, you will create a flakier “rotolo”, similar to how a croissant is made with its’ buttery layers). Now, it’s time to assemble the “rotolos”. Evenly lay out the slices of Mortadella all over the pizza dough, followed by spreading (or using a dollop method) all of the ricotta on top of the Mortadella. Try to make sure that all of the dough is completely covered, but also leaving about ½-1inch borders, so that the ricotta cheese will not spill out. Sprinkle the top of the ricotta with some salt, pepper, & freshly grated Parmesan for extra seasoning. Lightly press down the grated Parmesan into the ricotta, in order to keep it from falling out. Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the Mortadella + ricotta filled dough in a neat line towards you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the rotolo to seal it. Cut the rotolo into rounds (you can do as thick or thin as you like, we ended up making 8 rotolos total). Place the rotolos onto your prepared silpat-line baking sheet. Sprinkle with the tops of the rotolos with a little more salt & pepper, if you like. 

6. Baking the “Rotolos”: Place the baking sheet into your preheated oven and bake the rotolos for 25-35 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven, the time can vary depending on how thick you cut them, so you have to watch them closely). You can tell that the rotolos are done when they have puffed up, reached a golden brown color, and the ricotta has begun to ooze out a little. Also, it is important that you allow the rotolos enough time in the oven, so that the middle of the rolls are completely cooked through and no raw dough remains in the center.

7. Serving the “Rotolos”: When the rotolos are done baking, generously spoon some of the rustic pistachio pesto over the tops of the rolls until the pesto cascades over and drips down the sides. Garnish the rotolos with a mound of freshly grated Parmesan and eat while they are still warm!

Soup Sunday: Caprese Soup with Sherried Tomato-Basil Base, Crispy Toast Rounds, Pesto, Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella, Shaved Parmesan, + Basil Chiffonade

Soup Sunday: Caprese Soup with Sherried-Tomato Basil Base, Crispy Toast Rounds, Pesto,
Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella, Shaved Parmesan, + Basil Chiffonade

Hi y'all, we just rolled back into town from a short little trip to Birmingham + Tuscaloosa!! So, I'm posting kinda late, SORRY. We ended up taking the weekend to visit my Mountain Man's family and also to attend the Alabama-Tennessee Football Game. Oh how I love it there, it really doesn't get much better than "Title Town", y'all. Here are some pictures from the festivities...

On another short + exciting note... Saturday was exactly one year/365 days until the PLC Wedding, yippee!! WE CAN'T FREAKIN' WAIT :)

Okay, now I have shared plentyyyyyyy of our weekend. Onto Soup Sunday. This Sherried Tomato-Basil soup has been featured many'a'times on my blog. It's a classic. It's delicious. It's comforting. Make it, make it all the time. But then, go a little crazy and do it up Caprese-style. Plop some crispy rounds of toasted bread, a schmear of homemade pesto, thick slices of creamy buffalo mozzarella, + shaved parmesan. Torch the crap outta it or place it under the broiler until the browns and gets melty-gooey. Garnish it with fresh chiffonade basil and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. Y'all, this shit is so good. Like french onion soup, but a million times better. Best Soup Sunday everrrrr!! Enjoy :)

For the Soup:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted

1 Medium Sweet Onion, Sliced & Cooked until Caramelized

4 Garlic Cloves, Finely Minced

28oz San Marzano Tomato Puree

28oz Cans of Whole, Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes

3T Tomato Paste

1C Slow Roasted Tomato Puree or Homemade Slow Roasted Heirloom Tomato Jam

1T Homemade Pesto

4C Chicken Stock

3-6T Sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

¼t Dried Oregano & Red Pepper Flakes (or a little less for not as spicy soup)

1C Cooking Sherry

1 ½C Heavy Cream (or Half & Half can be substituted, Soy Milk for a healthier recipe)

For the Caprese Soup:

Crispy Toast Rounds (one baguette, cut into rounds, brush with EVOO, & bake till crisp)

Homemade Basil Pesto, For Spreading the Crispy Toast Rounds

Extra Creamy Buffalo Mozzarella, Cut into Slices

Grated Parmesan, For Topping

Balsamic Reduction, For Drizzling

Basil Chiffonade, For Garnishing

Fresh Cracked Pepper, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. For the Soup: Caramelize the sliced onions in the butter and a sprinkle of salt over medium-high heat until golden brown and beautifully caramelized, about 15-20 minutes. Toss in the garlic and sauté for a couple minutes until it is fragrant. Add the whole tomatoes, San Marzano tomato puree, tomato paste, slow roasted tomato puree/slow roasted heirloom tomato jam, homemade pesto, chicken stock, sugar, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring the pot to a near boil, and then cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add in the basil and cook on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy (do this off the heat). Next, add in the sherry and heavy cream (or choice of milk) and stir. Keep warm until you are ready to eat.

2. Preheat your oven to the broiler or about 500 degrees. You want it extra hot to melt and brown the cheese on top.

3. Assembling the Caprese Soup: Ladle the prepared Sherried Tomato Basil Soup into an over-safe soul bowl. Spread two crispy toast rounds with a generous spoonful of homemade pesto and plop into the top of the soup bowl. Lay the creamy mozzarella slices on top and freshly grate some Parmesan over the mozzarella. Place the bowl onto a baking sheet and put it into your preheated oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven, but keep an out so it doesn’t burn either). After it has perfectly melted and toasted slightly, remove it from the oven. Drizzle the top of the soup with some balsamic reduction, and then finish garnishing with fresh cracked pepper and a mound of basil chiffonade.

4. Enjoy it while it is still hot & gooey and the bread is still crisp, not soggy!