Quick grilled pizza with artichokes and asparagus

This pizza takes advantage of the fine seasonal vegetables, whatever you have on hand (I had goat cheese and bacon), and a sunny arternoon perfect for grilling. Can be easily done on a week day, after work.

I got this elegant oval non-stick griddle that is too thin and burns everything, so my pizza came out charred on one side. Next time I'll use a pizza stone, it'll cook it more evenly.

For the dough (makes two):
1 cup bread flour + more for dusting
1 tsp dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup warm water

Mix flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add olive oil and water, mix with a fork to combine, then dust your hands with flour and knead the dough for 5 minutes, dusting your hands as needed to avoid sticking. Form the dough into a ball, cover with a towel, and leave to rest for about 30 minutes (it doesn't have to raise).

Meanwhile have a glass of wine in the sunshine.

Divide the dough in halves. Refrigerate one half for future use.


For the filling:
3 small artichokes, trimmed and halved
4 slices of bacon
2 oz goat cheese
6 young asparagus spears
1 ripe tomato, sliced
1 Tsp olive oil
salt, pepper

Boil water in a medium pan. Add the artichoke halves, reduce heat to low, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Heat the gas grill to medium. Place the griddle on the grill, add bacon slices, brown on both sides, remove to a plate covered with a paper towel. Turn up the heat to high. The target tempereture is 500 degrees.

Pour the fat off the griddle and wipe with a paper towel. Roll out the dough and spread on the griddle. Scatter the crumbled cheese, bacon slices, asparagus spears, artichoke halves, and tomato slices on top. Season with salt and peper, drizzle olive oil over the pizza. Place on the hot grill. Cover and cook until the crust is cooked through and charred on the edges, 7-9 minutes.

Wine: 2006 Walnut Block Pinot Noir, Marlborough

“Sustainable and Affordable” – Bread Workshop in Berkeley

It’s ironic how between my food styling classes, the food writing workshop, and my efforts to enhance my food blog, I don’t have time to eat anymore. Ironic, but not funny. I love to eat, and I miss the experience. Anyone in my situation living in a less food-friendly area would be reduced to eating deli sandwiches or salads from a salad bar while driving. I am lucky to live in SF Bay Area, where they don’t let even the busiest foodie to starve.

The food writing workshop with Dianne Jacob in the Writing Salon in Berkeley runs every Tuesday from 7 till 9:30 pm. I rarely get off work in Novato before 6. If I make an effort, I can get off at 5:30. The drive takes about 40 minutes. So there is very little I can do for dinner. I am becoming a pizza expert. A pizza eating expert.

The first time I went to Berkeley, I made an effort, left early, drove to Novato Farmers Market (4-9 pm Tuesdays, Downtown Novato), and got a wonderful thin crust “market” pizza, with thinly sliced spring onions and zucchini, cooked in a booth right in front of me. The only thing is, I couldn’t really enjoy it, being worried about my unfinished work, the traffic on the bridge, and getting there on time.

So the next week I went straight to Berkeley, exceeded the speed limit just a little bit, and parked in front of the Strawberry Creek Design Center on Bonar Street, a bidonville-like historic building that hosts the salon, a few art-related businesses, and a yoga studio, 30 minutes before the class started. The original Andronico’s market is just two blocks from there, so I went out to see if they have a deli or a café that would feed me.

But just as I was about to cross the street to Andronico’s, a smell of fresh-baked bread from an open bakery door captured me, and drew me, helpless, almost against my will, into a little café.
The place is called Bread Workshop, they bake and sell buns, pizza bases and focaccia breads, make good espresso drinks, and serve bistro-style lunches and dinners, mostly to students. Every customer had a book or a paper she was working on.

Like any café in Berkeley, they have a philosophy, promoting sustainable food, while keeping the prices low. The coffee is fair trade organic, the vegetables are locally grown and seasonal, half of the menu is vegetarian or vegan, and the other half (the one that’s of interest to me) has the name of the ranch and a description of their good practices next to each chicken, pork, or buffalo dish.

I went for the pizza from the day’s specials chalk board, of course. Last week’s was pesto, potatoes, pine nuts, and mozzarella. This week it’s salami, mozzarella, mushrooms, and marinara sauce. The pizza base is fluffy soft focaccia dough, just a little crunchy on the edges. The size is perfect for a hungry busy 120-pound food writing student who only has 30 minutes.

The prices are from $3 for vegan sides to $9 for meat dinner entrees. This made my whole dinner check a $12 + tip, and this proves that I can still eat like a student.