It’s pretty much a given that if it has garlic on it, I’ll eat it.

This vegetarian pizza is no exception.

It gets its rich, mellow flavor from slow-roasted garlic and fresh, baby spinach. Fontina and Parmesan add depth and a little salt. The tangy white sauce balances out the flavors.

Vote Hungry Mouse!

OK, so here’s the deal.

This is my entry in the Breakstone’s Battle of the Kitchen Bloggers, hosted by Sandra Lee. . (Yep, the same folks who hosted last year’s Triple Churned Challenge.) Check out my appetizer, Sweet & Spicy Coconut Shrimp.

For the Showdown, Kraft invited me and 2 other bloggers to duke it out. Picture American Idol meets Iron Chef and you’ve kind of got the idea. (Our secret ingredient? Breakstone’s sour cream.)

I picked pizza because it’s something that’s easy to throw together on a weeknight if you have dough on hand. (And if you don’t, grab a ball at your local market or pizza joint on the way home.) You can get pretty creative with ingredients–and you’re almost always guaranteed to have something you can use on hand.

Don’t believe me? Go take a peek in your fridge and come up with a pizza. (Leave a note in the comments below!) I’m bracing for that artichoke heart, bacon, and broccoli pizza. (Ya know, I’ll bet it would be delicious.)

The participating bloggers have a chance to win a cash prize (1^st place is $350, 2^nd place is $250, and 3^rd place is $150).

Enter to win!

As part of the Holiday Showdown, you can enter win a handful of different prizes. If you enter, you’ll have a chance to win a $50 gift card (one winner each week).

You’ll also automatically be entered to win a grand prize of $2,500!

Sound enticing? I thought it might. Click here to enter to win. You can go back and vote and enter every day!

Alrighty, to the ovens!

Roasted Garlic & Spinach Pizza

1 large whole head of garlic
good quality olive oil
½ cup whole milk ricotta
1/4 cup Breakstone’s sour cream
1 ball pizza dough
Fontina cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup fresh baby spinach

Makes 1 large pizza, serves 4-6

Roast the garlic

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Whack the garlic head in half horizontally.

Put it in a small baking dish (paper and all) and drizzle with olive oil.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 25-40 minutes, until soft, golden brown, and fragrant. Remove from the oven & uncover the pan.

Yank the roasted garlic cloves out of the skin with a fork and put them in a small bowl.

Mash them into a paste in a small dish with a fork.

Strain the oil (that’s pure roasted garlic flavor), pop it in the fridge, and reserve it for another use. (Add to salad dressings, brush bread before toasting, rub a roasting chicken with it, you name it…)

Make the white sauce

Put the ricotta, Breakstone’s sour cream, and roasted garlic in a small dish. Whisk together until uniform. Set aside.

Assemble the pizza

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Roll the pizza dough out on a lightly floured board.

Transfer to an unlined, nonstick pizza pan. Stretch it out with your hands so it covers the whole pan.

Spread the dough evenly with the sour cream & roasted garlic mixture.

Sprinkle with a thin layer of Fontina.

Add a thin layer of baby spinach.

Sprinkle with another thin layer of Fontina. Dust with Parmesan cheese. I tossed on a little freshly cracked pepper, just for good measure. You get the idea. (Pizza is a great canvas. Don’t be afraid to improvise.)

Bake the pizza

Bake the pizza in your preheated, 500-degree oven for 10-12 minutes, until crisp and lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and slide it onto a wooden board. Slice and serve immediately.

Serving tip

Add more protein to this pizza with thinly sliced, leftover roast chicken or par-cooked shrimp. (And a handful of crispy, crumbled bacon couldn’t hurt, either…)

Please vote for The Hungry Mouse!

Click here to enter to vote and enter to win.

Related posts:

1. Simple Spinach Salad with Toasted Walnuts & Gorgonzola So, a handful of years ago, I worked out of...
2. Maple Roasted Figs I put figs in the same camp as black licorice:...
3. Sweet & Spicy Coconut Shrimp (Plus, enter to win $2,500!) This is my appetizer entry in the Breakstone's Battle of...

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I put figs in the same camp as black licorice: People love them—or hate them. There never seems to be a middle ground.

If you’re in the first group, then man-oh-man, are you in for a treat.

Personally, I love figs. (And black licorice, if you’re keeping score.) They’re sweet; they’re earthy. Not to mention, they’re also nutritional powerhouses. Fresh figs are a great source of vitamins B6 and K, manganese, potassium, and fiber.

Ya, ya, I know it’s questionable to call them healthy when they’re drenched in maple syrup…But still.

I think the only thing that would make these better is if they were sprinkled with crispy bits of bacon. (Hmm, now there’s an idea.)

I got on my most recent fig kick when I was testing recipes last month for my cookbook, Slushed. The Whiskey & Fig Gelato I came up with is now a house favorite. This would make an amazing topping.

These little babies are really simple to make. Just find the ripest figs you can. (I used black mission, but you could do this with Turkish, too.) Slice them in half. Drench them with maple syrup. Sprinkle with spices and roast for about 15 minutes.

As the figs heat up, they start to let out their luscious juice. It mingles with the maple syrup and creates a heavenly sauce that’s fragrant with thyme and black pepper.

That’s it.

How can you tell when figs are ripe?

Good question. A ripe fig will feel be soft to the touch—but not too soft. It should feel like a ready-to-eat peach or avocado. You want it to have a little give to the skin and flesh, but not feel mushy.

Figs are one of those fruits that need to be picked when ripe (they won’t continue to ripen after picked, like an avocado). For this reason, be sure you’re happy with the ones you bring home from the market, ’cause they ain’t gonna get any better on your counter.

What do you do with roasted figs?

The short and not-very-helpful answer is: What can’t you do with them?

The longer but still not very precise answer is: Roasted figs work well in both sweet and savory dishes. Here are a handful of ideas.

• Serve as part of a cheese plate with goat cheese, brie, Stilton, briny olives, and a loaf of crusty bread (oh and maybe some creamy roasted garlic for good measure)
• Use to top ice cream—or add to homemade ice cream in the last five minutes of churning
• Toss them into pancake batter
• Spread them on toast
• Nestle between the layers of an autumn spice cake
• Eat them straight out of the bowl. (Let’s face it, they’re delicous!)

You get where I’m going.

This recipe uses 1 lb. of figs and serves about 8 as an app. Scale it up or down to fit your needs.

Alrighty, To the ovens!

Maple Roasted Figs

1 lb. black mission figs (about 28)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon thyme
Freshly cracked black pepper

Serves about 8 as an appetizer

Prep the figs

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Grab a fig.

Nip off his stem with a sharp little knife.

Slice him in half and put him on your prepared pan.

Repeat until you’ve assembled a happy little army of sliced figs.

Season the figs

Douse the figs with maple syrup.

Toss gently with your hands to coat. (I do all of this in one pan to save on dishes. You could certainly mix them up in a bowl, if you’d prefer.)

Sprinkle with thyme and freshly cracked black pepper. I only had dried thyme on hand, but by all means, use the fresh herb if you have it.

Roast the figs

Pop the pan into your preheated 375-degree oven. Roast for about 15 minutes, until the juice starts to run and they’re deliciously fragrant. You don’t want to cook them too long or they’ll turn to mush.

Yank the pan out of the oven.

Cool to room temperature on the pan. (The sauce will get thicker as it cools.)

Serve however you like (see above for suggestions). Enjoy!

Storing roasted figs

If you need to keep them, ideally store them covered, in a single layer on a plate. If you don’t have that much room to spare in the fridge, stack them up neatly in a container and scrape all that lovely syrup over them.

One warning about storing them like this. If you’re going for a big aesthetic bang with them, they may get a little squashed like this (but they’ll still be just as delicious).

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I don’t know about you, but I’m so (like, so so so so) happy that summer’s coming. This winter was a long, snow-filled one in New England, and everyone I know is happy to see the thermometer finally rising a little.

Which brings me to thoughts of summer plans. Which brings me to barbecues and picnics. Which brings me to (you guessed it) all those homemade goodies you can pack into a picnic basket.

Now, when it comes to condiments, if they sell it in a store, chances are that I’m going to try to make my own version at home. If you have a blender (or food processor) and a stove, it’s easy as pie to make your own ketchup.

This ketchup comes from Saveur. It’s a great base recipe that you can customize to suit your tastes. You can also make it thicker or thinner by adjusting the cooking time up or down.

This is definitely ten steps up from most bottled ketchups, which tend to be laden with sugar and corn syrup.

This ketchup is fragrant with ground clove and ginger, and gets the tiniest bit of sweetness from a few spoonfuls of brown sugar. Half a fresh jalapeno adds just a little heat.

A brief history of ketchup

Ketchup finds its origins in the ancient Chinese sauce ke-tsiap, a spiced, pickled fish sauce that was probably more akin to a soy sauce than the thick tomato-y sauce we know and love today. It became kechap in Malaysia, and ketjap in Indonesia.

English sailors brought it west in the seventeenth century. By the eighteenth century, tomatoes found their way into the brew.

In 1876, Heinz started to bottle it and distribute it to the masses. The rest, you could say, is history.

A note about ingredients

For the mustard powder, I like Colman’s mustard. You can find it in the spice aisle of most major grocery stores in the U.S.

For the cider vinegar, I used Bragg’s, which I always have in the kitchen. Love the flavor. It’s also one of those folksy elixirs that’s reputed to help keep you full of life. Read more about its health benefits here (note that cooking will probably kill some of them).

The dreaded “pinch”

OK, so the spice measurements in this recipe are all in “pinches,” which I know frustrates some people.

I think the idea is to give you a good guideline for which spices to use, and let you decide how much of what you want to add. Add more or less of the ones you like/dislike. (For example, we love clove at The Mouse House, so I added a little extra ground cloves.)

If you’re not sure what to do, just add equal pinches of each.

For you scientific types out there, a pinch is generally considered to be a little less than 1/8 of a teaspoon.

What are San Marzano tomatoes?

This recipe calls for one 28-oz. can of tomato puree. Use the best tomato puree you can find. If you grow & can your own, use that. It will be even better.

I used San Marzano tomatoes, a variety that’s widely considered to be one of the best for sauce. San Marzanos are pointier and thinner than traditional plum tomatoes. They’re also slightly less acidic, with thicker flesh and fewer seeds.

The puree is really silky, a little sweet, and very, very tomato-y.

A can is going to run you more than the average tomato puree, but I think it’s well worth the extra buck. If you can find them on sale, grab a few and stash them away.

That said, use the tomato puree you like best. I usually use Pastene, which would be really good, too.

Don’t forget the mustard…

If you want to deck out your table with matched homemade condiments, try the Guinness Mustard I made a while back. It’d go really well with this ketchup.

The short version of the recipe goes like this

Grab all your fresh ingredients. Toss them into your blender with the tomato puree. Blend. Transfer to a pot. Add the spices and simmer over medium heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Cool and bottle.

Here’s what that looks like, step-by-step.

Homemade Ketchup

Recipe from Saveur

1  28-oz. can tomato puree
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled
1/2 fresh jalapeño, stemmed and seeded
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup water
Pinch cayenne
Pinch celery salt
Pinch dry mustard
Pinch ground allspice
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch ground cinnamon
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Yields about 4 cups of ketchup (that’s about 3 1/2 pint jars)

Blend up the tomato base

Grab your jalapeno. If you’re super sensitive to spicy stuff, use rubber gloves when you handle the little guy.

Whack him in half and nip off the stem.

Slice out the ribs and seeds (where most of the heat is).

This is what you’ll wind up using.

Peel your garlic clove. A fast, easy way to do this is to lay your knife blade down on top of the garlic clove…

…then carefully press down on your knife really hard. You’ll smoosh the meat of the garlic, and you’ll almost always be able to pull the wrapper off in one or two large pieces.

Peel your onion, then cut it into about 8 pieces. Basically, you want to chunk it up so it’s easier for your blender to deal with.

Toss the tomato puree in your blender or food processor.

Toss in the jalapeno, garlic, onion, and brown sugar.

Cap your blender and puree for about a minute, until it’s smooth.

Now that you’ve liquified the solids, it’s time to add the liquids. Toss in the cider vinegar…

…and the water.

Puree until the mixture is uniform.

It will be a little on the thin side, but it’s going to reduce as it cooks, so that’s just fine.

Cook the ketchup

(Say that 10 times fast, eh?) Transfer the contents of your blender into a medium-sized heavy bottomed pot. I used my 4-quart copper pot.

Toss in the spices. (See my note above about “pinches” as a measurement.)

Whisk to incorporate. Give it a quick taste to check the seasoning. If you think it needs more spices, add them. (Remember though: Flavors intensify as sauce reduces.)

Set the pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally.

When the mixture starts to boil, knock the heat down to about medium. Basically, you want the sauce to just hold a simmer. Cook uncovered for about 45 – 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When is it done?

That, to me, is a loaded question. At least where matters of tomato-y sauces are concerned. It comes down to how you like your ketchup…on the thinner side, on the thicker side, or somewhere in between.

How to test your ketchup

To test what your ketchup will be like when it’s chilled, stick a small plate in the freezer for about 15 minutes. (This will be familiar to all you jam makers out there.)

When you think your ketchup is done, put about a teaspoon on the cold plate. Stick it back in the freezer until the ketchup is cold. Then, taste it and see if you’re happy. The consistency of the ketchup on your plate represents about how the entire pot would be once it’s chilled.

If you like it, take the pot off the heat. If you want it thicker, simmer it for another 5-10 minutes, then do the cold plate test again.

When you’re happy with your ketchup, take it off the stove.

Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Cool it to room temp on the counter, then bottle and refrigerate.

Bottle & enjoy!

My finished ketchup was kind of a medium thickness. Thinner than Heinz. Thick enough to slather on a burger or hot dog. It was the consistency of a thick, fresh tomato sauce (hey, go figure, right?).

I packed mine up in a few pint jars. One for our house, two for friends.

Storage

Keeps well in the fridge for about a month. Happy picnicking!

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See, I do eat vegetables. (Granted, they’re almost always wrapped in some kind of pork product, but still.)

Asparagus, even! Some folks would say it’s not possible. When I was a kid, I hated asparagus so much that I used to hide it behind the couch. True story.

Oh, how times have changed.

So, this is a fancy and fun way to serve asparagus, the springtime queen of green veggies. It’s easy to throw together, and makes a totally impressive table presentation.

This appetizer recipe is my contribution to the Kraft Breakstone’s Holiday Celebration Program. Check out a handful of other great Easter recipes from the other program bloggers here.

The short version of the recipe goes like this

Basically, you take three spears of asparagus, wrap them in prosciutto and puff pastry, then bake for about 20 minutes.

The asparagus is fork tender. The prosciutto is crisp and salty. The puff pastry is golden and buttery.

I served it with a tangy sauce made with Breakstone’s Sour Cream and Parmesan cheese that’s laced with cracked black pepper and fresh, minced sage.

Use regular, medium sized asparagus

The huge stalks might not cook through before the pastry burns. The super skinny stalks will get mushy on you (you know the ones I mean…the little scrawny guys that could double as toothpicks and barely stand up on their own).

Buy domestic prosciutto—not imported

When I’m cooking with prosciutto, I always buy domestic prosciutto—not imported. It’s significantly less expensive, and tastes just as good. Save the imported stuff for antipasto platters or other cold apps.

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Bundles with Sage Infused Sour Cream

Asparagus Bundles
12 spears asparagus
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
12 slices prosciutto
Olive oil
kosher salt
1 egg, beaten

Sage Infused Sour Cream Sauce
1/2 cup Breakstone’s Sour Cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. fresh sage, minced + a few whole sage leaves for garnish
freshly cracked black pepper

Serves 4

If you can, make the sauce a day ahead of time

This will let the flavors mingle. If you can’t, don’t sweat it. It’s still really good if you make it the same day.

Put the Breakstone’s Sour Cream in a medium-sized bowl.

Toss in the grated Parmesan.

Mince up your fresh sage. Five or 6 leaves should give you about a teaspoon.

Toss the sage in the bowl. Add a little freshly cracked black pepper, to taste. Skip adding any extra salt until you taste the sauce at the end. It should have plenty from the cheese.

Mix with a whisk or wooden spoon.

Give it a taste and correct the seasoning if you think it needs it.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Right before serving, garnish it with a few whole sage leaves.

Do a little prep

Take your puff pastry out of the freezer about 30 minutes before you want to use it. Unwrap one sheet and let it sit on the counter to thaw.

Rinse your asparagus under cold water. Pat it dry with paper towels.

Trim the asparagus

Asparagus ends can get a little woody. Nip off the bottom half inch with a sharp knife.

Wrap the asparagus bundles

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set it aside. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Lay a slice of prosciutto down. Set three spears on top of it, so that they’re centered.

Roll the asparagus up in the prosciutto.

Grab your puff pastry. It’s most likely folded in thirds. Unfold it so you have one big sheet.

Cut off a long strip that’s about an inch or so wide.

Basically, you want to cut the pastry so that it makes a band around the prosciutto, like this:

Wrap the puff pastry strip around the prosciutto.

Trim it so that the ends just meet underneath.

To make the bow, cut a thin strip of puff pastry.

Fold one end over in a loop.

Then cross it with another loop to form a bow.

Dab the pastry with a little cold water, and set the bow down in the center. The water will help it to stick. Press down gently in the center (where the knot on the bow would be) to help secure it. If you’re not crazy about bows, definitely make another shape decoration. Hearts would be good. Stars. You get the picture.

Carefully transfer the bundle to your parchment lined pan.

Repeat until you’ve made all your bundles.

Brush & bake

Beat one egg in a medium sized bowl.

With a brush (or your fingertips), gently dab the puff pastry with beaten egg. This will give the baked pastry a really nice gloss.

Brush the exposed parts of the asparagus with a tiny bit of olive oil.

Pop the pan into your pre-heated oven. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.

Serve & enjoy!

When the pastry is puffed and golden, remove the pan from the oven.

The bottoms should be brown, as well.

Transfer to a serving platter.

Serve hot or at room temperature, garnished with the sage-infused sour cream sauce.

If you’re going to plate them individually, put a smear of sauce on the plate, and nestle an asparagus bundle on top. (Do this *right* before serving, so the sauce doesn’t make the pastry soggy.)

Enjoy!!!

Please note: This is a sponsored post for Breakstone’s Sour Cream. All ideas, thoughts, experiences, photos are my own.

Enter to win $2,500!

Don’t forget, Breakstone’s is hosting a big sweeps on Better Homes and Gardens, where one lucky winner will win $2,500! Enter today!

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So, a handful of years ago, I worked out of my house full-time as a freelance writer and editor. When business was slow, I’d fill in behind the counter at Priscilla’s, a little catering/gourmet take-out joint owned by a friend of mine.

Priscilla’s was a ton of fun. And you know how I love food: It was like a second home in a lot of ways.

I learned how to crack an egg with one hand. I sold penny candy and baked dozens of those gigantic chocolate chip cookies. I helped make nine-million-and-one types of chicken salad. I fried egg sandwiches. It took me forever, but I learned how to slice roasted turkey breast by hand, so that it was so thin you could see through it.

Priscilla’s front had an old-timey, blue screen door with a good bang to it. We loved our regulars, even the crazy ones (especially the crazy ones). We cranked the music and danced around when the shop was empty. It was the kind of place that you loved even when the AC broke in the middle of August.

There wasn’t much I didn’t like about the time I spent there. Except the spinach.

It’s a little thing, I know. And it makes me sound just a little insane. I get that. But this spinach, it was like torture.

Whenever we were catering a big party, I always got stuck cleaning the spinach. And I don’t mean washing it. That was a breeze. I mean removing the thick, fibrous stems—from Each. Single. Leaf.

We’re talking about the monster bags of spinach, the kind that the food service companies deliver. I don’t know how much they weighed, but they were about 3 feet long by 1 foot thick.

Those bags were packed solid with spinach. Like, cubic feet of it. If you work at a restaurant, you know what I mean.

It took me hours to do the whole bag, I swear. And I’m only exaggerating a little. (Think I’m joking? Try it sometime. After about 45 minutes, you’ll be like, “I’m STILL doing this, and I’m not even through half the bag?”)

Anyways, after Priscilla’s, I vowed that I’d never clean spinach again. And I honestly don’t think I have. I always buy baby spinach at home. It costs a little more, but that doesn’t bother me a bit.

What is baby spinach?

Baby spinach is a variety of spinach with mild, tender leaves.

Raw baby spinach is really good for you. (In fact, cooking spinach can actually destroy some of its nutritional value.) It’s packed with fiber; antioxidents like beta carotene and lutein; vitamins A, B, and C; and minerals including calcium, potassium, and iron.

Simple & fresh

Spring’s just around the corner. Even if the local stuff isn’t available yet, I’m starting to crave leafy greens like a bunny.

Pretty much everyone I know makes some kind of a spinach salad. This is how I make mine.

It’s a really simple salad with a ton of flavor. It’s one of those things that I throw together often, because I almost always have the stuff on hand. It’s a classic example of how “just eating what’s in the fridge” can be delicious and downright good for you.

For this one, I used baby spinach, tomatoes, crumbled Gorgonzola, toasted walnuts, and a simple lemon and olive oil dressing. The tomatoes were pretty good (for winter tomatoes…)

It’s a great combination of flavors.

Fresh and green from the spinach. Earthy from the toasted walnuts. Tang from the blue cheese. A little bite from a squirt of fresh lemon juice, tempered by a drizzle of silky olive oil.

Other ideas for salad add-ins

• Sliced, grilled chicken or shrimp (to turn it into more of a main course or brunch-y meal)
• Crispy, crumbled bacon
• Toasted pine nuts
• Dried cranberries
• Sliced strawberries (would go great with a balsamic vinaigrette)
• Hard boiled eggs

You get the idea. Serve with a couple big hunks of crusty bread smeared with roasted garlic.

How to avoid soggy salad

Ever had a salad that was just a soggy mess (i.e. bad high school cafeteria style)?

You know the kind I mean. The greens are wet, and it’s swimming in dressing?

Most likely, the salad ingredients were rinsed, but not dried, before dressing.

Remember that adage about oil and water not mixing? It totally applies to salad. If your greens (or other salad ingredients) are still wet, any oil-based dressing isn’t going to stick to them.

So, always rinse fresh produce well to get rid of any surface grime and gunk. (This is especially important with bagged salad mixes, which have been found guilty of harboring bacteria in the past.)

Be sure to dry it just as well. Get a salad spinner. It’s a bulky, annoying thing to store in the kitchen, but it will save you tons of time and get your greens dry in a jiffy.

Most baby spinach comes in a bag and is labeleled “triple washed.” Despite this, I always wash mine just to be safe.

Simple Spinach Salad with Toasted Walnuts & Gorgonzola

Baby spinach
Fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges
Walnut halves, toasted
Gorgonzola, crumbled
Olive oil
Fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt, to taste

Prep the tomatoes

Grab your tomatoes. Rinse and dry them well.

Remove the stems and whack them in half, then into quarters.

Set them aside. Grab your spinach. Rinse and dry it well. Arrange it on a plate or platter. Drop on the tomato wedges.

Sprinkle with toasted walnuts. (To toast the walnuts, put them in a dry pan over medium heat and shake them back and forth until warm and fragrant. Let them cool before you add them to the salad, or their heat can wilt your greens.)

And Gorgonzola crumbles. Drizzle with olive oil and a little lemon juice.

Sprinkle with a little salt if you think it needs it.

Enjoy!

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