woman vs. wild

While I may be on the road in a U-Haul, towing a VW beetle behind, I still want to share with you some more of the fig recipes I created to use up the harvest from my tree.  The figs for this recipe and another one coming up tomorrow were all that I had left after I fought off the birds to get the last few.  While I was out picking, there was this one little finch who was mighty angry that I was stealing his figs.  I’m serious, he was acting like he planted, waters, and pruned the darn tree… and I was stealing from him! The nerve!  OK, honestly I don’t prune the tree, my yard man, Tony, does.  But hey, I am the one who pays Tony, so take that you selfish (and pretty darn cute) little bird!

Fig & Gorgonzola Pizza

Prepared pizza dough (ala Trader Joe’s)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 peeled and minced garlic clove
2 cups Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
12 heirloom cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
6 fresh figs, ends trimmed and then cut into 6 to 8 pieces each
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup fresh arugula leaves
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 thin slices of prosciutto, cut into long strips

Place a pizza stone on the center rack of the oven. Preheat oven and stone to 500 degrees.  Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or flour.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece into a thin round, about 7-inches in diameter.

Place 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic into a small bowl and using a pastry brush, brush the top of each round with oil.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

Divide the Gorgonzola equally between each pizza, leaving a 1/2-inch border of each clear.  Arrange the tomatoes, olives, figs, and walnuts on top of the cheese.

Transfer one or two at a time to the pizza peel and then to the stone in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted and bubbling.

While pizzas are in the oven, toss the arugula with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar; season with salt and pepper.

Remove from the oven with the peel and top each pizza with the dressed arugula and thin strips of prosciutto.  Cut each into 4 wedges and serve immediately.

Makes 4 individual pizzas