I am cursed with lactose-intolerance. Sadly, most cow’s milk cheeses are a big no-no in my diet. Unless they are extremely aged. Even when I take a digestive supplement, I still feel a bit ‘off’. So I’ve accepted the fact that eating “real” pizza is usually out of the question for me.
Fortunately, I am able to digest goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses. Which is truly a glorious thing. I have learned to love most of these cheeses. I’ve also learned to get creative in substituting. Thank goodness goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses are starting to get more popular as there is an abundance of them at local supermarkets. And, of course, my favorite Philadelphia gourmet cheese shop Di Bruno Bros. (Disclosure: they are also my employer)
Earlier today, I didn’t have a clue as to what I wanted. Then I saw someone tweet about pizza. The craving kicked in. I’ve made my own ‘za before, but wanted to get even more creative; I also wanted to use up some of the vegetables in the crisper. Out of nowhere, this idea came to me. I didn’t have any Naan bread, so I decided to walk down to the South Street Whole Foods. While walking down 9th Street, I passed Dasani’s Market. They actually make and sell Indian dishes. I decided to stop in and ask if they sold Naan bread by itself. It just so happens they do! However, much to the clerk’s dismay, they were all out. DARN! Oh well, now I know in the future they sell it.
Anyways, off to Whole Paycheck I went and grabbed what I needed. I swear there was a skip in my step. Everybody knows how passionate I am about food and cooking is one of life’s real pleasures for me. I get excited every time I make something new.
I started by prepping the vegetables to saute. I added thinly sliced eggplant and zucchini, chopped onion, thinly sliced red bell peppers, and cauliflower to a pan on medium with Olave extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and Lars Tetens King Curry Spice. Sauteed the vegetables lightly just until they were soft to the touch and removed them from the pan into a dish.
On a baking sheet, I laid down two pieces of regular Naan bread. You can use garlic, whole wheat, or whatever flavor you have on hand. If you don’t have Naan, you could use pita bread, too. I oiled both pieces of Naan bread and sprinkled some of the King Curry Spice on it. Then I finely chopped up 2 plum tomatoes and spread it on on the bread. At this point, you should really think about putting some crushed red pepper or even a little cayenne to kick it up a notch. I failed to do this, but fixed this a little later.
A layer of grated fresh goat’s milk mozzarella was applied on top of the tomatoes. Just when you think you have enough mozzarella, grate some more. Trust me, you’ll thank me.
I piled the curried vegetables on top of the cheese and tomatoes. At this point you’d think it was already decadent enough. Nope! I grabbed the log of Silver Goat chevre that I had purchased from Trader Joe’s and, with my fingers, haphazardly added a healthy amount all over the vegetables. I popped that into a pre-heated 450 degree oven for approx. 7 minutes.
When done, I removed the pizzas from the oven to cool for a bit. Upon the first bite, I realized something was missing. HEAT! So I grabbed my Tapatio hot sauce from the cupboard and doused the pizza a few times.
HEAVEN IN MY MOUTH!
Sorry for lack of pictures, I don’t have a camera and didn’t want to deal with the webcam. I was also very hungry and wanted to eat ASAP!
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