I have come down with a serious case of food blogger’s guilt.
What kind of guilt, you ask? Well, I can tell you it has nothing to do with calories, and more to do with content. It is a “disease” in which you have no motivation to blog about food, or take pictures while you are cooking, or even write about food and, yet, you know that your stats will go down if you have not posted in over a week. I know someone out there also has this condition.
Please?! Tell me I am not weird. Sometimes, I just don’t make anything worth blogging about. Last week, I made my Sake Poached Sea Bass twice. Yes….twice. Tuesday and Wednesday.
Should I just have re-posted this recipe again, and say “updated from the archives” as many bloggers do? I have a feeling that would slightly bore you. Actually, it would just bore me.
So, here I am, speechless. But, wanting to show you that I can get over the guilt and “buck up” to show you what I made tonight. Actually, it was good for me after a day of disappointing news, annoying rehearsals, and well, simply just a Monday.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 4-6
Adapted from Bon Appetit May Issue 2009
4 small red potatoes
Pizza Dough, or buy pizza dough from your local grocery store
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove, pressed
4 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
1 1/3 cups grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese (about 6 ounces)
4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed, each spear cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 2- to 3-inch pieces
Kosher salt and Freshly cracked black pepper
Parmigiano Reggiano, sliced with a potato peeler
Sun-dried tomatoes, optional
Place potatoes in small saucepan. Add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Sprinkle with salt. Bring to boil and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Cool. Cut potatoes into thin slices.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush a rimless baking sheet with olive oil. Roll and stretch pizza dough to 16×11-inch oval. Transfer to baking sheet. Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic in small bowl. Brush garlic oil over dough. Sprinkle 3/4 of green onions over, then mozzarella, leaving 1/2-inch plain border. Top with potato slices and goat cheese. Toss asparagus and 1 tablespoon oil in medium bowl. Scatter asparagus over pizza. Slice the Parmesan over the top, then lightly sprinkle with kosher salt and generously with cracked pepper.
Bake pizza until crust is browned and asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to cutting board. Sprinkle with remaining green onions and sun-dried tomatoes. Cut into pieces.
I served this with a simple salad dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette, chopped hazelnuts, herbed mesculin, and sliced strawberries.
Here are some others who also enjoyed similar vegetarian pizza recipes:
Wendy at Pink Stripes made her own dough for the recipe
Mel at Bitchin Camero added shallots instead of green onions
Chef Edwin at Dinner Cakes made a roasted garlic, goat cheese, and cauliflower pizza
May 19, 2009 at 9:54 am
wow, what gorgeous photos! What’s your lighting setup?
(Also, looks DELICIOUS)
May 19, 2009 at 9:58 am
@Shiv- I just use one halogen light that I got from a professional camera store, and have played with my settings on my P&S camera. Simple. Nothing fancy. I feel like my photos are sub-par to so many food bloggers out there (you!)
May 19, 2009 at 10:06 am
Aw, I get that too. The crispy tofu I posted last night? I made it about 6 weeks ago. My photos have gotten better but sometimes I still don’t get a single shot I’m happy with, and that makes me want to skip posting until I make the recipe again and get a better shot… but I almost never repeat recipes. May has been a slow blogging month for me.
May 19, 2009 at 10:07 am
I can completely relate, Kari!
Your food looks totally yummy as always!
May 19, 2009 at 10:20 am
You are so not weird. I totally totally totally feel your pain. Beautiful photos!
May 19, 2009 at 10:33 am
I think your photos are gorgeous. All the more so if you’re using a P&S. And the pizza looks delicious!
And as for the lack of motivation, did you read Orangette this past week? She has a whole system for dealing with it. The CILTE list. There are dozens and dozens of comments from people admitting to similar issues.
May 19, 2009 at 10:36 am
I don’t really eat crap or things over and over again, and I do end up cooking, but just not BLOGGING about it. I get lazy, and just don’t feel like cataloging my process. I avoid buying Amy’s organic burritos because they end up being a default which just gets monotonous. I eat those during performances after EVERY and sometimes before EVERY show:)
May 19, 2009 at 12:56 pm
woweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! That looks scrumptious and beyond.
May 19, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Beautiful pizza! I love anything with goats cheese in it
And I like that you did the honest thing by just sharing that thought but still treating us to a nice recipe.
I think it’s perfectly normal to have a bit of blogging-block. It happens to everyone
I love your website! I just found it, but I’mm continue to visit you.
I was also a dancer, in a previous life, before a tragic fall that left me injured beyond repair
May 20, 2009 at 8:13 am
AMAZING! This is a great recipe. I work with Chavrie goat cheese and this is unique and looks absolutely delicious! Great post!
May 20, 2009 at 8:45 am
One week I made ratatouille 3 times! Not all meals are blog worthy, but this one is….and no, you are not weird.
I posted something I made a month ago.
May 21, 2009 at 5:44 am
I know what that’s like… I get into a rut, and nothing–not even fresh spring produce–can help me. This pizza looks absolutely incredible. I’ve never made homemade pizza before, but lately I’ve really wanted to try it out.
May 21, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Wow! That just looks so incredibly delicious. I LOVE pizza and find it is usually the best when I make it at home. Thanks for the recipe!
May 21, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Kari, happens to all of us, but what a way to come back! The pizza… the pizza! I am speechless. The colors are so summery and beautiful, and how can one pizza combine all of my favorite ingredients? I mean, it’s uncanny. I want this, now now now. NOW (who am I yelling at? I don’t know… I have a case of the Thursdays, evidently).
May 25, 2009 at 11:58 am
The colours in this photo just POP! What a great photo - it makes me want to have this pizza for dinner tonight.
May 28, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Your photography is great. Really good for folks like us to study! The pizza looks good too.