Sweet Potato Flatbread with Onions and Thyme

As I’ve said in my last post, I’ve been addicted to pizza of all sorts lately. Todays recipe is one of my current obsessions and I kind of freaked out when I pulled this pretty thing out of the oven. It was just so prrrretty and I love pretty food. In my opinion there is nothing more sexy than a rustic mess of a freshly baked, crunchy pizza. You are with me?Aren’t you?!
This flatbread is not only damn delicious but also quite healthy: I used nonfat curd cheese as the base and fabulous veggies for the topping. There’s only a little feta cheese involved. But hey, this girl likes her cheese very much!
Let me just tell you one thing: please be patient with slicing those sweet potatoes very thinly. Like really thin. There’s nothing more annoying than brick hard potatoes on this beautiful flatbread. I am just saying. I am speaking from experience here.
Enjoy!

                              
          

Sweet Potato Flatbread with Onions and Thyme

½ of my whole wheat pizza dough recipe or enough dough for one baking sheet

Curd cheese spread:
250g curd cheese (“Magerquark”) or Greek yoghurt
1 bird’s eye chili
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
75g sheep’s feta, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and very thinly sliced into rounds
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced into rounds
75g sheep’s feta, crumbled
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

More thyme for garnish

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
Roll out pizza dough and place on a lined baking sheet.
In a small bowl mix all curd cheese spread ingredients until well combined. Spread on your dough and top with sweet potatoes and onions. Sprinkle with feta cheese and thyme.
Season with salt and pepper and bake at 200°C for abour 35-40 minutes. If the feta and onions burn, reduce heat to 175°C and bake until crisp.


                     

Pizza Bites with Almond Basil Pesto and Spinach

I have been on a major pizza craving trip lately. Not that this is anything to worry about since I have always loved a good ol’ piece of juicy pizzy with a ton of melted cheese on top. I am a cheese lover, I really am, and although there are voices that claim cheese to be as addictive as drugs, I don’t care. There are worse addictions than cheese in my opinion. But still, I get the point. That’s why I think it is important to buy high quality cheeses that taste like the “real” thing and aren’t reduced in fat. Cheese should be something one has every once in a while (or every day, ehem) and should be devoured with exctiment for the product. It’s like saying “Cheeeeese” and be happy. Get that? I don’t get it either. Am I confusing?

Now that I have said all this, let’s return to the star of today’s post, the pizza itself.
There is cheese involved, obviously. Mozzarella and good ol’ parmesan. Two of my all time favorites!
Instead of making my “standard” pizza with tomato sauce, today I smothered it with delicious, garlicky pesto and topped it with yummy spinach (eat your greens, friends!).
The highlight (for me) still is the cheese, but well. What can I say. I won’t say anthing else here. It’s going to be…too much to handle.
Let me just tell you, go make these pizza bites and stuff yourself silly with it. It’s well worth the effort and since it makes quite a lot, share with a friends or your lover(s?). They’ll thank you. Amen.




Pizza Bites with Almond Pesto and Spinach
(inspired by a photo on Instagram from www.bevcooks.com)

My favorite pizza dough recipe:
(makes enough for 2 sheets)

42g fresh yeast + 4 Tbsp warm water

250g wheat flour
300g whole wheat flour
250ml warm water
6 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt

Crumble fresh yeast and dissolve in 4 Tbsp of warm water.
In a large mixing bowl add flour and salt. Mix to combine. Now add yeast-water-mixture, water and olive oil and knead to form a dough.
I prefer to first mix with the kneading hooks of my hand mixer but then continue kneading by hand. I probably knead the dough for 5 minutes or until it looks smooth and becomes elastic.
Divide the dough into two equal parts and let rest coverd for 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Almond Pesto

1 bunch basil leaves
80g (1/2 cup) almonds
4 garlic cloves
60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
2 bird’s eye chilis
Salt

Add all ingredients to a blender and mix until a smooth pesto forms. Season with salt to taste.

Toppings

250g frozen spinach, thawed
1 ball (125g) fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
40g parmesan cheese, shredded

If using frozen spinach, defrost in the microwave for several minutes or cook after packaging directions. Drain well in a colander to remove excess water and set aside.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
Take one half of the dough and roll into a rectangle (or something similar ;)).
Spread the pesto to cover all the dough. Then add the spinach, season with salt and pepper and cover everything with cheese.
Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes or until the cheese starts to turn golden.
Slive pizza onto small rectangles and serve immediately. Tastes best eaten with your hands.

Ps.: The leftover half of the dough can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Let come to room temperature befor baking.