Mari Wells Coyle

Mari Wells Coyle
Mari Wells Coyle, Winemaker l photo by Freda Banks photography

Rustic Beet Pizza



Want to create a rustic bistro vibe for Valentine's day?  
I know that not EVERYBODY is a romantic. So, I want to share this little slice of love with anyone who doesn't have big plans tomorrow. This pizza is about as rustic and easy as it gets, but a little more special. It can be shared with friends, kids, or the love of your life.






Rustic Beet Pizza
Makes 2 heart shaped pink pizzas

Additions:

Dough

1 C lukewarm water
1 pkg dry active yeast
1/3 C beet puree
1 T maple syrup
dash of truffle salt (or sea salt)
2 1/2 C all purpose flour

Beet Sauce

2 C beet puree
4 T orange juice
1 C water
4 T red wine vinegar
1 t onion powder
1 t minced garlic
dash of salt

Toppings

1 log goat cheese, softened
1 small head radicchio, finely chopped
2 C cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 C parsley, chopped
Olive Oil
Parmesan, freshly grated





 Protocol:

1. Beet Puree: Heat Oven to 400 F. Peel approximately 5 beets and place in foil. Cook until soft, approximately 55 minutes. Remove the beets and place in a blender. Add a little water, about 4T, to blend beets into a puree. This can be done ahead of time. 

2. Pizza Dough: Begin the pizza dough by adding water, yeast, salt, and maple sugar in a large bowl. Mix together using a wisk until small bubbles form. Add beet puree and continue to wisk. Slowly add 1/4 C of flour at a time and wisk until dough begins to form. Once dough has formed, use a wooden spoon to continue stirring, adding the flour step by step. If the dough feels VERY sticky, add a bit more flour until you can knead the dough for 1 minute. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise for 1 hour. The dough is pink and beautiful.

3. Beet Pizza sauce: Add the beet puree, orange juice, water, garlic, onion powder, salt, and red wine vinegar to a small saucepan and cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until all the excess moisture has evaporated, about 15 minutes. 

4. Roll out 1/2 of the pizza dough on a floured surface into a heart shape. Place on a hot grill, about 400 degrees, or in the oven at 400 degrees,if you prefer, on a baking sheet. Cook the dough for about 10 minutes or until it feels like flatbread.

5. Remove from the grill or oven and turn over to place the sauce and toppings on the side that was on the grill or baking sheet. Remember that this recipe is for 2 pizzas, so use half of the sauce and toppings for each pie. First spread goat cheese all over the pizza. Then place sauce on top, tracing the heart shape. Finally, add chopped Radicchio, tomatoes, and fresh parsley. Cover with grated Parmesan cheese.

Yum! The flavors are sweet and earthy and leave a great palate to ease right on in to some dark chocolate to finish up the wine...

Enjoy with a bottle of Mourvedre. This could be from Spain, California, or France. If you aren't familiar with the varietal, ask your local wine shop for some suggestions. Or check out my delectable profile to see what I've been drinking.





Winemaker's Notes: More Mourvedre please! I love that it's earthy and bright. Some of it's descriptors often include plum flesh, gamey notes, and seamlessness. It's deep profile is intriguing, like getting to know someone over candlelight. When I match earthy flavors with this wine, it sings of bright purple plum flesh. The structure is weighted, but quickly transitions to a velvety finish. It's over all rustic charm lends to a down-to-earth (and a little sexy) pairing with these earthy and sweet flavors. 





Cheers!

Mari







1 comment:

  1. I made your pizza dough tonight with my kids and it was a huge hit!! Grilling it was as easy as you made it look :) And sooo tasty!

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