My Very Own Made-Up Recipe

Tonight's dinner was supposed to be mashed/pureed turnips with carrots, roasted chicken and brussels sprouts.  But I must admit I was bad and didn't eat anything but a pear and half a tea cup of eggnog all day (well, I had a Godiva truffle).  I literally just didn't get hungry until about 6 tonight.  And suddenly the above was sounding less appetizing and pizza sounded better.  We nearly scrapped it all and ordered Dominos when I decided no, we would make a pizza.  But making a crust takes rising time, so I thought, "Trader Joes has fresh pizza dough."  So off we went and to my delight discovered they had 3 types of pizza dough: regular, whole wheat and an herbed one.  I grabbed the herb one and created this:  Turnip Sauce Pizza.  And yes, don't be afraid, it is actually to die for delicious and I kind of feel like a genius!  In fact G and I have decided this might actually be my very best pizza ever and I'm fairly well known for my pizza.  So be bold, be brave, and try it!

Turnip Sauce Pizza

* 1 herbed pizza crust (I think this could easily be done homemade, it was a plain crust with herbs like basil, oregano, and garlic mixed in.)

* Roasted turnip and carrot puree (roast the vegetables at 4 hundred, then mash and/or puree....add butter, salt, pepper, a hint of nutmeg and garlic powder.  We roasted 6 med. turnips and about 5 carrots and this took less than half the puree.)

* 1 loose cup of sharp cheddar cheese

* 1 c. roasted chicken, chopped up

* 6 oz. button mushrooms, pan cooked until slightly soft

* 1/2 med. onion, chopped up and sauteed until slightly soft

Place pizza stone in oven and pre-heat to 425F.

Roll out your pizza dough to about 12" round on a well floured surface.  Spread turnip and carrot puree over crust.  Sprinkle cheddar cheese lightly over the sauce.  This is a light sprinkling of cheese because cheddar is greasy and you want to be able to see some sauce through it.  (emphasis, the sauce is delicious!)  

Distribute evenly the chicken, onions, and mushrooms.  

Slide the pizza onto a hot stone and bake 10-15 minutes until crust is golden and top is golden and bubbly.  Remove, slice, and grind fresh black pepper on it before devouring.  You're welcome.

This was nearly a disaster as I don't have a pizza peel and was trying to slide the somewhat heavier pizza off a plastic cutting board onto the hot stone.  It got disfigured and I had to rush and quickly fix it before it cooked enough to set that way.  Disaster was averted and dinner was delicious.  First time ever eating turnips and I think I'm in love.