The last couple of weeks have been mostly wet and muddy. We have been fortunate the last few days to have dry conditions which made it possible to spend some time in the vegetable garden. There’s not much going on out there except for the mache patch that I have growing in a small low plastic tunnel.
I was able to harvest enough mache to add to our dinner of white pizza. We got the idea for this pizza from watching an episode of “Milk Street” on PBS. The pizza topping consists of equal parts whipped heavy cream, grated Parmigiano cheese and grated Fontina cheese. You put the topping on your favorite pizza dough, bake it and then top it with greens that have been dressed with a olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice.
Mache was the perfect green to top our pizza with its nutty flavor and satisfying chew. My wife Catherine is a huge fan of this particular pizza as well as being a fan of “Milk Street”.
The dough recipe that I used comes from a book called “The Elements of Pizza” by Ken Forkish. The style of dough is referred to as “Neopolitan” and produces a thin and chewy crust.
What a treat to have fresh greens from the garden. Thus begins the first season in our gardening year, “Mache Madness”.
All the best,
Greg Garnache
THIS POST MAKES ME GREEN WITH JEALOUSY!
Dear Kathleen:
This post was not intended to make you jealous, but rather to inspire you to take a little time and effort in the fall and to plant your own crop. Please join me this coming October for a Greg’s Garden Party “Let’s All Plant Mache” event. I will provide detailed instructions on my blog and will invite pictures and comments from all participants. I leave you with this last thought: A world with more Mache is a better place’
All the best,
Greg Garnache