When it comes to romance, nothing plucks my heart strings like the scene from “Lady and the Tramp” when Tramp generously nudges his meatball across the plate for Lady’s enjoyment and the star-crossed lovers lock lips while polishing off a spaghetti noodle. Now that, my friends, is true love at its finest. You give me that last meatball and, honey, I’m all yours. If we swap spit while devouring the same plate of spaghetti, then we can skip the awkward, no waist-down-contact embraces at the end of the evening and avoid the moment of silence where we each ponder, “Should we neck or call it a night?”
But alas, not all spaghetti entrees shared between two timid souls leads to such graceful encounters as those found in Disney classics. Perhaps the date ends in resentment over who took the last meatball without so much as a gesture of offering to the other person. Or the mere fact that humans tend to eat pasta with forks rather than devouring such a messy meal face-first limits the possibility of canoodling between noodles.
One detail, however, that Disney did in fact nail was the indisputable fact that Italian cuisine spells romance. Sure other cultures know how to woo a loved one (or, at least, lusted after). But when I’m noshing on a spicy chicken burrito or attempting to properly use chopsticks to pick up my artfully crafted sushi, I am either focused on the chipotle pepper sauce scorching my taste buds, or remaining calm, cool and collected while I fail to keep the spider roll from slipping between my chopsticks time and time again. (Or, more importantly, deciding how to elegantly take that first bite into the spider roll with the deep-fried crab legs jutting out the top. I have yet to succeed, as I typically either jam the entire roll into my mouth or attempt a bite that results in the roll falling to pieces.)
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, an exquisite Italian-inspired dish is most definitely in order. Whether you’re cooking for your best mates or your main squeeze, Valentine’s Day dinner should be shared with at least one other person you care about, be they a lover, friend, sister or pet dog. Rather than recommending a pasta dish so ubiquitous with Italian cuisine, I have chosen to give to my fellow readers another one of my unconventional pizza recipes.
Pizzas are ideal for sharing and encourage those attending dinner to collaborate while assembling the final product. Not to mention the pizza dough provides the perfect opportunity to flex your creative muscle and prove your love for your dinner mate by rolling the dough into a heart shape. The recipe is inspired by my most admired food blogger, Naturally Ella, and can be tweaked to suit particular preferences in vegetables, cheeses and herbs. However, I highly recommend pairing the balsamic glaze with goat cheese—the sharp acidity from the balsamic vinegar cuts through the tanginess of the cheese and ensures a perfect harmony of flavors. If you choose to use a smoked cheese such as gouda, nix the balsamic; if using a milder cheese such as mozzarella, the balsamic will add another dimension of flavor and liven up the pizza.
For those of you who have not acquired a taste for Brussels sprouts (poor saps), a number of vegetables would work nicely with the rest of the ingredients including (but not limited to) asparagus, broccoli, broccolini, eggplant, even potatoes! Whether you’re single (holla!), a playa, a hata, dating, married or in an “it’s complicated” relationship on Facebook, treat yourself to my latest take on pizza on this day of national love.
If using the balsamic glaze, I highly recommend pairing the meal with an Italian red table wine, particularly those from Tuscany. Since they combine multiple grape varieties, they tend to be less dry and compliment the sharpness of the goat cheese and vinegar. Plus, what embodies romance more poignantly than a classy bottle of red wine from the cradle of love itself? Bon appetit.
Got a recipe request or recommendation? Perhaps a mouth-watering dessert to pair with her Valentine’s Day meal? Send them to Rebecca at alt2@dailycardinal.com.
Ingredients
12-inch pizza crust, bought or homemade (search on allrecipes.com for homemade dough)
1-1 1/2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved or quartered
2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 of large red onion, sliced
6-8 oz goat cheese
Olive oil
2-3 tbsp fresh or dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2) Brush pizza crust with olive oil. Bake for 2-3 minutes alone if you prefer crunchier crust.
3) Drizzle olive oil on Brussels sprouts and red onion. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, minced garlic and rosemary. Roast for 4-6 minutes, or until just starting to soften and shrink. Remove from oven.
4) Assemble Brussels sprouts, red onion, spinach and goat cheese atop the pizza crust. Drizzle a bit more olive oil and sprinkle a few dashes of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (if you prefer a wee bit of a kick).
5) Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, the cheese starts to brown and the crust is a golden perfection.
5) While the pizza is baking, pour the balsamic vinegar into a small pot over the stove. Bring to a boil; then, reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering until the balsamic has reduced by half. Drizzle over the baked pizza.
