CSA Week 1 - June 4th - kohlrabi pizza

Last year Sally turned me on to "alternative" pizza crusts. You know, the ones made with zucchini, beets, carrots, and the like. I ended up doing a farm-to-table cooking program at Greenacres last summer where the kids made zucchini crust pizza and it was a hit.

While working on a plan for a week of farm-to-table camp that included zucchini crust pizza, and facing the realization that our zucchini probably won't be fruiting in time for that camp, I started to brainstorm alternative alternative crusts. I realized kohlrabi might be a contender since the brassica flavor is common on pizza (broccoli being a popular topping and all). I also realized later that I have seen recipes for cauliflower crust pizza (thank's Matt, you actually clued me into that years ago and I never caught on). That being said, I was completely prepared for kohlrabi crust to be a massive failure.

The whole kohlrabi plan was risky from the start since Jonathan wasn't a fan the last time I made it (roasted). He is averse to broccoli and cauliflower and kohlrabi falls pretty close to the taste and texture of those stems. 

But the pizza was incredible. Jonathan loved it. It may have even been better than zucchini crust and was definitely better than carrot crust (which is not actually that bad). 

I topped it with marinara sauce (homemade pizza sauce was a fail), mozzarella, Parmesan, minced garlic scapes, fennel seed, and basil and crushed red pepper after the bake. We also ate leftover kale Cesar salad mixed with the remaining CSA arugula and extra Cesar dressing. 

The final recipe is from my adaptation of this recipe for zucchini crust pizza.

p.s. I know some of the photos are upside down. I'm working on it

Kohlrabi Crust Pizza (adapted from http://www.recipegirl.com/2014/04/24/zucchini-pizza-crust/)

Ingredients

• 2 packed cups grated kohlrabi
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp fennel seed

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
• Wrap the kohlrabi in a towel and squeeze out as much water as possible.
• Add the kohlrabi to a large mixing bowl and mix in all the ingredients above .
• Mix the crust batter well.
• Cover a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.
• Spread the crust batter onto the parchment in a circle. It shouldn’t have any really thin spots, but it shouldn’t be thick, either. Even out the edges, don't leave them craggy. 
• Bake at 400ºF for about 30 minutes, checking to make sure the crust doesn’t get too brown
• Remove the crust from the oven and flip it over. It is easiest to flip it onto a new piece of parchment paper.
• Return the crust to the oven for about 10 minutes
• Remove crust and allow to cool before adding toppings (or just eat it as-is!)
• If adding toppings turn the oven temperature up to 425ºF
• Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal
• Possible toppings include tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, smoked mozzarella cheese, sausage, onions, mushrooms, green bell pepper, garlic, garlic scapes, herbs (like basil, fennel, and oregano - added after baking if they are fresh), crushed red pepper and Frank’s Red Hot (added after baking), or whatever you like!
• After topping the pizza bake it on the prepared baking sheet at 425ºF for about 10 minutes. You may need to increase the oven temperature or turn the broiler on near the end of baking to brown the cheese
• Remove from oven and add herbs and other non-bake toppings