No meat. No cheese. No red Sauce.
Instead, we have fresh pineapple and mango, tossed with crushed red pepper and teriyaki sauce, then stir-fried with some similarly marinated sliced water chestnuts; piled on top of golden-brown sautéed sweet onions resting on a bed of home made hoisin sauce; all on top of home made pizza dough – which, I am proud to say, I managed to get from rolling board to oven in more or less the condition I meant (YAY!) – and on top? In place of shredded cheese, we have chopped macadamia nuts.
ONE. GREAT. ‘ZA!
Well, I liked it – Rich allowed as how it might could’ve been okay if mebbe there was some chicken and mebbe some cheese and mebbe some peanuts.
*sigh*
Everybody’s a critic…
Irregardless, I believe that this ‘Za, just as it is, will amaze your friends and confound your enemies with it’s sheer goodness; and I, for one, am looking forward to leftovers for lunch.
This recipe, on the facing page across from the Pear and Spinach ‘Za recipe we tried last week, puts me at two tasty recipes to date for my bargain ($2!) 365 Ways to Cook Vegetarian book – all thanks to author Kitty Morse, and Half Price Books in Highland Park, and of course cousin Lois for being the reason I was in the store that day.
INGREDIENTS
•1/2 fresh pineapple, skinned, cored, and cut into 1 inch chunks
•1 firm mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
•1 cup water chestnuts – one 8 oz. can, drained, rinsed, and sliced
•1/2 tsp crushed red pepper – optional – this was my (very nice, I thought) addition to the original recipe
•1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
•2 tbsp butter
• 3 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
•1 pizza crust (unbaked, or packaged ready-to-bake) – I made my own using this recipe
•1/2 cup hoisin sauce – forget the jar from the market – this recipe is SO. MUCH. BETTER, and no fuss at all to make!
•1 cup macadamia nut pieces (most of a 6-1/2 oz. jar, chopped)
Toss the pineapple, mango, and water chestnuts with the crushed red pepper and the teriyaki sauce (I used Mr. Yoshida’s, straight from the bottle) and set them aside to marinate for about an hour, then drain. As it happened, I kinda forgot about adding the water chestnuts, so I popped them into their own little bowl of marinade while I was doing the onions.
Preheat oven to 425º.
Melt the butter in a large pan and sauté the sliced onion until tender and golden brown – 15 or 20 minutes.Remove the cooked onion to a bowl and set aside.
Drain the pineapple, mango, and water chestnuts and stir fry in the same pan for two minutes or so.
Roll out your pizza dough into a large rectangle on a floured board and sprinkle with a bit of cornmeal, if you like. I then quickly transferred mine to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Now, we are ready to make us a ‘Za!
Spread the hoisin sauce evenly over the dough and top with the sautéed onion.
Top the onion with the pineapple, mango and water chestnut mixture.
Sprinkle the chopped macadamia nuts over all, and we’re ready for the oven!
You COULD add some shredded mozzarella at this point if you like, I thought about it, but decided to try it ‘plain’ for this first attempt.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is crisp, and serve hot.
I thought this a fine and dandy dinner, Rich, not so much; BUT – this would make a NIFTY appetizer at your next ‘do, just cut it into smaller, munchie-sized squares and pass on a pretty platter.
‘Za, indeed.