Last weekend marked the beginning of our 22-week farm share with Porter Farms, an organic farm located in Elba, NY. This is our second year participating and I feel as though I’m a little more prepared for the types of vegetables we’ll be getting each week. Swiss chard was one of the vegetables I had never encountered last year. Similar to spinach in texture, but unlike spinach, chard is a strong, rather bitter green that is hard to mask the flavor of easily. The dried, sweetened cranberries really help to balance the pungent flavor of the chard and the result is a delicious, sweet, yet savory pizza. Goat cheese or ricotta would also be nice compliments to the chard, crumbled over top of the mozzarella.
Swiss Chard and Cranberry Whole Wheat Pizza
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 package active dry yeast/instant yeast
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup hot tap water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey (use agave nectar to make it vegan)
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped (stems and all)
- Green onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, yeast and salt. Blend in water, oil and honey or agave nectar. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated, about 3 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour in a warm area. Place dough in greased 12 to 14-inch pizza pan. Press dough to cover bottom of pan and up sides to form a crust. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium low heat, add water, Swiss chard, green onion, craisins, 1 tablespoon oil, salt and pepper. Sauté for about 7 minutes, until chard has wilted. It will have reduced in size significantly. Top crust with remaining olive oil, Swiss chard mixture, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake 15-20 minutes until crust is browned and cheese is bubbly.
