November's Pizza del Mese: Winter Squash, Onion, and Pine Nut Pizza

Ironically, shortly after I made this pizza, Serious Eats posed this question:
Squash on Pizza, Way or No Way? After tasting this pizza, I am a firmly in the "Squash on Pizza, Way" camp.

The original recipe suggested Semolina Pizza Dough (see recipe in September's Pizza del Mese: White Clam Pizza). I used the Classic Pizza Dough because when I made October's Pizza del Mese, I just tripled the dough recipe, then divided into thirds, let them rise, and put two of the thirds in ziploc bags in the freezer.

Winter Squash, Onion, and Pine Nut Pizza adapted from Pizza: Grill It, Bake It, Love It! by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough
Ingredients

• Vegetable oil to apply to the cooking surface of Lodge Pro Logic Cast-Iron 14-Inch Pizza Pan
  
• One recipe Classic Pizza Dough (see recipe in January's Pizza del Mese: Pizza Margherita)
  
• 2 T olive oil
  
• 2 med. yellow onions, halved through the stem, then thinly sliced (you can tell I used rings instead of cutting my onions this way . . . I also grilled them instead of pan frying them).
  
• 3/4 C winter squash puree (to make up for my onion transgression I made my winter squash puree from an actual winter squash)
  
• 1 t rubbed sage
  
• 1/4 t ground nutmeg
  
• 1/4 t salt
  
• 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
  
• l 1/2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Grana Padano, or Pecorino, finely grated
  
• 1 T pine nuts

Procedure

• Position the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450.
  
• Apply a thin coating of vegetable oil to the surface of the cast iron pizza pan. Lay the dough at its center and dimple the dough with your fingertips. Then pull and press the dough until it forms a 14-inch circle on the pizza pan.
  
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then swirl in the olive oil. Add the
  onion slices, reduce the heat to very low, and cook, stirring often, until soft,
  golden, and very sweet, 20 to 25 minutes.
  
• Meanwhile, stir the squash puree, sage, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a me­dium bowl until uniform. Spread this mixture evenly over the prepared crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border at its edge.
  
• Top with the caramelized onions, then sprinkle the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  and pine nuts over the pie.
  
• Place the pie on its pizza pan in the oven on the middle rack. Check it about every three minutes for the first nine minutes to pop any air bubbles that may blow up at its edge or across its surface. Bake until until the crust is somewhat firm and lightly browned, 14 to 16 minutes.
  
• Transfer the pizza pan to a wire rack to cool for 3 minutes. Remove the pie from the pan, transferring it directly to the wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.

Previous Pizza del Mese:

• January's Pizza del Mese: Pizza Margherita
  
• February's Pizza del Mese: Mushroom Pizza
  
• March's Pizza del Mese: Broccoli and Tomato Sauce Pizza
  
• April's Pizza del Mese: Alsatian Tarte Flambe
  
• May's Pizza del Mese: Fig and Prosciutto Pizza
  
• June's Pizza del Mese: BLT Pizza
  
• July's Pizza del Mese: Plum Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Pizza
  
• August's Pizza del Mese: Chili Deep-Dish Pizza
  
• September's Pizza del Mese: White Clam Pizza
  
• October's Pizza del Mese: Broccoli Cheese Deep Dish Pizza

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October's Pizza del Mese: Broccoli Cheese Deep Dish Pizza

October's Pizza del Mese, which was, I swear, actually made in October, was a super easy, yummy, relatively nutritious weekend dinner.

Broccoli Cheese Deep Dish Pizza adapted from Pizza: Grill It, Bake It, Love It! by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough
Ingredients

• Vegetable oil to apply to a 10-inch springform pan
  
• One recipe Classic Pizza Dough (see recipe in January's Pizza del Mese: Pizza Margherita)
  
• 3 oz. Monterey Jack, shredded
  
• 3 oz. mozzarella, shredded
  
• 1 10-oz. package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and squeezed dry
  
• 1/4 C diced red onion
  
• 1/2 cup Classic Pizza Sauce (see recipe in January's Pizza del Mese: Pizza Margherita)
  
• 1 1/2 ounces Pecorino, finely grated

Procedure

• Position the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450.
  
• Apply a thin coating of vegetable oil to the 10-inch springform pan. Press the dough into the pan, stretching the dough across the pan's bottom and then pulling the dough a bit up the sides, about 1 inch. Cover with a clean kitchen towel.
  
• Sprinkle the shredded Monterey Jack and mozzarella evenly over the bottom
  of the pie. Top with the broccoli and onion, making sure both are evenly distributed across the surface.
  
• Dot the pie with the pizza sauce, then top with the grated Pecorino.
  
• Place the pie in the oven on the middle rack. Check it about every three minutes for the first nine minutes to pop any air bubbles that may blow up at its edge. Bake until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling and a little thick, about 30 minutes.
  
• Transfer the pizza pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Open the springform and remove the pie from the pan, transferring it directly to the wire rack to cool for another 5 minutes, then cut into wedges to serve.

Previous Pizza del Mese:

• January's Pizza del Mese: Pizza Margherita
  
• February's Pizza del Mese: Mushroom Pizza
  
• March's Pizza del Mese: Broccoli and Tomato Sauce Pizza
  
• April's Pizza del Mese: Alsatian Tarte Flambe
  
• May's Pizza del Mese: Fig and Prosciutto Pizza
  
• June's Pizza del Mese: BLT Pizza
  
• July's Pizza del Mese: Plum Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Pizza
  
• August's Pizza del Mese: Chili Deep-Dish Pizza

September's Pizza del Mese: White Clam Pizza

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