Brussels Sprouts Pizza from the Galaxy...
Brussels Sprouts. I love them. I know that many people do not love them. Either way, its rather odd to imagine them on pizza (unless you love them like I do - I can imagine them lots of ways...)
*Brussels sprouts are a cultivar group of the same species as broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, kale, and kohlrabi; they are cruciferous (they belong to the family Brassicaceae; old name Cruciferae). << I got that sentence from wikipedia.
I adapted this pizza from one I had at a restaurant - Pre-Covid - that I paid waaay too much for. I had to make one for myself because it was so delicious that I would be eating it all the time... Buying it at a restaurant would be too expensive to my mind. Plus, I CAN and DO cook. If you know me then you know that about me.
This is my version. Its FIRE!
Now. First off, I don't measure amounts most of the time. Unless I am baking. I did not make the crust by hand but I can. If anyone is interested in a recipe for that I can figure it out and post it. Let me know.
INGREDIENTS - I opt for ORGANIC whenever I can.
OLIVE OIL - Use your favorite EVOO. You'll use about 1/4 cup, more or less.
PIZZA CRUST OF YOUR CHOICE - There are many options for crust size, shape, thickness, type, etc. Gluten Free, Vegan... do you. I used 2 artisan, thin crust, organic unbleached wheat crusts.
MOZZARELLA CHEESE - Again, there are options for the kind of cheese you want. I use a drier mozzarella so that I can grate it. I know of some popular vegan mozzarella cheeses available that can be grated as well. The fresh mozzarella is a bit too wet for the texture of this particular version. It might do better on a thick crust. One can experiment if one wishes. I haven't done it yet. Seemed to be about 2 cups grated cheese. Grate enough cheese to cover the crust how you like it.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS - Thinly sliced. As if you were making sauteed cabbage but, like barbie doll sized. I used 5 Sprouts. Sometimes I use more. Never less.
RED ONION - slice it thinly. You're going to scatter the thinly sliced onion delicately over the pizza. Use as much or as little as you like. At least 1 half of 1 medium orange - sized onion. This time, I used SHALLOTS because I didn't have red onion. 2 fat shallots the size of an avocado seed. It was amazing with shallots.
CRUSHED GARLIC - A ton of it. Well, I use a ton of garlic on mine. For 2 pizzas, I crush at least 5 fat cloves. I like garlic. A lot.
PARMESAN CHEESE - I grate my own. I prefer that to the pre-grated kind. Its your option to use what you like and/or what you have. 1 cup should be enough. Its up to you, though.
RED PEPPER FLAKES - This finishes the pizza. Sprinkled over it at the end. Perhaps a teaspoon. More like a tablespoon for me. Per Pizza.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE THIS AMAZING-NESS
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slice Brussels Sprouts and Red Onion (Shallots) thinly. Grate Mozzarella. Crush Garlic Cloves.
On a baking tray lined with parchment paper (or not), put your crusts down and brush them generously with EVOO. You don't want to saturate the crusts but you do want to lay a nice sheen that does fall right in to the nooks and crannies.
Sprinkle your grated Mozzarella cheese over the crusts. As much as you like. Then add the sliced Brussels Sprouts. The idea is to cover the pizza so that every slice will bite into the Sprouts. Next comes the Red Onion. The same way as the Sprouts. Make the contrasting colors pretty - its a kind of Mandala to me...
Now for the Garlic. Scatter it all over the pizza. Simple.
Grate Parmesan Cheese all over. To your liking. This initial grating is more for adding a gentle hint of salt, you will add more to finish it at the end. Keep that in mind when you grate it. It seems that because of the fine texture of it when its grated, it will burn fast in the oven. Using it delicately the first time will minimize that.
In the center of the oven, bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it looks like the picture. But really to the way you like it. When it comes out, grate more Parmesan over it then sprinkle the Red Pepper Flakes.
DASSIT.
I hope you try this recipe and if you do, take a picture and share on the socials! Tag it with #pizzafromthegalaxy and let's celebrate eating better and making it simple to do so!
Let me add that you should feel free to experiment with ingredients that you are more inclined towards - like Broccoli or Zucchini Squash instead of Brussels Sprouts. One could add or substitute Pineapple, Peppers, even meat if one wanted to. (Make sure its pre-cooked though. 8-10 minutes isn't enough time to fully cook meat on this pizza, imo). One might want a bit of Dried Oregano at the end as well, like from your fave pizza spot... Its all cool.