When my mom was in town at the end of October, we spent a day shopping on Newbury Street, and at one point we revived ourselves with a quick pizza and salad at Sonsie, a restaurant that has been there at least since I was in college. The pizza was really good (much better than I expected): Several tasty cheeses topped with butternut squash and walnuts. I later recreated it using some of the leftover delicata squash we had cooked.
Note the blackened walnuts on the lower right:
The old stove went to 600 not including the broil setting–it was nuts. And, um, walnuts cook fast.
The pizza was really good, but not quite as good as the restaurant one. The delicata isn’t very sweet, which I love when it’s a side dish. But in this you want the sweet squash to contrast with the bitterness of the hazelnuts and the richness of the cheese. I’ll try it again with some butternut, maybe. The textures are great and I really liked that sweet/bitter interplay so I want to play around more. (It’s a nice riff on the usual butternut squash or pumpkin ravioli topped with browned butter and walnuts.)
That looks really good. I wonder if an extra sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of your best olive oil would ramp up the flavor. And of course you know my secret trick, I always sprinkle a few chile flakes over a lot of my pizzas for a subtle oomph.
Kate! This looks awesome – I love pizza and I love squash of any type, so this is on our agenda for next week. I’ll post how we get on – love the idea. Mmm feta cheese.
Your questions on accents – very thought provoking. I’ve been thinking about them a lot.
Yum! The pizza looks tasty.
Kate, this pizza looks spectacular! I am definitely going to give it a shot. How long did you cook the squash before you put it on the pizza???
Kate, I am Italian, and like all Italians, eating well is important. Here you talk about pizza, one of Italy’s most traditional foods. It is difficult to eat good pizza already outside Naples, but outside of Italy is impossible. But I have to admit that these pictures made me come hungry.
Your blog is very interesting. Ciao!
Juree, my mom had roasted the squash so I’m not 100% sure but I think it’s 30 minutes or so? Just however long it takes to get tender.
Riona, I’ve been thinking about accents in yet a different way since getting to France, where I speak French well but with an accent that always makes people ask where I’m from. I think I sound Canaderican?
Rome- Those of us not lucky enough to live in Italy still need a pizza fix, even if it’s second rate! I have never been to Naples, only Firenze, Pisa and the surrounding areas… I can’t wait to go try the real thing one day. Thanks for stopping by!