Fast, Hearty, Wholesome Farmers Market Food

Anytime I put food on the table that was made from ingredients I got solely from the farmers market, I call it Farmers Market Food. Only from a local orchard can you get really ripe peaches, or blueberries that taste like they are supposed to taste, and apple butter like no other.

You can get pizza crusts there, too. 🙂

I got the idea for this pizza from a nutritionist who visits one of our markets and gives out samples of Farmers Market Food she makes on the spot. She used our whole wheat crust as the base with some of McCleaf Orchard’s apple butter, peaches and blueberries. That’s, basically, all there is to it. After sampling, I had to make it at home.

I had breakfast ready in about 15 minutes.  That’s a snap for a weekend, and not too much time on a weekday, if you consider this would feed a few kids before they head off to school.

I washed and sliced a ripe, yet firm peach, leaving the skin on. When the oven was fully preheated to 400 degrees, I spread the apple butter on a large whole wheat crust, arranged the peaches, sprinkled on the blueberries, and placed the pizza directly on the oven rack for 10 minutes. Any longer and the blueberries would have burst open. I drizzled the pizza with honey and cinnamon before slicing, but you could skip that step if your apple butter is spiced and you don’t want to add any more sweetness.

This pizza was made in July when blueberries were still available at the farmers markets. But, I can imagine many different fruit combinations for whatever is in season. Thinly sliced apple comes to mind… maybe fresh figs, or other stone fruits. I can’t wait to try it again! In the mean time, enjoy another pic…

This past weekend marked the beginning of this venture two years ago. Nearly 5000 crusts later… ok, let’s take a moment for that to sink in… my son and I produced and sold almost 5000 crusts in two years.

So, 5000 crusts have made some great dinners that our customers like to tell us about as they stop by our farmers market stall to pick up some more. And we are happy to help make dinner happen!

We continue to grow, too. Last March, we hired a new employee who is also on the autism spectrum. This marks a major milestone and goal in many ways.  As a business owner, I would like to be able to tell other business owners that they can benefit from investing time, energy, and patience in hiring and training employees with disabilities. There’s an untapped resource of capable individuals out there that are often overlooked, who would make excellent and loyal employees, if you are willing to explore the possibilities. But, first I needed to make the commitment to do it beyond working with my son.

It’s one thing to say that everyone deserves a chance to work, and it’s another thing entirely to put that into practice. We have our good and bad moments, all of us. But, my team and I come back into the kitchen each day to try again, make mistakes, say “sorry,” and say “that’s ok” to each other. We keep at it until we get it right… if not perfect, then close enough. So far, so good. I will revisit our progress in additional posts in the future.

There is a good chance we will not attend a farmers market if any of the following conditions occur:

• Over night temperatures are in the single digits
• There is an active ice storm or major snow event

If you have placed a special order or reservation, we will do our best to fulfill your request by making arrangements for delivery.

We will update our website to keep you informed. But, feel free to reach out via email to confirm our attendance: tagteamkitchen@gmail.com

Thanks for your support!

White Bean Sauce and tons of veggies on a Sun-dried Tomato Crust

This pizza inspiration comes direct from a customer, who mentioned a pizza they had at a restaurant with a white bean sauce on it. Being a big fan of cannellini beans, I had to give this a try. This is not a recipe as much as a concept, the main point being to puree the beans with whatever flavors you like. With that in mind, here’s what I did:

In a skillet, I sauteed a clove of garlic for about 30 seconds in a tablespoon of olive oil. I added about a third of a cup of vegetable stock to that, and then added a can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans. I added salt, pepper, a sprinkle dried thyme, and cooked the beans for 5-10 minutes. Then I pureed this mixture in a food processor. It was a pretty thick puree, but very spreadable. Still, I added another couple of tablespoons of stock to the food processor to smooth it out a bit.

I used almost the entire amount of sauce for one 12-inch pizza and loaded it up with my favorite toppings of sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms.

The pizza was rich and filling, and really satisfying.

Next time – and there will be a next time – I may leave out the olive oil and just cook the garlic in the stock. I might try some greens, like kale. Beans and greens go great together… on a whole wheat crust, perhaps.

I will definitely leave off the tiny amount of cheese I felt obliged to put on out of some loyalty to cheese on a pizza. The flavor got lost in the creamy-garlicky white bean sauce.

What jumps out at me in this photo is the expression on my son Ben’s face. This is a young man who, for all other photo ops, avoids looking at the camera or the person taking the picture. But, he is clearly in his element at this moment. Taking pride in all the work that he does to get to the markets. It’s the look of a person who feels a sense of purpose, focused, and content in his accomplishments. We work in a hot kitchen during the week and then spend muggy summer weekends outdoors, and I rarely if ever hear a complaint from him.

A regular customer of ours said to me, “your business has been a great addition to the market and the community.” I can take pride in that tremendous compliment. But I am most proud of Ben for his precision and hustle in the kitchen, as well as the maturity he is developing. And, on top of that, he is always full of ideas, which I hope to add to the menu in the future. He would prefer that I not say this directly to him, so I will say it here: well done, Ben!

Flavor combos that elevate the crust

Mashed Potatoes, bacon, caramelized onions, mozz & cheddar cheese!

Ricotta Sauce, peppers, onions and fresh sage

Tomato sauce on pizza is tried and true. On a classic white flour crust with classic toppings like veggies or pepperoni, it’s exactly what you would want in a home made pizza. What happens, though, when you have a whole wheat flour crust, or a blend of flours? What if you are not a huge fan of tomatoes? Here are some flavorful options for you to try:

Mashed potatoes

What?… Yes. On one of our 100% whole wheat crust, potatoes really work. And you can find pizza with potatoes on top in Italy, so there is a tradition that already exists.

When I found myself with one serving of leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge, and already knew how great boiled potatoes are on a pizza, I had to give it a try. I spread the potatoes on instead of tomato sauce, added a blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheese, bacon and caramelized onions. It was very satisfying. More so because the whole wheat is filling.

Ricotta Cheese

My son, a die-hard pizza with pepperoni on it kind-of-guy, was craving something different. Here’s a simple Ricotta sauce recipe:

8 ounces of ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and the herb of your choice – all to your taste. (I used thyme.)

I needed only 3-4 ounces of additional cheese, our blend of mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, and asiago. In the picture above, I put lightly sauteed red peppers and onions, and fresh sage on top. The 50-50 blend crust supported the richness of the cheese perfectly.

1. Carrot stuffed green olives and sweet yellow pepper chunks on a classic crust, with our pizza sauce and cheese blend.

2. Olive tapenade and cheese on a small 50-50 Herb crust.

The first crust is pretty traditional. The second, not so much. It just goes to show that sauce is not always needed and might sometimes get in the way of creating a combination of strong flavors. #2 would be a nice and easy appetizer or a fun lunch!