Spinach & Curry Pizza

It’s time to put pizza back on the menu. This curry and spinach flatbread recipe will curb your guilt and wake up your taste buds.

Light and flavorful with a twist, it’s perfect any time of year and you’ll feel like a chef extraordinaire when you put these 10 simple ingredients together, some straight from the garden.

Here’s what you need:

• Spinach & Curry Topping
• 2 cups sliced onions (1 large onion or 2 to 4 spring onions)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 clove garlic
• 5 cups spinach leaves
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 2 Tbsp cashews
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt & pepper to taste

Flatbread Crust

• 2/3 cup water lukewarm
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 tsp salt

Or substitute with your favorite pizza crust recipe. I often use naan, as I did here. If I had a bread maker, I’d use that.

Here’s what you do:

Make Your Crust

• Stir sugar and 1/3 cup water in a large bowl.
• Evenly sprinkle yeast over the water and sugar mixture. Let stand 10 minutes, until frothy.
• Mix in olive oil, remaining water, salt and flour and stir until doughy.
• Knead dough over a floured surface until elastic, about 5 minutes. Add extra flour into the dough as you go (as needed).
• Press out into 4 individual sized pizzas or 2 medium pizzas.

I make homemade crust when I’m feeling luxurious with my time. And, when I do, I feel like an all-star. However, when in a pinch I purchase locally made naan or flatbread, as long as it’s fresh and on the leaner side. This recipe turns out best when the topping is paired with a thin, light crust.

Make Your Spinach & Curry Topping

• Peel and slice your onion. I like to cut it once down the center (from the rooting end to the leafing end), peel and then slice thinly into half circle pieces.
• Warm your skillet and add olive oil.
• Once olive oil is warm, add onions and sauté on medium heat for 10 minutes until caramelized.
• Grate your cheese and chop cilantro while the onions cook.
• Mix in curry, fennel and garlic to the caramelized onions. Stir and cook 1 minute more.
• Lastly, add spinach with a few turns of fresh ground salt and pepper. I don’t bother to measure the greens. 1 large handful is about 1 cup so use 5 large handfuls. Sauté until it just begins to wilt and change color. I generally error on the side of under cooking the greens.
• Remove from heat.
• Top your crusts and remember less is more. This recipe always seems to turn out best when I spread the topping out from edge to edge and it’s not piled up like you might with a traditional pizza.
• Pop into the oven, straight onto the rack or pizza stone, baking at 450 degrees, for 5 minutes but less if it’s on naan (naan tends to burn quickly, especially when on a lower rack).
• Remove from oven. Top again with mozzarella and cashews and bake for 3 additional minutes.
• Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

It’s fabulous when paired with a salad rich in dark greens dressed with olive oil and vinegar. You’ll have a taste of comfort loaded with nutrition.

I stumbled upon this recipe about 18 years ago, it’s adapted from one by Didi Emmons recipes, and while it’s morphed with time and circumstance it always has savory flair.

Try substituting spinach with greens you have on hand such as baby chard or kale or a combination of all three. Or add shallots and other herbs from the garden.