Monday, January 19

Swiss Chard and Artichoke White Pizza Recipe

Who says you can get your greens and enjoy homemade pizza at the same time?

Because I'm a patient and understanding girl, I'm going to give you and Swiss chard another chance to get together. I realize romances can take time, and that it isn't always love at first bite.

So maybe you weren't wowed by the thought of Hot Swiss Chard Artichoke Dip or Swiss Chard and Artichoke Soup. And perhaps you're simply not the Healthy Swiss Chard Tuna Salad with Kalamata Olives type—even if the crunchy chard stalks stand in beautifully for celery. My Swiss Chard Cabbage Salad with Garbanzo Beans and Cottage Cheese didn't do it for you either? That's okay.

I still have faith in you. Because this, this is pizza. And everybody loves pizza.

I won't go on and on about how wonderful Swiss chard is because I've already done that. But since it's time to start thinking about an early spring garden, I will quickly remind you once again how easy Swiss chard is to grow from seed—and remind you that it happily thrives in containers (hint hint, apartment dwellers).

It's also cold tolerant, heat tolerant, and really hard to kill. Did I mention it happens to be really good for you?

Unlucky in love? Your vegetable soul mate just might be waiting for you at the farmers' market. So go on, give Swiss chard a try.

White pizza goes green

Susan's Swiss Chard Artichoke 'White' Pizza
Makes enough topping to thickly cover one 12" to 14" pizza

On the last day of autumn, I picked several pounds of Swiss chard in my homemade greenhouse and packed it into plastic bags that I placed with ice packs in a cooler in the pantry (because there wasn't enough room in the fridge). After three weeks, what was left still looked fine. Freshly picked greens will last quite a while if kept cool and moist.

This pizza topping is basically the first half of my Hot Swiss Chard Artichoke Dip recipe. Don't have a can of artichokes handy? I think it would still be quite tasty without them. Mixing in some olives (black or kalamata) or a few chopped dried tomatoes instead would probably be very nice.

You could also make this recipe using a mix of other greens, such as mustard and collard, or even kale. I'm sure spinach would work well. Since the finished pizza froze and reheated beautifully, I'm also thinking you could make up the topping ahead of time and freeze it.

A baking/pizza stone is a great investment that allows you to make amazingly crisp pizza crusts and crusty artisan breads. I've been using the same one for 14 years. A pizza peel is a really useful thing to have. I own two—a large wood one and smaller metal one with a long handle—and use them all the time.

Pizza dough (use your favorite or try my simple recipe)
6 to 8 ounces mozzarella, thinly sliced or shredded

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion (about 5 ounces)
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 12 ounces or 4 cups packed of leaves), leaves and stalks separated and both chopped into small pieces
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained and rinsed, chopped into small pieces
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

About an hour before you're ready to bake your pizza, place a baking stone (if using) on the lowest rack in the oven and heat to 500 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a 4-quart or larger pot. Add onion and chopped Swiss chard stalks and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes; do not let garlic brown.

Stir Swiss chard leaves and chopped artichoke hearts into onion mixture. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce. Remove pan from heat and let chard mixture cool slightly, and then stir in Pecorino Romano. Alternatively, let the mixture cool completely, mix in cheese, and then refrigerate up to 2 days.

Shape the pizza dough on a piece of unbleached parchment paper, and set it on a pizza peel (or directly on your baking sheet/pizza pan if you aren't using a baking stone). Spread the chard mixture evenly over the dough. Top with mozzarella.

Slide the pizza (parchment and all) onto the baking stone and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is starting to brown. Slice and serve, and try not to burn your tongue on the first bite!

Want another slice?
My Favorite Easy Pizza Dough Recipe
Arugula Pesto Pizza
Three Onion and Three Cheese Pizza
Fresh Tomato and My Favorite Basil Pesto Pizza
Homemade Pita Bread Pizzas

Still hungry? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

© FarmgirlFare.com, the foodie farm blog where pizza delivery at the end of a long day is not an option when you live 34 miles from the nearest pizza parlor, which is why we always try to keep several different kinds of homemade pizza in the freezer.

41 comments:

  1. Okay, this picture is making me hungry and I just finished breakfast! It looks AMAZING. I adore swiss chard, possibly my fav green (in close competition with kale). I didn't know about your way of storing it though, I've just make it into puree and frozen it that way. Did you wrap the greens in anything (e.g. paper towel?) before packing it in the plastic bags?
    As I am without artichokes, I think I will use a bit of my (horded) stash of dried tomatoes for this recipe :-)

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  2. I don't make pizza very often. And every time I do wrestle with the yeast dough, I remember WHY I don't make pizza very often. Because I'm lazy. But last time I made it, I put beet greens on it. Yum.

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  3. I have never ever had swiss chard.
    but you go on and on about it! (lol) so this year I will plant ONE plant of it and see how it goes! I was just listing my plants that I want to plant in my garden this summer. I will make room for Swiss Chard

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  4. Good Morning Susan,
    I am sooo going to make this, it sounds like a pizza that we get at one of our local Bistros here in town, and I have every thing on hand, they also add Kalamata olives and pine nuts, Yum
    How are all of your critters? and when are you going to move into your new House/Bakery?
    Have a warm and nice day. -8 here.
    Sharon from Western Michigan

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  5. We just had pizza last night - and this makes me want more! I'm kicking myself for pulling up my Swiss Chard plants before the first snow. Next year we'll let them hang in there a lot longer. After growing several plants I'm in love with chard and can't wait to plant more next spring!
    Phoo-D

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  6. Looks amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe =)

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  7. What a gorgeous pizza! I love the topping! Exquisite!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  8. I love swiss chard too, for all the reasons you list! It grows great from seed, like radishes, so it makes you look like a great gardener, and it's good for you and tastes great. I use it in place of spinach, which can sometimes be too bitter. As for the pizza you can remind everyone that you can freeze the dough before you make the pizza. That way you don't have to make a bunch of pizzas all in one night. Just freeze a portion and defrost to make it "fresh" as the mood strikes.

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  9. I've never tried swiss chard before, but I think I may have to try it after looking at that amazing pizza!

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  10. this looks really good .... I am definitely trying it!

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  11. I've managed to sneak spinach into pizzas. Swiss chard? Maybe next year. Sounds good!

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  12. As you've shown here, Swiss chard lends itself to many different dishes. You can use the leaves for one meal then use the stalks in another. I even made a pumpkin chard stalk soup once that was delicious. I'll bet you've got some chard converts with this pizza, Susan.

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  13. I am so excited to try this recipe. We have homemade pizza night every Friday and I love swiss chard. I just ordered some packets of seeds! hooray, thanks!

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  14. Swiss chard is great in veggie lasagna, cooked with garlic and wine. Much better than spinach; my family won't let me do anything else with chard, they like it so much. And I grew it last summer, but I grew the gold kind; i didn't think the flavor was quite as good as the red, but two plantings lasted me all summer, cut and come again.
    Liz

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  15. Yum! That sounds delicious. And what a great use for Swiss Chard. I'm actually not really into this green, but paired with artichokes and cheese, I bet it's great.

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  16. Susan,

    Do you have any suggestions for ways to keep dough warm for those of us in chilly farm houses without the benefit of a wood stove? I've tried my crockpot on warm, but even that seems too warm.

    Thanks!

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  17. I love Swiss chard. Putting it on a pizza is a great idea!
    I had no idea it could be container grown. I tried it in the ground one year in my tiny suburban garden but I have slug issues..
    I'll try it on the deck this year. Thanks!
    (ps, the word verification this time is mulch - how funny is that!)

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  18. Ahh swiss chard. I worked on an organic farm here in Colorado all summer and this was definitely one of my favorite things to grow--I made a million things with chard because it was so plentiful (that and the grasshoppers). Toward the end we were debating on chard ice cream but took a pass. This pizza looks amazing by the way.

    jh
    bodaweightloss

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  19. Yum. This looks and sounds fabulous. My winter crop of swiss chard is doing very well, but I have never done a pizza dough that I was completely satisfied with.

    Anita

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  20. PS - I bet a topping of arugula slivers after the pizza is pulled out of the oven would be awesome too. I had the most wonderful pizza in Florence with uncooked arugula scattered on top of it.

    A

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  21. Because you're you and you've enriched my chard eating life with such classics as the Swiss Chard Artichoke Dip, I may give this a try. And you're pizza dough, too!

    Even though I'm still trying to settle a score with the chard that tried to move into my house over the summer.

    "...really hard to kill." isn't even the half of it.

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  22. I love swiss chard and I love pizza! What a great combination!

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  23. Hi Everybody,
    Thanks for your comments. I'm thrilled my plan worked, and that this pizza just may convince some of you to give Swiss chard a try! It really is delicious. : )


    Hi Sharon,
    The critters are fine but a little chilly. We did lose our dear sweet ewe Doris last week, but she was 12 years old and had a wonderful life - and she gobbled up a little grain even on her very last day. And although she usually had ram lambs, she did give us two of our best young ewes who have already proven to be great mothers and will hopefully each have a lamb this spring. : )

    As for when we'll be moving into the new building - who knows. Right now we're trying to figure out where leak #4 in the new plumbing (which is already behind finished and painted sheetrock - don't ask) is located. Talk about frustrating!

    Hi Anneliese,
    How to keep rising bread dough warm in chilly houses? That's a good question. Beth and I really need to do a whole post about how to keep your bread dough warm in winter over on A Year in Bread so that all the tips we've collected over the years are in one convenient place (now that the one I had partly written about keeping it cool in summer is a little out of date!).

    Until then, a couple of things you can do are:

    --start with warmer milk/water (but not too hot that you kill the yeast - I wouldn't go above 100 degrees at the most) so that your dough starts out at a warmer temperature than the room
    --try to find a warm spot in your house, such as near a heater vent or on top of the refrigerator
    --let your dough rise in the oven with the oven light on

    I used to always let my doughs rise in my gas oven with just the pilot light on because it was the perfect constant temperature, but that was an oven from the 1950s - nowadays gas ovens have electric starts and safety features, and the pilot light isn't always on.

    I know some people turn the oven on and let it heat up a little bit and then turn it off before setting the dough in there to rise. The insulated oven will retain heat for a while, and you really only need it to be between 70 and 75 degrees F.

    Remember, too, that the best breads are made with a long, slow rise. Your dough will rise fine at 60 (or even 50) degrees - it will take longer than at 75 degrees, but the final result will have a better texture and flavor. Hope this helps. Happy baking! : )

    Finny,
    You always crack me up. I love that you're scared of your own vegetables. Well, at least one vegetable. ; )

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  24. Hi Farmgirl!
    Everyone should try your pizza.It will rock your world! A million years ago (30+) I worked at Chez Panisse, occasionally an Escarole, Fontina & Nicoise Olive Pizza would come round on the lunch menu - an epiphany, an inspiration. Of all the wonderful food I first experienced there, the green pizza remains the keystone. We sauteed the escarole w olive oil, & finished w red wine vinegar, salt & lots of pepper - darn tasty by itself but on the dough, garlic & red onions...Farmgirl, your sounds like a great step forward.

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  25. So happy to find all these swiss chard recipes because I have an abundance of it in my garden right now. You are right, it is very easy to grow from seed. Thank you!

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  26. This sounds amazing! Move over spinach! Chard's in town.

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  27. Am I the only one who cannot eat swiss chard?? It makes my teeth feel "fuzzy"----too tannic I guess. I hear that people blanch it several times to remove the tannins, but you don't ever mention doing that. Does this not bother you at all? Just wondering. I love the look of chard in the garden and it grows well up here in alaska, I just wish I could eat it.

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  28. Bela pizza, adorei

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  29. Hi AngAK,
    I know that 'fuzzy' feeling you're talking about - it happens to some people with spinach, too. I think it just depends on the person - I don't have any problems like that when I eat chard either cooked or raw. You might try eating the younger leaves, though it may not make a difference. I haven't heard about the blanching.

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  30. I made this for dinner tonight, and used your straightforward dough. The other half became a red pie w/ caramelized onions. Both were great. The dough WAS so straightforward, and the cooking method was perfect. Thanks so much for the first homemade pizza I've really been proud of!

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  31. Thanks so much for the recommendation--this looks fantastic, and I'll definitely give it a try!

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  32. Wow, that looks fantastic! I was given a bunch of swiss chard and was looking for recipes - this looks awesome and your photography is very professional.

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  33. For the last two weeks my head has been full of artichoke pizza. Imagine my delight to find my favorite FarmGirl had an awesome recipe! I made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! I did let my topping simmer uncovered for 10 minutes after the recipe cooking time since my chard had been wet when it went into the pot. Thanks for helping me satisfy my craving!

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  34. We tried it! My family wanted seconds, even my almost 2-year old.
    This recipe was a life saver because I'm tried to rein in my food budget, especially now that it's the end of the month and almost all spent, and I'm a newby at eating swiss chard. This is my first year growing it as well as cooking it, and this recipe was great. I love what I'm seeing on your website and will be visiting more often. I found it by googling "pizza with swiss chard." Thanks!

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  35. Just got a bunch of chard from my CSA this week. Guess what I'm going to be making with it? Thanks!

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  36. Last weekend my girlfriends and I spent a few days at a beach house. We made this recipe and we absolutely loved it! One woman made it for her family this week with rave reviews. I am making it tonight for my husband. Thank you for this yummy creation!!!

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  37. Wow, this looks just fab! I'm adding it to my to-make list to help with the proliferation of chard out back! thanks!!

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  38. I just made this pizza, and used your simple pizza crust too! Amazing! I was searching for a white pizza, and I was sold when I saw your photo! The swiss chard and the onion and artichokes taste so great together, and I used fresh mozzarella and added a some sliced sun-dried tomatoes on top. The best part, is that it made 2 whole pizzas, one for tonite, and one for tomorrow! Thanks so much!

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  39. I always have sour dough for pizza fermenting in the fridge. Tonight was my turn to cook as hubby is teaching a class. On his way out, he said, "Make sure you don't let any of those veggies go bad".

    Knowing we had a bunch of swiss chard and the pizza dough, on a whim I googled, "Swiss Chard Pizza" and found your recipe.

    I only have two words......
    ABSOLUTELY DEVINE!!

    MANY THANKS!!! This recipe is a keeper!

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  40. Made this tonight using Trader Joe's pizza dough and adding feta - sooo yummy! :)

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  41. First time swiss chard eater! My boyfriend too. We made this recipe, followed it as written with the exception of using Trader Joe's pizza dough. It turned out amazing!! This recipe has opened our eyes to how flavorful swiss chard can be and I am sure that it has replaced spinach in our household! Thanks for the great recipe. Can't wait to play with it and expand on it in the future!

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December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.

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