Iwaruna.com

Here’s an example of my being a food mutant: I don’t like pizza. To clarify: I don’t like deep dish pizzas, which are far too soggy. Thin crusts tend to change my mind. I don’t like tomato sauces —oh, I love tomatoes, sauces and tomato sauces, but on pizzas the gloppiness issue crops up again. White pizzas which use little (usually non-tomato) to no sauce, do pique my interest.

And the toppings! How insanely I denounce sausage, pepperoni, salami, ham, pineapple, bell peppers and olives. “Criminy, what else is left? What could possibly remain to grace the surface of the best beloved savory pie?” Ah, many things. Such as chicken, cheese and chutney.

I’d love to hear about your favorite unusual, unconventional (yet tasty) pizza toppings!

The dough I used was half of the basic bread recipe, which yields a more or less 12-inch pizza.

Ingredients

• pizza or focaccia dough, defrosted if previously frozen
• 3 to 4 tablespoons chutney (such as apricot, tamarind, plum or apple), or onion confit or shallot spread
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded cheese, such as Monterey Jack, Mozzarella or Gruyère. (As much as I love Cheddar, it tends to separate into oily curds at this heat, instead of melting in a stringy-smooth fashion.)
• half an onion, 2 cloves shallots, or 2 scallions (green and white parts), thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped into bit-sized pieces

Method

1. Heat oven to 475F degrees. If using onions or shallots, sauté briefly in olive oil until translucent.
2. Roll out the dough to as thinly as possible, about a 1/4 inch thick. Or less, if the dough’s stretchy nature permits. Place this on a pizza pan or baking sheet.
3. Thinly spread the chutney (or confit). Top with the cheese, then onion (or shallots or scallions), topping off with the chicken.
4. Bake in the lower third of the oven, close-ish to the bottom heating element. When the crust of the pizza has started to brown and pull away, and when the cheese is bubbly and chicken browned on the edges, it’s done —about 11 to 15 minutes. Slice and serve quickly.

Update: Alternative wacky toppings

• smoked chicken
• cooked or smoked shrimps
• cooked bacon
• chile pepper sauce, especially if it’s tart, hot, sweet, and not too watery