March Recipe Swap

For the month of March, our Recipe Swap group split in two for the first time. While one half would continue posting the first Sunday of the month, the other would now be posting a different recipe the second Wednesday of the month. Its a big change and I hate that the group is splitting, but the change means newer members- newer perspectives and interpretations of two different recipes each month. In a nutshell, the change means a lot of creativity to be inspired from throughout the month. And that’s a change I am looking forward to.

I chose to be part of the group posting the first Sunday of the month and honestly I was glad that I was, because it meant I had to swap a Pizza recipe.

The idea for the Recipe Swap was born out of a Vintage cookbook find by Christianna. Christianna decided to make her own recipes inspired by those in the cookbook. She also got a bunch of talented bloggers (and me) in on the idea and now, the recipe swap has been on for more than a year, each month the bloggers dishing out absolute delights that showcase their creativity. Of course, now the creative juices will be flowing into cyber space twice a month, starting this March.

I generally struggle with the way I want to take my swap recipe, but not this time. The moment I read Christianna’s mail, I was sure I wanted to make Grilled Zucchini Pizza slices. For a long time this blog post had been on my pinterest board and thought the recipe swap would be the perfect reason to try it out.

Besides using zucchini as a pizza base, I thought I would also see how a red potato would be as a base. While portablella mushrooms also came to my mind, but since I decided to use them as pizza toppings, I went against using them as a base. But I think those too would be perfect pizza bases. Also, for the topping Kalyn uses pepperoni. But since V doesn’t eat pepperoni, I used some portabella mushrooms, red pepper and onions for the topping. But you could use pepperoni. I would have if V was not fond of it.

As Kalyn puts it:

This is only a recipe in the very loosest sense of the word, because anything you like on pizza could be cooked on top of a thick slice of grilled or broiled zucchiniI

I was on a roll with what other ways I could interpret the swap. I thought of doing pizza muffins or maybe pizza rolls (cinnamon bun style), but instead the idea of a pizza shortbread cookie seemed more appealing. And when I mean pizza cookie, I do not mean the sweet kind (which I totally adore), but more of a savory pizza cookie.

(Speaking of sweet cookie pizzas, my friend had made this pizza cookie with marshmallows and m&ms and a brownie like cookie crust for her daughter’s birthday. It was way too sweet but oh soooo good and crunchy. Maybe that’s the pizza recipe I would try next.)

I could not find anything on google that came close to what I wanted in my pizza shortbread cookie, so I used this savory shortbread recipe and tweaked it to make my own pizza cookie recipe. Instead of using milk, I used marinara sauce (you can use any pizza sauce of your liking). I also added a blend of basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary in the dough. Although the cookies didn’t taste exactly like a pizza, but dipped in marinara sauce they tasted absolutely wonderful. They were pretty good even on their own, sans sauce. I also made them healthier by using whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour.

I also did try an actual pizza recipe (with a traditional pizza crust and toppings). More on that tomorrow. For now, I will leave you with the recipe for shortbread cookies, and for the grilled zucchini pizza slices, check the recipe here. Also do check out what the other swappers have been up to.

PIZZA SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Since I tried two sizes, I got 36 1 inch shortbread cookies and about 24 1-1/2 inch sized cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I used smoky sharp- next time I’ll do 1/2 cup cheddar and 1/2 cup parmesan)
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce (or any pizza sauce of your liking)
• 1 tsp italian seasoning (1/4 tsp each rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano)
• 1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

Directions

1. In a food processor, combine flour, chilli flakes, salt, italian seasoning. Add butter and oil, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. Add the cheeses to the food processor; pulse until combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
3. Add in the sauce and stir to combine well.
4. Form mixture into two 1-inch-diameter logs, and wrap in parchment. Transfer the logs to the refrigerator, and chill until very firm, at least 1 hour.
5. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line twobaking sheets with parchment paper. Remove logs from refrigerator, and cut each one into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place the rounds on prepared baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.
6. Bake the shortbread until golden, about 12 minutes, rotating baking sheets between shelves halfway through baking.
7. Transfer shortbread to wire racks to cool. Bake remaining dough. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days. Serve with marinara sauce.

Check out what the others have been upto: