Posts Tagged ‘neil cherry’

Two Wet, Wild and Wonderful Summer Cocas

 

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The fruit of summer is a full landslide now in middle American Ohio. This means some great chances to pack my pizzas with the sweet goodness of local foodstuffs. Here are two sweet fruits that I’ve paired with a low-hydrated dough and sharp piquant cheese to achieve a fresh, juicy agrodolce, (sweet and sour taste) that everyone with taste buds loves. The shape of these pizzas resembles the Spanish Coca and is a fantastic way to introduce this fantastic food to your friends.

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Lets first start with the tomato coca. I used some of the great heirloom grown by Green Edge Gardens of Amesville, Ohio. My all time fave is the Cherokee Purple followed by the Green Zebra and Mr. Stipey brings up the rear on this great coca. First I added about five ounces of shredded aged mozzarella and provolone and slid torn pieces of basil in between each slice followed by extra virgin olive oil and coarse sea salt.

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The next coca is a finger-licking pear pizza featuring some local pears from Neil Cherry of Cherry Orchards in Crooksville, Ohio. Under the sweet pear is some great English Stilton and then I topped the coca with some chopped Marcona almonds.

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After assembling these coca, I blasted them at 550 degrees. If you are making these at home, try to cook them with a high heat, (above 485 if you can), because you don’t want the “melt”, (This is a soggy mess and separation of juices from the fruit that you get when the fruit is cooked a low temperature)-plus the dough will not crisp up enough to hold up to the weight of the fruit. To check for doneness, lift a slice in the middle and look for undercooked cheese and dough gumline.

 

People, Places and Pizzas

Here are 50 some-odd photos I took while doing this blog.  Some good, some great, just little snippets of time, space and life in my little neck of the woods.

I chose these pictures because they best capture the people, foods and places that have brought me and others memories, along with great pizza and bread. I hope you like them.

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Organic farmer Rich Tomsu with his German Hardy Garlic. Shade, Ohio, July 2009.

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Schiacciata Margherita.  Athens, Ohio, July 2009.

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Ripe paw paws ready for picking, Integration Acres. Albany Ohio, August 2009.

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My sons with forest-fresh blonde morels.  Athens Ohio, April 2009.

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Matt Starline, Starline Organics, nurturing his baby leeks.

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Concord grapes, Cherry Orchards. October, 2009.

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Asiago Fougasse, Farmer’s Market. Athens, Ohio, May 2009.

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Chris Schmiel, Integration Acres, with raw goats’ milk. Albany, Ohio, July, 2009.

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Fresh picked tomatillos, Cowdery Farms. Longbottom Ohio, August 2009.

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Large Turkish Pide with spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, tomato and cheddar. Athens, Ohio. January, 2009.

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Matt Starline, Starline Organics, with early summer organic purple kohlrabi. Stewart, Ohio, June 2009.

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Varieties of Turkish Pide. Athens, Ohio, June 2009.

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Larry and Kim Cowdery, Cowdery Farms. Longbottom, Ohio, July, 2009.

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Schicciata Con L’uva with grapes from Cherry Orchards. Athens, Ohio, September 2009.

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The Goon stretching schiacciata dough. Athens Ohio, July 2009.

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Just-picked wild chantrelles. Athens, Ohio, August 2009.

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Goats size up the Goonish-looking  interloper. Albany Ohio, May 2009.

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Guanciale and fig pizza. Athens, Ohio, October 2009.

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French fingerling and Peruvian purple potatoes ready for roasting. Athens, Ohio, June, 2009.

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Peppers from Cowdery Farms. Longbottom, Ohio, August 2009.

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Blonde morels in the forest, undisclosed location. Ohio, April, 2009

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Early Tomatoes, Cowdery Farms. Longbottom Ohio, June 2009.

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Whole wheat couronnes with cherry and walnuts. Athens Ohio, May 2009.

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Bosc pears from Neil Cherry Orchards. Ohio, September, 2009.

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Geoff Roche and a channel catfish, Lake Snowden fish farm. Hocking College, Albany, Ohio, 2009.

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Green kohlrabi from Starline Organics. Athens, June, 2009.

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Neil Cherry of Cherry Orchards, picking the last of the 2009 peach crop.

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Assorted schiacciata, Athens Farmers’ Market. February, 2009.

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Giant Malaysian Blue Prawn. Athens, Ohio, September, 2009.

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Matt and Angie Starline, Starline Organics. Athens Farmers’ Market, August, 2009.

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Joe Hirshberger harvesting spelt the Amish way. Chesterhill, Ohio, July, 2009.

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Last of the great tomatoes, made into pizzas. Athens, Ohio, September, 2009.

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Washing greens at Rich Organic Gardens. Shade, Ohio, July, 2009.

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Milking goats at Integration Acres. Albany, Ohio, June, 2009.

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Pattypan squash at Cowdery Farms. Longbottom, Ohio, July, 2009.

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Dog, Cowdery Farms. Longbottom Ohio,  July, 2009.

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Farmers at the Athens’ Farmers Market. Athens, Ohio,  June, 2009.

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Toro pepper and Gruyere pizza. Athens, Ohio, August, 2009.

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The garlic flower that Rich missed, Rich Organic Farms. Shade Ohio, 2009.

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Larry Cowdery showing how big his tomato plants are. Longbottom, Ohio, 2009.

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Vibrant Bangna Cauda, braised hearts of romaine. Athens, Ohio, July 2009.

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Broken obelisk to a long-forgotten farmer, Starline Organic Farm.  Stewart, Ohio, June, 2009.

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Kohlrabi and potato pizza. Athens, Ohio, July, 2009.

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Matt Starline and his monsterous sheepdog tend to a lamb. Stewart, Ohio, July, 2009.

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Fresh vegetable and local goat cheese schiacciata. Athens, Ohio, May, 2009.

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The whole crew at Rich Organic Gardens. Shade, Ohio, July, 2009.

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Three morels in the hand is worth…. Forest in Ohio, 2009.

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Sweet italian peppers fire roasting on guaniciale. Athens, October, 2009.

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Will De Freis, Athens’ Farmers cultivar extrordinaire. Athens, June, 2009.

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From organic farmer to pizza guy. Shade, Ohio, July, 2009.

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Yea guys, it’s all fun and games until someone gets pooped on!