As a food editor, I end up with all sorts of unlikely and interesting foods- things folks send us, ingredients left over from taste testing or a photo shoot. I stumble upon these things in the back of the fridge or in the pantry. So, in the spirit of economy and frugality I try my best to see how I can recycle them into recipes. One such case is pizza. It is a great receptacle for odd ball foods in the fridge. This Pumpkin Pesto Pizza was born from one such instance. I collected the small pumpkins from around the house, roasted them with a bit of molasses or sorghum, combined with an herb pesto, cheddar bits in the cheese drawer and a sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano. The pesto consisted of bits of parsley, arugula, basil and cilantro with some pecans, garlic and olive oil. Bellissimo!
1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Place pumpkin slices in on a baking sheet and roast 30 minutes or until browned.
3. Drizzle with syrup and continue roasting 10 minutes. Let cool and remove peel.
4. Roll and stretch pizza dough into a rough 14-inch round. Place pumpkin on dough, dab with pesto and top with cheese and tomatoes.
5. Bake 10 minutes or until bubbly.
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