Butternut Squash Pizza with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onions

Yesterday as my husband, Nadir, was leaving for work, I threw out an idea for a butternut squash pizza, to mentally prepare him for a dinner, that may or may not be edible (depending on how successful my experiment went). His response was a raised eyebrow and "interestingggg." Now, when words such as 'interesting' and 'unique' come into play in reference to one of my cooking ventures, its definitely a way to mask a growing apprehension or uneasiness on the part of my culinary guinea pig.

Unfortunately, the inspiration behind the pizza is quite pathetic. It was not inspired by the lovely thin crusted, fresh tomato topped, basil covered pizzas, that I ate in Italy. Nor did the delicious tartine, that I tried at a brunch place, covered with flavorful unique ingredients, get my creative juices flowing. It was actually a commercial for Dominos Pizza that I saw on TV on Sunday night, that had me craving pizza through to the next morning. I know anyone who claims to have a sophisticated palate is not supposed to admit to enjoying things like Dominos' pizzas, but as a student it was one of my staples, and I have to say, at times there was nothing that compared to taking a comforting bite out of one of their thin crusted pizzas. Anyway, before I turn into a Dominos commercial, lets get to the pizza I created.

I had a butternut squash in the fridge which I wanted to use up so I thought that if I could somehow incorporate it onto a pizza it might taste good. I looked up recipes online but nothing really appealed to me. They all used chunks of butternut squash and grated parmesan cheese with caramelized onions. I finally decided to bake the butternut squash in the oven and puree it, adding a little bit of milk, and then use it as a base sauce. I topped it with chunks of goat cheese and some caramelized onions, and then sprinkled it with a little bit of mozzarella. I baked it in the oven for about 10 minutes (as I had used the store bought crust).

The pizza was deeeeeeeeeeeelicious! The slight sweetness from the butternut squash was cut by the tartness of the rich creamy goat cheese and the crunch and flavor from the caramelized onions just put it over the top. I loved it. I looked over at Nadir as he took his first bite. His eyes widened and a satisfied smile followed. If an apprehensive "interestingggg" can be converted into that expression, I'd say its definitely a recipe worth trying. Its a little more labor intensive than most pizzas but it definitely pays off.

Butternut Squash Pizza Recipe

Ingredients

1 butternut squash

1/4 cup milk

Chilli flakes

Salt

Pepper

Goat cheese (About 5 oz)

Mozzarella cheese (handful)

2 onions

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Store bought crust

Olive oil (3 tbsp)

Directions for the Butternut Squash Sauce

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Microwave the butternut squash for 3 mins with the skin on (this will soften the skin and make it easy to peel). Use a potato peeler to take off the skin. Chop into 1 inch cubes and spread on a foil covered baking tray (make sure you've oiled the tray beforehand so it doesn't stick). Sprinkle the squash with salt, pepper, olive oil, and 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Mix together in the tray and then let the squash bake for about 25 mins. Once it is soft transfer to a food processor, add some salt, pepper, and chilly flakes to taste and pulse until it has a smooth consistency. Slowly add in the milk pulsing a little at a time until it is thin enough to spread over the crust.

Caramelized Onions

While the butternut squash is in the oven cut up 2 onions and sautee them in olive oil on high heat for about 10 mins or until onions start to soften and become a translucent color. Turn heat down to very low and add the balsamic vinegar. Allow the onions to cook for about half an hour stirring them every 5 mins or so until they have caramelized.

Pizza

Assemble the pizza by spreading the butternut squash sauce over the surface of the crust. Add chunks of goat cheese and the caramelized onions, and then top it all with a sprinkling of mozzarella. Bake in the oven for about ten minutes and then serve.