Tuscan Kale, Smashed Umbrian Chick Peas, Manchego, Thyme Blossoms, on Lavash
Some small, crisp greens with slightly curved edges of the freshly picked baby Tuscan Kale remained, along with a nice size bunch of delicate white blossoms topping the fresh sprigs of scented thyme procured from the recent market stand visit at the nearby Erdenheim Farm.
An overnight water soak readied a pot of creamy yellow colored Umbrian chick peas for cooking to tender in the large stock pot with an onion, some garlic slices, bay leaves, and a few each stems of rosemary and thyme.
Beneath the deli counter, a newly offered product at the local Giant supermarket caught my eye on a previous days visit, Lavash. ‘It’s a Wrap!’ the package boldly proclaimed. Described as square breads, Joseph’s Flax, Oat Bran, & Whole Wheat Lavash fit appropriately with today’s food trend listing its three string of healthy complementary ingredients, a rectangular shaped bread measuring about eighteen inches long by about ten inches wide.
In any event, size didn’t really matter, thrilled with the idea on the accessibility of this part Western, part Southern Asian cultural staple that sources say is of Armenian origin.
Well perhaps the shape did matter a little though, for after a long morning of cooking and photographing, my thoughts turned toward a topped and baked cracker style luncheon pizza.
Gently sauteing chopped garlic with what remained of the baby Tuscan kale from the Erdenheim Farm in some olive oil until barely cooked, the greens were sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper and transferred to a plate.
The top of the lavash bread was brushed across with olive oil then covered with about a cup of the tender fresh cooked Umbrian chick peas that had also been dressed with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and sufficiently smashed for even smoothing. Scattered about, sauteed kale, and grated Spanish Manchego then finished off with a sprinkling of the little white thyme blossoms.
Onto a pizza stone in a preheated oven of 350 degrees, convection, the lavash pizza was baked for a mere few minutes to just warm through before emerging ready to enjoy one square at a time. Best hot right out of the oven, it also served later as an enjoyable snack, though the baked lavash sitting out developed into a crisper cracker, while the sauteed kale also took on a new dimension, that of a crunchy, salty kale chip. Using a pizza cutter right out of the oven makes nice even squares then later just snapping off a piece at a time seems the best route.
This recipe is excellent with fresh cooked Umbrian Chick Peas, however, if preparing the dried beans just for the pizzas which I was not, it would leave you with a lot of beans left over. The remainder of your fresh cooked beans may easily transform to a salad or a soup.
A quicker, easier option offered for your convenience is shared in today’s recipe using canned cannellini beans. The canned bean choice varied with the cooked Umbrian Chick Peas having a softer, creamier texture than the canned version.
Two days following the Umbrian Chick Pea and baby Tuscan kale combination, the brushed with olive oil lavash went spread with roasted grape tomatoes, topped with the grated Manchego cheese and thyme blossoms, again emerging with amazingly pure flavor simplicity. I may prepare the roasted tomato version alongside the kale and bean choice as an appetizer for the next casual dinner with friends, or perhaps change it up a bit, you never know what interesting fresh ingredients one might happen upon at the local farm stand, or, at your local Giant supermarket. Tuscan Kale, Smashed Umbrian Chick Peas, Manchego, Thyme Blossoms, Lavash Pizza.
Tuscan Kale, Smashed Umbrian Chick Peas, Manchego, Thyme Blossoms, on Lavash
Ingredients
- For the Beans:
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cooked or canned chick peas or cannellini beans
- 1 small clove garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, approximately, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- For the Tuscan Kale:
- 8-10 baby Tuscan kale leaves, with a few droplets of water still clinging onto leaves
- 1 small clove garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- pinch kosher salt
- pinch cracked black pepper
- Assembly:
- 1 long sheet lavash
- olive oil, enough to brush across the top of the lavash
- 1/8-1/4 cup Manchego cheese
- fresh thyme blossoms for garnish
- Equipment:
- Pizza Stone
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Stir beans together with the garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper then smash using a fork so beans evenly lay on top of lavash
- In a medium size saute pan add in olive oil and cooking on low heat topple in the Tuscan kale with the garlic, sprinkle in kosher salt and pepper, move baby kale pieces cooking until barely wilted, about two minutes, transfer to a plate
- Set Lavash onto a Pizza Stone, Brush the top with olive oil, then evenly spread the dressed, smashed, beans across the top, scatter with the baby kale
- Sprinkle Manchego cheese over the top followed by the thyme blossoms
- Bake around five minutes, once warmed through, remove immediately from oven, cut into squares using a pizza cutter and serve
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