Unusual Pizza Weekend Recipe - Pork and Cabbage with Fennel Pizza

One last unusual pizza to cap the month.  This one with the tastes of fennel and celery seed bring a tasty earthy flavor to lean pork, which is perfectly balanced with cabbage and fresh sage.

Pork and Cabbage with Fennel Pizza  

Makes one 15-inch pizza

1 (12- to 14-ounce) prepared pizza dough
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
2 teaspoons fennel seed, divided
1 teaspoon celery seed, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces lean pork (such as top loin), cut into strips or bite-sized pieces
4 cups sliced green cabbage
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded gruyére cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out dough to fit a large nonstick baking pan or pizza screen. Baste crust with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil; set aside.

Combine wheat germ, 1 teaspoon fennel seed, 1/2 teaspoon celery seed and salt in a large plastic bag; shake until combined. Add pork cubes or strips and shake to coat with the herb mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, add pork and cook, turning often, about 7 to 9 minutes. Remove pork from skillet and set aside.

Using same skillet, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add cabbage, garlic and sugar along with remaining 1 teaspoon fennel seed and 1/2 teaspoon celery seed. Cook 2 to 4 minutes or until cabbage is slightly wilted. Add balsamic vinegar and cook 1 minute more; set aside.

Sprinkle both cheeses evenly over pizza crust. Arrange herb-crusted pork and cabbage mixture over crust, spreading to the edges. Top with fresh sage. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is lightly golden and cheese is bubbly. 

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018, or Recipe2019 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2020 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Feb 2020 - Footbal Tailgate Favorites (AppFeb)

March 2020 - Kabobs (KabobMar)

April 2020 - Brunch (BrunchApr) more in 2021 also

May 2020 - Non-Traditional Pizza (PizzaMay)

June 2020 - StirFry Dishes (StirJun)

July 2020 - Salads with no lettuce (SaladJul)

August 2020 - Pickled things (PickleAug)

September 2020 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2020 - Squash Soups (SquashOct)

November 2020 - Pumpkin (again) (PumpNov)

December 2020 - Turkey Recipes (TurkDec)

Corn Relish - Weekend Recipe

No theme month of Salsa, Corn and Jelly would be complete without a Corn Relish.  This one is my favorite because it is easy and savory without being too sweet.  The peppers in green and red really make it very colorful.

Corn Relish 

8 ears corn, husked and cleaned

2 pounds tomatoes - peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped green bell peppers

3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cucumber, chopped

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup white sugar

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon mustard seed

Directions:

Cut the corn from the cobs. Scrape the cobs with a large spoon to remove remaining juices.

In a large saucepan, mix the corn kernels and juice, tomatoes, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, cucumber and onion.

In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cider vinegar, salt, celery seed and mustard seed. Pour into the saucepan over vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil, then simmer 1 hour.

Transfer the finished relish to sterile jars. Preserve by canning or refrigerate until serving.  Will keep about a month.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: SCJSep

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)

   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)

   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)

   May - Ham and Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)

   June - Bread recipes (BreadJun)

   July - Grilling (GrillJul)

   August- Garden Delights (GardAug)

   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly (SCJSep)

   October - Squash Dishes 

   November - Pumpkin Recipes 

   December - Herbal Cocktails 

Weekend recipe - Cabbage and Spinach Soup

It is still not warm enough to garden, but it is March and we did buy way more sourdough bread and cabbage than we could eat in one weekend, so here is something to try if you still have cabbage left from St. Patrick’s Day!

Cabbage & Spinach Crockpot Soup 

1 shredded Cabbage
1 package of frozen spinach
4 carrots
1 clove of garlic, smashed or minced
2 tomatoes
1 cup of water
fresh ground Black Pepper

½ tsp. celery seed

1 tsp. dried Tarragon

1 tsp. dried Savory

Place all ingredients in slow cooker (crockpot) except the last two herbs.  Cook for 8 hours on LOW.  In the last 20 to 30 minutes before serving add the tarragon and savory.  Serve hot.

Variation: add noodles or pasta or even wantons to this soup to give it more substance.

Crab - Shrimp Boil - Weekend Recipe

During the recent government shutdown there was bad news about Crab.  No permits meant no fishing for crab.  With that on my mind, I thought we need to make the most of the crab we can get!  So I adapted my picking spice to make a crab boil.  It is truly awesome and I don't even care for seafood that much!

Crab/Shrimp Boil

• 2/3 cup Backyard Patch Pickling Spices
• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon celery seeds
• 1 Tablespoon minced dried chives
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 5 bay leaves

Preparation:

Add pickling spices, sea salt, celery seeds, chives, ginger, oregano, and bay leaves to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulsing, process until the mixture forms a coarse powder. 

For cooking shrimp, add 1/4 cup of the spices, along with 2 teaspoons salt, to a large saucepan of boiling water or half water and half beer. 

For lobster or crab, use 1 part distilled white wine vinegar to 3 parts water. Add the seafood and cook for 2 minutes, or until just cooked through. Remove the seafood and serve or chill. 

Yield: about 1 cup