Vacation culinaria

Originally uploaded by michelet.



Over the past week, I’ve been mostly hanging out at home, getting reacquainted with my apartment after a long and stressful last quarter of last year. When I spend time at home, taking care of the place, the urge to cook mostly just shows up by itself, and the last few days I have been cooking up a storm — my freezer now has oatmeal breakfast clafoutis, French lentil soup, and mini leatloaves made entirely with farmer’s market and other locally grown meat (so, so good.) A few of the dishes that never made the freezer were a white chili that improved markedly once it had sat in the fridge overnight, and this “pizza” on a whole wheat pita.

Riffing off of a cookbook recipe and my favorite pizza at Amorina, I caramelized half a thinly-sliced onion with some dried thyme, and at the very end added one chunked-up cremini mushroom to soften it. I put those on the pita with some mozzarella, a couple of pitted olives, and some marinated artichoke heart pieces. Ten minutes in the oven and it was delicious — and, I thought, lovely. Here’s hoping 2008 stays so satisfying.