Taste of Spring -- Sort Of

The weather in DC has been cruddy for early April. Usually by now we have sunny days in the 60s. I still have to wear a sweatshirt under my jacket when I go to the gym in the morning. Evil hints of spring have gotten me excited for spring veggies, putting together my herb window box and potted tomato plants. Each weekend I rush to the farmer's market to find that there are no seedlings yet. Grrrr.

I was craving something light and refreshing this past weekend, and a recipe for White Bean Edamame Flatbread seemed to fit the bill. I wish I could say this was a success. It wasn't bad by any means, but it sounded a lot better then it the final result. I'm not providing nutritional information for this recipe dud, but it probably ranks fairly healthy.


The recipe called for packaged refridgerated pizza dough, but I just used the whole grain dough that I used for the Stuffed Italian Bread. I made a big batch of it this time and froze the extra in single size portions for later mini Stuffed Italian Breads and carmelized onion paninis to come. I carmelized half an onion sliced thin in about 1 tbsp olive oil. Do this at low heat and it should take about 15 minutes. If you find your onions are sticking to the bottom, don't add more oil. Rather, cover your pan with a lid for about 2 minutes and the onions will release their moisture and help deglaze the bottom of the pan. Stir on 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh basil, ground pepper to taste, 1/2 a can of canellini beans (rinsed thoroughly as they are usually canned with extra salt), 1 clove of garlic minced, and 1/2 cup of defrosted shelled frozen edamame. Cook until warmed through and then transfer half of the mixture to a food chopper or blender. Add 1 tbsp water and 3/4 tbsp apple cider vinegar and pulse until a coarse sauce forms.

Spread this mixture on top of your streched out dough. I did mine in a traditional circle, although any shape will do. Shave some parmesan cheese on top and sparingly as parmesan adds a lot of salt, then top with the un-pureed mixture. Top the whole thing with sliced tomato. I used sliced red and orange grape tomatos which added a nice sweetness and then did big shaved pieces of asiago over top. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the crust turns golden.

A couple things I would do differently: (1) brush the dough with olive oil before adding the toppings do add a depth to the crust; (2) bake at 450 degrees and really let my baking stone get hot -- I think I cheated on this; (3) bake for longer to allow for a crispier crust -- mine was a little soggy in the middle; (4) use less of the topping; and (5) wait until the very end AFTER cooking to top with chopped basil. I love the idea of flatbreads encrusted with atypical toppings, but this wasn't quite right. I'll try this again with some major modifications from the recipe some day.