Ingredients
8 ripe black mission figs, quartered if large or halved if small
¼ lb. thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into bite-sized pieces.
¼ lb. gorgonzola cheese (experiment – try Gorgonzola Dolce, Roaring 40’s, Oregonzola and others)
2 T. fig balsamic sauce (optional)
2 cups Piave Vecchio cheese, grated
2 cups fresh arugula

2 rounds of pizza dough, rolled out

You will also need:
Cornmeal for dusting
Olive oil for the rim
Pastry brush
Pizza peel or rimless baking sheet
Tongs

Instructions
To assemble the pizza:

Place pizza dough on pizza peel dusted with cornmeal. Since this recipe makes enough topping for 2 pizzas, arrange half of the prosciutto pieces on top of the pizza dough. Add half of the figs. Add a few pieces of gorgonzola cheese. Drizzle 1 tablespoon fig sauce over top of the pizza (optional). Top with 1 cup grated Piave Vecchio cheese.

To bake the pizza:

Slide pizza into either a 500 degree oven with a pizza stone or else a wood-fired pizza oven. Bake for about 7-8 minutes, until crust is browned and crisp.

To top the pizza:

After pizza has cooled slightly, top with 1 cup fresh arugula.

Slice and serve. Note: Recipe makes enough topping for two pizzas.

Ingredients
For the pesto:
3 Tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup basil leaves
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or grana padano cheese
Sea salt

For the mushroom topping:
About 2 cups fresh shitake mushrooms, cleaned
2 T chopped red onion or shallot
1 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cups low-moisture, whole-milk mozzarella cheese, grated

2 rounds of pizza dough, rolled out

Cornmeal for dusting

You will also need:
Medium sauté pan
Food processor
Plastic wrap
Tongs
Fork
Pizza cutter
Chef’s Knife

Instructions
To make the pesto:

Toast pine nuts on the stove in a dry pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Watch closely to ensure that they do not burn. Let cool. In a food processor, combine pine nuts, basil and garlic until well chopped. With motor running, add oil through the top. Stir in cheese and salt to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

To prepare the mushroom topping:

Clean the mushrooms with a mushroom brush. Slice any larger ones so that they are all fairly uniform in size. Sauté chopped onions in the olive oil over medium heat until they start to soften. Add mushrooms and cook for about five minutes until the mushrooms are cooked throughout. Salt to taste. Let cool. They are now ready to use on the pizza.

To assemble and bake the pizza:

Place rolled out pizza dough onto pizza peel or rimless baking sheet that has been dusted with cornmeal. Brush the dough with 1 Tablespoon of pesto. Since this recipe makes enough topping for two pizzas, arrange half the mushrooms and onions on top of pizza dough. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over the mushrooms. Brush the rim with olive oil. Slide the pizza onto a preheated pizza stone or into a pre-heated wood-fired oven. Bake until the pizza crust is browned and crisp, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with another Tablespoon of the pesto sauce.

Slice and serve immediately.

Note: Recipe makes enough topping for two medium pizzas.

This is one of my favorite “go to” recipes. I have used it for all sorts of occasions, and it has never let me down! A citrus-y Sauvignon Blanc makes a nice wine pairing with this dish.

Ingredients
5-6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 free-range, organic chicken, split into quarters
2 cloves garlic, peeled and split
Fresh English or lemon thyme
Coarse grey sea salt
Pepper
Paprika
2 lemons, cut in half
(Note: I prefer Meyer lemons for this recipe but other lemons will work, too.)

You will also need:
Large roasting pan
Basting Brush
Tongs
Aluminum foil

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Spread 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a large roasting pan.

Rub each piece of chicken with a piece of garlic and a sprig of fresh thyme. Brush with olive oil. Generously salt and pepper each chicken quarter. Place skin side up in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Sprinkle paprika over each piece of chicken.

Rub each lemon half with olive oil. Place the lemons, cut side up,  around the chicken in the roasting pan. Place the remaining sprigs of thyme around the pan, reserving a few sprigs for garnish.

Roast for at least an hour at 425 degrees F until the temperature of the dark meat reaches 180 degrees F, or until the leg moves freely in the socket. Remove from the oven and tent lightly with aluminum foil.  Allow the chicken to rest for about 15 minutes before carving or serving.

Serve each piece of chicken with a roasted lemon half. Garnish with thyme. Encourage diners to squeeze the juice onto the chicken.

Serves 4.

Ingredients
4-5 lb. beef tenderloin roast
2 cloves garlic
Several sprigs of English thyme
1½ cups water
1 cup red wine
2Tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

You will also need:
Roasting pan
Paring knife
Rack for roasting pan

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425oF.

Rub roast with about 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Peel garlic cloves and split them in half. Rub the meat with the half cloves of garlic. Then rub with a few sprigs of thyme (reserve some for garnish). Generously salt and pepper the roast.

Place into a roasting pan with rack. Pour the water and 1 cup wine into the bottom of the pan (making sure that the liquid does not touch the bottom of the meat. Cook until meat reaches 140oF (for medium-rare). Let roast stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Serves 8.