Corned Beef and Cabbage Pizza

It's that time of year when we start thinking of St Patrick's day and all things Irish. I came across this pizza recipe on Food Network and thought I would give it a try. It had corned beef, cabbage and potatoes; it fit in with St Patrick's and sounded good to me. Here's my version and opinions on this recipe.

I have a houseful of teens most of the time and of course they all love pizza. My husband is not that crazy about pizza; he mostly objects to the pizza sauce. I have never been able to get many dishes past my family that involved cooked cabbage; this pizza was a challenge. It has no tomatoes but plenty of cabbage and I decided to put it to the test. I did load it up with extra cheese as you can tell by the photo; my crew loves cheese.

I had made plans to make this pizza but my day started to fall apart pretty quickly; so, I cheated and used store bought crusts. That's a whole wheat crust in the pictures, I didn't really burn it!

I will post the recipe as I originally found it but this recipe does need some modifications. This is one of the few ways I have managed to get cabbage by my crew; with summer coming and lots of fresh cabbage soon to be available I will try this again but make some changes. We love to use the grill in the summer to make pizzas, I'll try this again on the grill. It has redeeming qualities but needs a boost. I will post the suggestions I think it needs at the end of the recipe. I also think this recipe will be a great way to dress up some leftovers; it does have possibilities.


Corned Beef and Cabbage Pizza from Food Network

• Crusts for 2 pizzas (your favorite dough or pre-made crust)
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plue more for the pan
• 3 sliced green cabbage
• kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pickling spices, tied securely in cheesecloth
• 1 large potato, peeled and thinly sliced
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups shredded mozerella cheese
• 3/4 cup monterey jack cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 6 ounces slice corned beef

Heat 1 T olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, season with salt and and cook until just soft, about 5 minutes. Add the pickling spices and just enough water to cover. Simmer over low heat, covered, until the cabbage is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the cabbage and set aside; discard the spices.

Place a pizza stone in the oven, if you have one, and preheat to 500 degrees. Toss potatoes with 2 T olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a single layer on a baking sheet until golden, about 15 minutes.

Place a pizza dough round on a pizza peel (if using stone) or on an oiled pizza pan; drizzle with 2 T olive oil. Scatter half of each of the cheeses, corned beef, cabbage and potatoes on crust. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully slip the pizza onto the hot stone, if using, or place pan in the oven. Cook until golden and crispy, 10-15 minutes. Repeat with remaining pizza crust/dough and toppings.


Tips/suggestions:

• Personally I did not find that the potatoes added that much to the pizza. In the future if I have some leftover potatoes in the fridge I may toss them on but I will not go to the effort of peeling and roasting them just for this pizza; not enough of a flavor boost for the trouble.
  

• This could be made with the canned corned beef to make it a little more economical. Also, if you have some leftover corned beef roast, chop the leftovers for this pizza.

• I think it needs some onions added to it for a nice flavor boost. I will add these next time.
  

• I think some russian or thousand island dressing would add a nice flavor also; kinda of add a reuben sandwich flavor to the pizza.

• If you have a tea ball, they work great instead of cheesecloth for the pickling spices.

• If you are a fan of caraway seeds, I think a few tossed on the pizza would be a pleasant addition.

• I was in a hurry and did not make homemade dough and I was out of my stash of homemade crusts in the freezer. I think homemade dough would have been better.

I think this has some serious potential with the right kind of changes. Let me know what you come up with.

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle