Jerusalem Artichokes, Plum Chutney & Kale Chips
Oven-roasted Jerusalem artichokes, plum chutney, Gruyere, candied & spiced almonds, crispy kale chips (with almond butter, cumin, chili powder, dried garlic, cayenne & salt)
Recipe
Ingredients: 1 ball of pizza dough flour for dusting
semolina flour for the pizza stone olive oil salt & pepper 2-3 large Jerusalem artichokes (or sunchokes), scrubbed thoroughly and sliced about ¼ inch thick plum chutney (we got ours here)
1 hunk Gruyere, shaved
For the kale chips: 1-2 bunches of kale, leaves removed from center ribs and torn into pieces 2-3 teaspoons almond butter ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon chili powder ½ teaspoon dried garlic 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the candied almonds: 1 cup whole almonds 1 egg white ½ cup sugar ¼ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon allspice
Directions: Preheat your oven to 300° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for your candied almonds. Whisk your egg white until frothy, and then add it to your almonds in a medium bowl. Toss them to coat. Next, combine the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice and add them to your almond bowl, stirring to coat evenly.
Spread the almonds out on the baking sheet in a single layer, and bake for 30 minutes, stirring them halfway through. When they’re finished baking, set them aside to cool, and increase the oven temperature to 350° F.
Next comes the kale chips. In a small bowl, mix the almond butter with a tablespoon of olive oil, plus the cumin, chili powder, garlic and cayenne. Lay your kale leaves out on a baking sheet and coat them with the spice mixture. Use your hands and coat them one by one, instead of just drizzling the mixture on. You want your kale leaves to remain curly and not get drenched in the mixture, or else they will become flat in the oven and burn more easily.
Bake the kale for about 10 minutes, until the leaves are crispy but still green. It’s okay if they seem a little undercooked—remember that they will be going back in the oven once they’re on the pizza.
Increase the oven temperature to 390° F and lay your Jerusalem artichoke slices out in an oven-proof baking dish. Drizzle them with olive oil and bake for about 40 minutes, or until soft and beginning to caramelize.
Finally, increase your oven temperature to 550° F and prepare your dough using the instructions on the right. When the oven is hot and you’ve pre-baked the dough for a minute, brush it lightly with olive oil and coat it evenly with a layer of plum chutney.
Next, add the shaved Gruyere, sunchoke slices, candied almonds, and the kale chips on top. Put it back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melty and the crust is golden brown. Then take it out and serve!