Punk\'n Pie (pizza)

Zippylip

Ingredients

Pumpkin, one

Butter

Pumpkin Ale, one bottle

Havarti Cheese

Mozzarella

Ricotta

Pizza dough

Salt

Pineapple Head Rub

Instructions

Slice pumpkin into sections, about one half inch thick. In a cast iron pan (direct for high heat), add a few tablespoons of butter, the sliced pumpkin, about ½ of a bottle of Ale, and a good shake of Pineapple Head rub (you can substitute pumpkin pie spices here if you don’t have this). Let this cook, turning occasionally until the beer is gone & the pumpkin is soft. Transfer the cooked pumpkin onto a hot grill (I had the mini going for this). Grill over high direct heat just long enough to put a little bit of char on the pieces, then remove & cut into small chunks. After your dough is ready & on the peel, take the ‘crud’ that is in the cast iron pan & paint it on the outer crust of the dough with a brush (this will give a nice appearance once cooked). Add a 50/50 combination of havarti & mozzarella to the dough, then put on the pumpkin. In a stand mixer, add ricotta & a nice amount of the rub & whip this with the wire attachment until nice & airy. Scoop this into a piping bag (or plastic bag with the corner cut off) & add little dollops randomly all over the pie. Sprinkle a little more rub over the top of the pie, along with salt. You can also drizzle the remaining butter on. Bake as usual. For a variation & perhaps a better presentation, reserve the ricotta mixture until the pizza is cooked, then pipe it on with a nice pastry tip. Enjoy this with a cold Pumpkin Ale.

Notes

This was the first time I ever cooked with a fresh pumpkin. When cooked as described above, it tastes very similar to an acorn squash, absolutely delicious eaten right off the grill.

Number of Servings: 8

Time to Prepare: One hour