from the dr. seuss garden (and as a reminder to me for another experiment)

My garden this year has been interesting.  We started with floods.  The ground got so saturated that it could not hold anymore water and I could not get into it to weed.  The grass took over.  Then, there was no rain and 100 degree Fahrenheit temperatures.  I could not dig the grass out, let alone pull it out.  Some of my flowers did well but there will not be a bumper crop this year. 

There is a bumper crop of amaranth.  Some of the plants stand taller then our neighbors' porch rail which stands probably twelve feet high.  The Dr. Seuss garden comment actually comes from them because when sorghum plants are added it does look like something Dr. Seuss would draw.

Amaranth leaves taste like a more intense flavored spinach then spinach when cooked.  You pick them before the plants seed.  I also heavily suggested that you cook them.  They have a bit of fuss and stiffness to them that breaks down with a nice saute.  Like nettle loses the sting when you cook it.

Now, what I need the reminder for, is on our way back from the races and family, we stopped in a Mexican resturaunt in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.  It was called Rosas Kitchen and it is a non-profit which feeds children.  Every meal served a child is fed.  It is amazing how little actual money that takes.  $.22  But outside the good they are doing by feeding children, their food is fabulous.  I have been eating more vegetarian meals lately and they had a spinach taquito that was fabulous.  I am going to do it with amaranth but first I am going to write down the pizza recipe for amaranth that I created to use as a guide.

Yes, I use my own blog.  My blog is up on my phone for most of the weekend as I cook.  I am such a nerd.

I have actually made this pizza twice now.  I plan to make it again and again before the amaranth freezes.

amaranth, feta, pine nut and pesto pizza

a large bunch of amaranth or spinach, washed well and chopped

5 to 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced.  Used roasted if you have it.

2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

about 1/2 cup basil pesto (or plain olive oil)

1 to 2 cups of feta

about 1/2 cup pine nuts

1/2 to 1 recipe pizza dough

Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the amaranth and garlic.  Sauté the mixture until the amaranth is well cooked and the garlic golden.  Take it off the heat.

Roll out the pizza dough until it is the size of your pizza pan.  A half recipe is a thin crust.  A full recipe of dough is a thick crust.  Place on your pizza pan.  I have been using my cast iron pizza pan covered with parchment paper.  Spread with basil pesto.  If there is none in the house, olive oil will do.  Sprinkle with pine nuts and feta.

Once the oven is to heat, bake for 17 minutes.

It is very hot.  Be careful with cutting and eating!  I need to make this many more times this summer as I said but I now need to experiment with taquitos! 

I cannot type today and I also heard that there was hope for taquitos as I was complaining about my typing.  Life is so odd.