Apple, Onion & "Cheddar" Pizza

                                    from Everybody Likes Sandwiches

Apparently, in an attempt to make up for the previous notorious mishap, the pizza gods sent me this recipe. And it was good.

*angels hollering in chorus*

I had another batch of crust left over in my freezer, so after seeing this recipe the other day (which I thought was delightfully strange and yet sounded weirdly awesome), I decided to buy some apples and get to work.

#1--This pizza was no walk on the moon either. Not because of the recipe or anything. But despite the fact that I FLOURED my paddle this time (after I came to the conclusion--with the help of a few others as well--that this may have caused the mishap last week), the dough still stuck to it. I ended up gently closing it into a calzone just to get it on the pizza stone and then reopening it and sort of half-assedly redistributing the toppings. So it really doesn't look quite so good as it did initially, since much of the cheez managed to burrow under the apples with all my folding and whatnot.

#2--I'm not really sure why I started numbering as I don't think I really had a second point, so this will be my second point.

#3--Ok, maybe I *DID* have a second point after all, but it can be my third instead: what a freaking explosive flavor combination this pizza is. Seriously. Every once in a while you stumble across a recipe that seems like sheer flavor-genius, where the creator could not have picked ANYTHING better to include or exclude from the recipe, and this is surely one of those. I *DID* leave out the capers ('cause for some reason I didn't think I had any, but I realized last night that I had a half-jar after all), but even without: the delicately balsamicized onions are sweet and wonderful compliments to the apples, the pesto adds a nice little bit of needed saltiness to the mix, the perfumey sweetness of the sun-dried tomatoes melds seemlessly with the Macintosh--like some strange little sister--and the vegan cheddar balances everything out with just the slightest bit of salty, zingy punch.

This recipe comes at a particularly good time since autumn is finally rolling in, which means a bounty of gorgeous, crisp apples to work with.

So seriously: if you're looking to try out a new pizza recipe any time soon, let it be this one.



INGREDIENTS:

• 2 T. olive oil


• 1 large red onion, sliced thin


• 5 cloves garlic, sliced


• 1 T. balsamic vinegar


• 1 ball of pizza dough (store bought or homemade--I used the recipe from VwaV)


• 1/4 c. sliced sun-dried tomatoes (rehydrated, if not the oily kind)


• 3 T. pesto (or enough to smooth a thin layer over your pizza dough)


• 1 MacIntosh apples (or any tart apple), sliced thinly*


• 1 c. (give or take) vegan cheddar cheez, grated


*I think I could've easily gotten away with using just one apple, so gauge it based on how large your crust is--mine was probably about a 14", and one would've worked just fine.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, adding in onions and garlic. Stir until onions turn soft, about 10 minutes. Add in balsamic vinegar and turn down heat to medium-low, stirring occassionally. The onions should be soft, glossy and caramelized, if they get too dry, add in a little water. Remove from heat.

Roll out your pizza dough and place on sheet. Spread dough with a thin layer of pesto and cover with caramelized onions and sprinkle with capers (optional), and sun-dried tomatoes. Spread a layer of apples over top and then cover with vegan cheez.

Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly.

(Original recipe from Everybody Likes Sandwiches)