About Me

My photo
Chef David Martone is the owner and executive Chef of Classic Thyme Cooking School. Pursuing his interest in food, in the early 1980s, David owned an Italian market specializing in home cooked items and exceptional produce. After graduating from the French Culinary Institute in 1989, under the direction of world renowned Chef Jacques Pepin, David went to work at the Chez Catherine Restaurant in Westfield, NJ. David started teaching in the Westfield area in 1991 and pursued a higher level of culinary education earning the designation of C.C.P. (Certified Culinary Professional). David worked as a board member of The New York Association of Cooking Teachers, (NYACT) for several years. David is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Founder of ‘The Italian Club of Westfield’ he is also the host of the popular cable television cooking show, 'Cooking Thyme," which airs on TV 36. Chef David has been featured in numerous publications such as the Dining In section of The New York Times, Garden Plate Magazine, Savor section of The Star Ledger and New Jersey Monthly.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Quick Vegetable Whole Wheat Pizza, Made Ad-Hoc, from a Sparcely Stocked Refrigerator

Last night I peered in my empty refrigerator to see what I could quickly whip up for dinner. Having just received power back the day before the fridge was pretty bare. I found a half of eggplant, one small yellow squash, an onion, some shredded Gruyere and Parmesan cheese, and the prize was a ball of whole wheat dough left over from the from the day before. My excitement started to build thinking of a pissaladiere, a specialty if Nice France, which is a pizza-like dish I had some years back. Although some of the ingredients are different my culinary juices had been stimulated by an idea. 
I started to preheat my oven to 500 degrees, which is always ready with a pizza stone in it, and quickly diced up all the vegetable ingredients. I heated a medium saute pan, added some regular olive oil and started to saute the onions until tender. Next I added the eggplant and squash, seasoned it with some garlic salt and fresh black pepper, and sauteed until all was tender, only a few minutes, (I peeled only the half eggplant). Once that was done I floured the dough and rolled it out into a rough rectangle and added a layer of the sauteed vegetables followed by the cheeses on top and placed it on the preheated pizza stone in the oven. A few minutes later I had a wonderful crispy rustic pizza which my wife, son, and I all enjoyed with a simple salad on the side. Sometimes it just all comes together for a simple but delicious quick ad-hoc meal.


No comments: