Don't Be Radicchio-lous

Dear Tia T -

I don't think it's stealing at all. Perhaps whoever left those magazines there wanted them taken off her hands! Sometimes I find myself walking out of the gym with a magazine that is not mine, and the way I make myself feel less guilty about it is by bringing another magazine to take its place the next time I'm in. More importantly...what fantastic recipe finds have you acquired? And when will you share them?

Speaking of guilt...Happy Lent! I agree that being pregnant totally negates the whole giving something up thing. Right? Another way to look at it: why give something worldly up when your entire body is working towards giving something back to the world?

Quick question: why doesn't Tia Tay get treats? Are healthy things like veggies what your body/baby wants, or is it a recommendation from your doctor? Do you still get to eat cheese? What about dairy in general? I'M SO SCARED OF GETTING PREGNANT AND NOT GETTING TO EAT CHEESE.

Speaking of cheese (I know, another horrible transition) and vegetables, this radicchio, provolone, and ground beef pizza was a pretty good (and surprisingly light) dinner for us the other night:


I had never bought radicchio before. Up until I saw the sale sign for it at the store, my only acquaintance with the cabbage-like veggie was at nicer restaurants where it seems to be served alongside some sort of reduction or aioli or foam whatever weird things they're calling "sauce" these days.

Radicchio and Provolone Pizza

1 ball of pizza dough (I used some fresh pre-made multi-grain stuff from Whole Foods)
3 slices of provolone cheese, sliced into 1/2 in matchstick-looking pieces
1/2 lb of ground beef (though I'm sure you could use sausage as well)
1-2 tbs olive oil
1/2 head of radicchio, finely chopped (I tossed the rest with arugula for a side salad)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped

1. The morning or early afternoon of the day you make this, coat the inside of a bowl with a little bit of olive oil. Place the ball of dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The dough should be doubled in size by the time you're ready to work with it.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

3. Heat a little olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add ground beef, occasionally breaking up the meat until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook for another minute, then add garlic, cooking again for another minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Sprinkle a clean surface or cutting board with a little bit of flour. Take your pizza dough and divide it into two balls (ha. ha.). Knead each ball for a bit (this just gets worse and worse) then roll out into rounds that are about 1/2 inch thick (or to your preference). Place rounds onto an ungreased cookie or baking sheet.

5. Brush the tops of each round with a little olive oil. Layer the ground beef, onion and garlic mixture evenly between the two crusts. Follow with the radicchio, then the provolone.

6. Place in oven and let bake for 15-17 minutes.

It wasn't as healthy as a plateful of fresh veggies, but between the multi-grain crust, radicchio, and salad, it was satisfying but not overly filling.

In honor of Lent, I'll leave you with the beginning of a list of self-imposed rules I hope will help me develop self-restraint:

1. Do not keep Nutella and graham crackers in the house at the same time.

2. Do not go grocery shopping hungry. That giant wheel of Brie isn't going to un-buy or un-eat itself.

3. Do not be tempted to make any dessert (avert your eyes if they're sensitive to chocolatey goodness) that calls for only half a bag of butterscotch chips as you will find yourself sleepwalking towards the leftovers and waking only when they are already half-chewed in your gaping maw.

4. Do not go to Target wearing grubby or outdated clothes because you will be tempted to buy fresh, pretty, fanciful ones.

Do you have rules for self-restraint?

Loveyoumissyou,

TF