In Good Taste: A Spring Palette
Extra Virgin Oven (EVO) chef Matt Russell fills culinary canvases with local, seasonal flavors
You might not think of a neighborhood pizza joint as a spot to find seasonal produce, but at EVO, local products pervade the menu. “The farms are amazing here,” says co-owner Ricky Hacker. “And sources like GrowFood Carolina are on their way to making an even wider array of local products easier to get.”
With the first flush of spring, chef Matt Russell has put together a lineup celebrating the Lowcountry’s bounty. His menu starts with a salad. Strawberries from Ambrose Family Farm contrast with rich blue cheese, peppery arugula, and tangy pickled onions. Heirloom beets round it out with an earthy sweetness.
Local Strawberry And Beet Salad
- 4 oz. arugula (Ambrose Family Farm)
- 10 small red beets, stemmed and quartered (Thackeray Farms)
- 1 medium Chioggia beet, thinly sliced
- 10 strawberries, sliced (Ambrose Farm)
- 1/4 cup pickled red onions (find recipe at charlestonmag.com)
- 1/4 cup crumbled Mindoro blue cheese
- 3 Tbs. raspberry vinegar
- 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup pecans, toasted
- 1 Tbs. micro basil (Sweet Bay Farms)
In a large bowl, toss first eight ingredients to combine and season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with toasted pecans and basil.
Fingerling Potato And Leek Pizza
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fingerling potatoes (Ambrose Family Farm)
- 1 Tbs. garlic oil, divided (recipe follows)
- 8 oz. pizza dough (recipe follows)
- 4 cloves garlic confit
- 1/4 cup diced bacon, cooked until crisp and drained
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced leeks
- 1/4 cup blue cheese, preferably Mindoro
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- Sea salt
For the garlic oil & confit (yields 2 cups):
- Cloves from 2 heads garlic, peeled
- 2 cups canola oil
- 1 sprig rosemary
For the pizza dough (makes 4 8-ounce crusts):
- 1 1/2 cups cold water
- 1/4 tsp. dry yeast
- 3 1/3 cups unbleached bread flour, divided
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
Place a pizza stone on the lower rack of the oven and preheat to 500°F.
Add potatoes and two teaspoons garlic oil into a bowl and toss to combine. Spread potatoes on a sheet pan and roast in oven until tender, about 20 minutes.
Roll or hand toss pizza dough to 12 inches in diameter. Using the back of a spoon, spread the remaining garlic oil evenly onto the dough, leaving a one-inch margin around the edges.
Scatter garlic confit, bacon, potatoes, and leeks over oil. Top with cheeses, red pepper flakes, and a light sprinkling of sea salt.
Bake directly on the pizza stone until the crust is crispy and cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about seven to 10 minutes.
For The Garlic Oil And Confit:
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Gently simmer over medium-high heat until garlic is fragrant and tender, about two to four minutes. Remove and discard rosemary. Set pan aside to cool. Store garlic confit and oil together in a sealed container. They will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
For The Pizza Dough:
Combine water and yeast in a large mixing bowl and set aside for two minutes.
Sprinkle three cups of flour into water and yeast mixture. Stir to combine until all the ingredients come together to form a sticky dough. Let dough rest for two minutes, then sprinkle salt over the dough and mix until incorporated.
Dust a clean work surface lightly with remaining flour. Turn dough out onto the surface and knead by hand for two minutes. Let it rest for one minute, then knead again for two minutes. Repeat this process until the dough is smooth, adding a light dusting of flour to the work surface as needed, about eight to 10 minutes total.
Allow dough to rest in a covered bowl overnight (or up to three days) in the refrigerator. Remove at least one hour before using.
Spicy Calabrese Salami And Pickled Pepper Pizza
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
- 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic confit (see recipe opposite)
- 8 oz. pizza dough (see recipe above)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated mozzarella
- 1/4 cup grated provolone
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 6 thin slices salami, preferably Calabrese
- 1/2 cup pickled banana peppers
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fennel
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced Palmetto sweet onion
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup micro mustard or other greens
For the quick-pickled banana peppers (yields 4-6 cups):
- 6 banana peppers, seeds and ribs removed and thinly sliced
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbs. coriander seeds
- 1 Tbs. black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbs. mustard seeds
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Place a pizza stone on the lower rack of an oven and preheat to 500°F.
Place roasted red peppers, olive oil, and garlic confit in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Roll or hand toss pizza dough to 12 inches diameter. Using the back of a spoon, spread the roasted red pepper-garlic purée evenly onto the dough, leaving a one-inch margin around the edges.
Sprinkle each of the three cheeses evenly over the sauce. Top with salami, pickled peppers, fennel, and onion. Season with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper.
Bake pizza directly on the stone until the crust is crispy and the cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about seven to 10 minutes. Garnish with the micro greens.
For the quick-pickled banana peppers:
Combine all the ingredients in a nonreactive bowl and stir to combine. Set aside for at least two hours before using. Will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Strawberry Panna Cotta
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1/2 cup goat cheese (Split Creek Farm)
- 3/4 cup strawberry purée
- 2 packets powdered gelatin (about 4½ tsp.)
- 6 Tbs. cold water
- 8 fresh strawberries
For the strawberry purée:
- 1/2 lb. strawberries, sliced
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Combine strawberries and sugar in a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat until the strawberries begin to fall apart and exude their liquid.
- Pour mixture into a food processor and purée until smooth.
Heat heavy cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until completely dissolved. Remove pan from heat. Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape seeds into the cream, then add the bean itself.
Stir in goat cheese and half of the strawberry purée. Cover, set aside, and let the mixture infuse for 30 minutes. Remove bean and re-warm mixture over low heat.
In a medium bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the cold water and let stand five to 10 minutes. Pour the warmed panna cotta mixture into gelatin and stir until completely dissolved.
Divide panna cotta mixture among eight five-ounce glasses and refrigerate until firm, about two hours. When ready to serve, top each with a dollop of purée and garnish with a strawberry.
