Unexpected Pizza Toppings

One of the best things about making your own pizza at home is that the sky is the limit as far as what you can throw on a pizza.  We’ve had some pretty spectacular pizzas that came about simply because I had a leftover bit of something in the fridge and I wondered how it would work on pizza.

This week’s pizza was inspired by a tub of Gorgonzola cheese that has been hiding in the fridge for a few weeks now.  I had originally purchased it for a recipe that I was thinking about that combined cheesy grits and roasted squash.  I think I would love it.  I think Andy would think it good- but wonder “where’s the beef” and I don’t think the kids would touch it with a ten foot pole.  So I decided against the recipe, but still had this Gorgonzola floating around that I couldn’t eat because I was vegan for a short while.

I needed to make pizza.  And I wanted to use the Gorgonzola, but what to add with it that would be a good balance for the pungent, musky cheese?  I did think about the squash I have in the screen porch, but then my thoughts drifted to the gardens… where I still had a few beets hiding away in the dirt.  How would sweet roasted beets fare on a pizza?  They would be the ideal pairing for the pungent cheese.  Add a few red onions and some salty, smoky ham, and there was no turning back.

The pizza was delicious.   I had a nice blend of purple and chioggia beets, so they made the pizza look really interesting.   The only thing I might do differently, should I make a similar pizza would be to swap out the tomato sauce for a garlic-pepper oil.   While this was just one of many of the unique pizzas we’ve had, this one has stuck with me for a while.  I love it when every bite of pizza is just a little bit different, and this was one of those.

So how about you?  Do you think outside the box when it comes to pizza? What unique pizza toppings have you tried that were a winner?  What was a bad idea?  I don’t think we’ve had one of those yet.  Honestly, I am having a hard time imagining something that wouldn’t work on pizza if it was done in the right way.