We made this tomato-less pizza to treat our dad to something special (and nutritious). Being in healthcare, he's been working longer than ever before, and it often gets challenging to eat healthy with such a demanding schedule. He doesn't have any direct exposure to COVID-19 patients; it's tough to imagine what life must be like for our healthcare workers and other personnel directly involved in combating this pandemic.
This is our first year to harvest fresh figs from our tree! Just before the COVID-19 lockdown, one of our dear friends gifted us the 8-foot fig tree from his backyard. We transplanted it to our backyard in early Spring, and now, it's a 10-foot tree (if not bigger). We prayed and watered it during its "transplant shock" phase and have been enjoying a daily harvest over the last 4 weeks.
For this recipe, we used some fresh figs, green onions, and citrus from our backyard garden. Our garden has thrived during the COVID-19 lockdown! It seems like many people have turned to gardening this year. It really can be very therapeutic, fun, rewarding... and educational! In case you're thinking of starting your own backyard garden, consider planting green onions--they're one of the easiest to grow! We simply chopped off the roots and planted them in a small garden box. You'll very likely see growth within a week!
Since we've been busy making candles in between school, our youngest brother has taken to gardening and making simple recipes at home. He doesn't do this without any supervision--although he insists on doing things on his own.
He tossed some organic arugula leaves in a non-breakable melamine bowl before mixing in the chopped green onions and dressing.
Meanwhile, we lightly toasted some Naan bread in the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (you can leave it in there for a little longer, if you prefer the extra crunch). This saved us a lot of time, but we will consider making our own pizza dough in the future!
Our mom sliced the figs to help our little brother out. Remember, if you're a young reader who's reading this, stay away from sharp objects (including kitchen knives).
We elevated our recipe by incorporating our "secret sauce", Vanilla Balsamic Vinegar, from a local gourmet shop in Florida, known as the Olive Obsession. We combined this with some local honey and fresh citrus to lightly coat the arugula leaves.
Back when we were able to safely visit Farmer's Markets pre-COVID-19, we thoroughly enjoyed discovering new things and learning new recipes... and the best part? We got to eat some locally made ice cream before heading back home!
We want to continue supporting our small and local businesses even during the temporary closure of Farmer's Markets, so we are mentioning and linking to them in today's recipe post!
We commissioned our artist friend, Andrew from Art of Turning, to make a special hand-turned pizza cutter made with cherry wood, engraved with our quip, "Just Dough It". Our dad enjoyed cutting a few slices of flatbread pizza using his new pizza cutter!
The photo above shows what it looks like before we added the pears. It's delicious with or without the pears!
We sampled 2 different blue cheeses for this recipe, and in the process, we learned that Gorgonzola is a type of blue cheese! We couldn't decide which one we liked better, but we can say that the gorgonzola seems to be a milder version of the two. Our dad prefers to use only gorgonzola for this recipe, while we prefer a mixture of both!
Once everyone agreed on the toppings, the final step was the best: just slice and bite!
It's as simple as that! Our dad came home to a unique and tasty surprise! Feel free to use our idea and recipe for Father's Day, birthdays, and more!
Fig and Pear Flatbread Pizza Recipe
Ingredients:
- Fresh figs, sliced
- Pears, chopped
- Arugula leaves
- Naan bread
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Gorgonzola (or your preferred blue cheese)
- Local Honey
- Vanilla Balsamic Vinegar from Olive Obsession
- Green onions, chopped
- A little squeeze of fresh citrus (we used calamondin)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Lightly drizzle Naan bread with olive oil and top with Gorgonzola
- Bake for approximately 10 minutes (or a little longer, if desired)
- In a separate bowl, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, and citrus
- Lightly toss arugula leaves with the dressing / mixture
- Top Naan bread with lightly coated arugula leaves, figs, and pears
- Serve immediately and enjoy
We hope you've enjoyed reading about our recipe using ingredients from our backyard garden!
Check out last week's fig recipe in our previous post.
Feel free to share our recipe on Facebook or Pinterest!
The Young Entrepreneurs - 
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