Pumpkin Flatbread

Originally published in melt-in-your-mouth newspapers on October 11, 2007

With the holiday season just around the corner, many of us will have homes filled with family and friends - parties, open houses, and social visits occupying much of our calendars during the cooler months. We start this season with Halloween parties and Thanksgiving gatherings and nearly every weekend in December can be filled with holiday parties and we conclude the season with New Years festivities and Super Bowl shindigs.

With all that entertaining, many of us find ourselves cooking more and looking for foods that can hold up in buffet lines and have staying power during those come-and-go open houses. We all have our go-to favorites like the crock pot full of meatballs, the cheese log, and the vegetable tray.

Low-maintenance dishes are a must, unless you want an excuse to stay in the kitchen and away from Uncle Ned. There are lots of good fix-it-and-forget-it choices and I’ve got a new one in my repertoire for this holiday season - Pumpkin Flatbread with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola, and Crispy Sage. I realize this is one of those pretentious recipe titles that sounds more like a grocery list than an actual food, but I can’t come up with a better name.

Regardless of what you want to call it, this is good stuff. The caramelized onions carry plenty of sweetness and the gorgonzola adds a distinctive earthiness. The crispy sage helps bring it all together.

This is great for a buffet or open house because it is a good at room temperature as it is right out of the hot oven. Cut it into small pieces and put it on a platter and you forget about it completely. When in non-party mode, pair it with a nice-sized salad for a surprisingly hearty meal.

Pumpkin Flatbread with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola, and Crispy Sage

Flatbread

• 3/4 cup warm water (about 115 degrees)
• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Toppings

• 4 large onions, peeled and sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 8 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 24 fresh sage leaves, washed

Fill a small bowl with the 3/4 cup warm water and stir in the yeast. Let this stand for about five minutes or until the yeast dissolves. Mix the two flours, salt, and sugar in a food processor, pulsing a few times to combine. Add the water and yeast, along with the olive oil and processes until it forms into a ball.

Move this to a floured work surface and knead until smooth, adding more all purpose flour, if needed, until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm dry place to rise until doubled in volume, about an hour.

Punch down  and the dough is ready to use immediately or placed in a plastic zipper bag (quart-size is perfect) and stored in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to make the flatbread preheat oven to 475 degrees. Heat a large skillet to medium heat and add the olive oil. Saute the onions, adding salt and pepper to taste, until caramelized. About 10 minutes.

Remove the dough from the fridge, if refrigerated, to get the chill off (handles better when not too cold) and divide the dough in half for two flatbreads. Use a floured surface, a rolling, pin, and your hands to get the flatbread very thin. Work on getting it into a 13-1/2 by 8-1/2 rectangle. Do this with both portions of dough. Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Top each flatbread with half the onions and gorgonzola. Place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove, top with sage leaves, return to oven for an additional five minutes. Cut into pieces about 3” by 3.” As an appetizer, two flatbreads will serve about 12.