Pimp My Pizza: Rethinking the Bronx Slice

Leaving the Garden after one long, hot afternoon earlier this week, I stopped into my favorite Bedford Avenue pizza parlor for a slice. Searching for my wallet, I remembered my bag had other green in it, too: Swiss chard, broccoli, basil and dark red beet leaves. The basil was in direct competition with the cheese for juiciness, and the broccoli provided a nice sharp flavor. I was expecting a lot of "you're a weirdo" looks, but only got one strange glance--and this from a man whose shirt ascribed him to be "World's Best Grandma."

New York City is famous for pizza. I'd be the last person to knock it anything less than an amazing food. It's salty and sweet, absurdly easy going down, and even with the going rate rocketing towards $3, it still beats many NYC dinners out for budget value. Still, I probably have a piece of pizza once every three weeks, if that--these days mostly because it's hot, but also because too much of a good thing takes the "treat" away. Usually my in-a-pinch cheap dinner of choice is a sweet potato and frozen peas.* But you gotta give it to pizza: it puts a lot of food groups on your plate. Particularly, of course, if we can find more ways to pile fresh veggies and herbs on top of a slice...

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*Regarding sweet potatoes/peas. A pretty solid rule of thumb is to eat as many colorful fruits and vegetables as possible, in as close to their raw state as you can. Produce--plants--take nutrients from the soil and sun. The moment they're picked, they start to die--so the fresher the better. Orange and green produce are particularly rich in loads of vitamins. In my moments away from Greenmarket (rare, but true), I like sweet potatoes and frozen peas because potatoes hold their nutrients well no matter how "old" they are, and frozen peas, cheap and easy to cook, and in many cases are fresher than "fresh" green veggies. If you're in enough of a pinch that you're picking up pizza, I'll condone microwaving (ai!) just to suggest the quick, easy and delicious sweet potato-greens combo.