Chestnuts bring Christmas to mind, however October is the month for them! So the Odd Fork came across some lovely chestnuts in the flea market and the result was an unusual, yet absolutely yummy vegetarian pizza!

For the pizza crust:

- 250 grams plain flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- half a cube of fresh, bread yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
- 25 grams melted butter
- 2 egg yolks
- some ground, dried thyme
- 1/3 tsp mix of nutmeg and ground cloves
- some extra lukewarm milk, if necessary

For the chestnut - mushroom topping:

- a small onion, finely chopped
- a clove of garlic, finely chopped
- a small leek, finely chopped
- a small sachet dried mushrooms of choice
- a wine glass of Greek Mavrodaphne or a similar sweet, red wine
- salt, pepper, some paprika
- 2 whole cloves
- a cinnamon stick
- a star anise
- some ground, dried thyme
- some roasted chestnuts (the Odd Fork used 8)
- some blue cheese in small cubes
- some soft, yellow cheese (like Greek Kasseri) in small cubes

Start with the pizza crust. In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in milk and add sugar. Mix and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Mix all the remaining crust ingredients and add the yeast mixture, kneading until the dough does not stick on hands. If dough is too thick, add warm milk. Form the dough into a ball and set aside covered with a damp towel. Let it rise until doubled, about an hour.

Meanwhile, make the topping. In a pot over high heat, add a tbsp of olive oil and sauté onion and garlic. After a while add leek and mushrooms and deglaze with Mavrodaphne. Add all the spices and chestnuts chopped and also add some water, just to cover the ingredients. Turn heat to medium, cover the pot with its lid and boil for about 20 to 30 minutes until tender. Then uncover the pot, increase the heat and let luquids evaporate. Remove from stove and set aside to cool.

Stretch out the pizza dough (using a pastry roller or hands) on a large pan lined with non-stick baking sheet and spread it around evenly with the chestnut topping, leaving some space around the rim. Sprinkle with cheese and let pizza in a warm place until crust has puffed up and almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. Bake in a preheated oven at 400F for about 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is golden. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 min, slice and serve!

It is totally delicious and although the Odd Fork loves to drink beer when eating pizza, this one was fantastic paired with Greek Mavrodaphne. Hope you enjoy it as much as the Odd Fork did!