when is a pizza not a pizza?

The answer may surprise you. Apparently, in the country of Georgia, there is something that is often referred to as Georgian pizza, but it really isn’t pizza at all.

It is, in fact, Khachapuri. The crust is make with yogurt, and is basically a sort of quick bread.

I’m lazy, though, which you know if you’ve been reading this blog for long. That’s why I use Trader Joe’s pizza crust. I stretch it out to fill a cookie sheet, and add a more-or-less traditional filling/topping.

The thing that makes this different from any pizza I’ve eaten (and that covers a lot of ground) is the egg. You grate and crumble your cheeses, and add an egg! It bakes up sort of somewhere between a quiche and an omelette – and it is delicious!

I like to use dill havarti and feta, lots of each. And, as above, you can top the cheese mixture with thin sliced ham or paper-thin onion if you’re so inclined. I often am.

The recipe I based mine on is from The Georgian Feast by Darra Goldstein. If you’re feeling creative you can chase the full recipe down online easily. If you’re lazy, though, like me, you can just do this:

1 pizza crust, 1 pound of grated cheese, 1 egg, thin sliced ham or onion (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350F. Roll and pat the pizza crust out to fill a cookie sheet. Beat the egg and add it to the cheese. Spread this over the entire crust. Lay the ham or onion on top. Roll the ends and sides up a bit so the cheese can’t escape. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. Let it cool (although it will smell fantastic), cut as desired and enjoy!

onion option:

This reheats nicely, and I’m sure it would freeze well, but I’ve never had any that stayed around long enough to find out! Let us know what combo’s you come up with, please!

Enjoy!