Live to Eat

Hot slice of Mama

by G.A. Benton

I'd be the first to admit that broccoli tossed onto a pizza is a pretty tough sell. Because obviously, through the generations, pizza has earned a reputation for being party food—a gob-jamming, crust-laden pleasure delivery system brimming with gooey cheese and the spicy grease that pools above sizzling pork products.

But every single pizza needn't be a fat and calorie splurge that comes at the cost of elevating cholesterol levels. This might not be especially relevant if you only dabble in tomato pies and eat reasonably well overall.

But if you're someone like me who has lately been slamming back sausages, steak, pork belly, seared duck fat, lamb kebabs, cream-sauced pasta and (note the plural) pies (and this was basically my weekend), well you might need a break from the heavy stuff.

That's why when I was recently in the mood for a kick-back evening with the tube and the pennant-seeking Indians, and pizza seemed like just the simple, crave-sating thing, but I didn't want to continue my wicked and fatty ways (don't you pity me?), I dialed up Mama Mimi's, the local take-and-bake specialists.

Since I had a Wahoo-rooting crowd over, I picked up a couple large 'zas and got them both made on Mama's somewhat newish honey whole wheat dough (a medium crust can be stretched to large, making it "thin crust" upon request).

The Primo Vegetarian version featured nearly a different veggie in every bite: small bits of broccoli (therefore not overwhelming), mushrooms, spinach, artichoke hearts and more sat above a sweet and spicy tomato sauce. That same base got topped with parmesan, cheddar, broccoli and spinach on the simpler Green Goddess pizza.

My house verdict was mixed. While some guests liked the cornucopia of produce on the Primo pie, its crust got just a tad soft in the center (possibly because of my thin-crust modification) though it was gold and crispy on the edges. As for the Green Goddess (think broccoli and cheese meets bruschetta), it was popular with those who preferred a crispier, less busy pizza.

Still, everyone agreed on one thing: Both veggie varieties more than satisfied the need for good pizza. And nobody seemed—at least for that evening—to miss the usual pepperoni and sausage onslaught.

Of course, this doesn't mean I didn't indulge my swine tooth the very next day, but every little healthy bit counts, right?

October 18th, 2007

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