Cold hearted orb, that rules the night. Its passage has removed almost all tomato sauce from Gourmandistan’s sight. And before the arrival of San Marzano season we need every bit of sauce for an eggplant parmigiana we plan to have on the next family visit. But alas, a block of mozzarella was in danger of reaching the end—so we breathed deep the gathering gloom, and decided to use the cheese in a white pizza.

Actually, white pizza sauce often rivals red in Gourmandistan. While red certainly holds its own with anchovies, peppers, spicy sausages and more, white allows us to enjoy a little more delicate flavor. Though we often tart our whites up with garlic, rosemary and other bold flavors, we’ve also used it for mushrooms and other subtle foods. This time we went big, with sautéed onions and garlic, steamed and sliced new potatoes, rosemary and some of Steve’s still-amazing guanciale. That’s the kind of thing that will get you right out of your moody blues.