I was supposed to have salad for dinner…well that didn’t work out. This recipe is sooooo good. If you are looking for a change from the same old pepperoni and mushroom…you have to try this. The picture does not do this dish justice. My husband borrowed my camera so this was taken with my blackberry – so not the best quality shot.
Tonight is the last night before the boys are back to school. We were out and about today shopping for last minute school stuff and I decided I would make homemade pizzas tonight for supper.
I found this idea for toppings on another blog called shutterbean. I will include her link on my site – she has some great recipes for sure worth a look. When I found this recipe – I thought “Sheer Brilliance”! Especially since there is an abundance of corn and zuchinni in season right now.
I used my own crust recipe (because it is my favorite) it is one from Wolfgang Puck – I have tried many different crust recipes and this is by far my fav…it also doubles well (which I did tonight to make 2 really large pan pizzas).
Here is the recipe for the dough…don’t be afraid if you have never made your own dough – its super easy – and really quick..and much better than the store bought crusts.
WOLFGANG PUCK PIZZA DOUGH
Ingredients:
- 1 package dry active yeast
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
- toppings of your choice
Preparation:
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup of the warm water. In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and mix on low speed until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and clusters around the dough hook, about 5 minutes.
(The pizza dough can also be made in a food processor. Dissolve the yeast as above. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse once or twice, add the remaining ingredients, and process until the dough begins to form a ball.)
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled.)
Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500º F. Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
So in the recipe above it says to shape into four balls, but you can shape into two if you would like larger pizzas…or for the really big pizzas I make a double recipe and shape into two large (to fit 2 cookie sheets).
Now I guess I should note…that I made two different types of pizza tonight, because I doubt that my boys would have tried the zuchinni corn one…so for them – I grilled up 4 chicken breasts seasoned with a little grill seasoning and bbq sauce and made them a bbq pizza (so instead of tomato sauce, use your fav. bbq sauce – then layer on the cooked chicken – and add mozza cheese. Now if this was for adults I would also add cilantro and thinly cut red onion…but my kids like it fairly plain.
Anyway – on to the star of the show.
You will need:
– 1 small yellow zuchinni, sliced thinly
– 1 small green zuchinni, sliced thinly
– about 1/4 of a red onion very thinly sliced
– 2 ears of corn, grilled
– Feta cheese – as much as you like I didn’t measure
– 1 bunch of cilantro
– limes, for sprinkling afterwards
– 1/2 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese
– 3 cloves garlic
– red pepper flakes, just a bit
– pickled jalepenos, to taste
– salt and pepper
– extra virgin olive oil
Crank your oven up as high as it will go (I put mine at 500F) and let er’ heat up.
Prep all your veg. Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil and spread out your dough to fit. Brush your dough with olive oil and a little finely minced garlic (2 of the cloves) and season with salt and pepper. Lightly coat your zuchinni in a bit of olive oil in a bowl with salt and pepper and the remaining garlic clove. Lay on your zuchinni evenly sprinkle on your grilled corn, thinly sliced red onion, jalepenos, about half of the cilantro, some feta cheese and your parmesan and sprinkle with red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Bake until golden and cooked through, roughly 15 minutes.
To serve add some fresh cilantro leaves a little sprinkling of more feta and squeeze fresh lime all over – and try to resist eating half the pizza before your husband comes home….or call a friend – you need someone to help you eat this one.
If you are feeling extra naughty, you can also drizzle each slice with a wee bit of olive oil (good quality extra virgin) – I didn’t – but you could.
