Cheap Dinner*: Homemade Late Summer Pizza
September 21, 2009 | (6)
*This one ain’t so quick. It’s a weekend dinner.
I got a little behind in my posting. As you can see, this recipe is for late summer veggies, but it’s pretty much still summer in Houston so I figured I squeeze this one in. You can substitute the veggies in this recipe for what’s in season in your ‘hood. The standout here is the homemade pizza crust. If you have never done this before, don’t be scared. It’s really easy. The hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise for ~2 hours. This crust recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen. Go visit Smitten Kitchen! It’s food pr0n!
Homemade Late Summer Pizza
Makes one thin crust pizza that will serve 2 hungry adults
Total time 2-2.5 hours
Cost per pizza about $8
For the dough:
3/4 cups white flour
3/4 cups wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the toppings:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2-3 Heirloom tomatoes, different varieties
1 small zucchini squash
1 ounce fresh goat cheese
1/2 cup shredded smoked mozzarella
Italian seasoning
- Mix the flours, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and olive oil, stirring mixture into a ball. You will probably not be able to make it into a homogenous ball, but there’s an easy fix for that. Smitten Kitchen says to dump everything onto a floured surface and let it sit, covered by the empty bowl, for a few minutes. When you come back to it you should be able to incorporate every bit into a ball.
- Knead the dough a few times: fold it in half, press it with the palms of your hands, turn it a quarter turn, repeat. Lightly oil the bowl and roll the dough ball around the bowl to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1-2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
- Dump the dough back onto the floured surface and press the air out of it. Make it into a ball again and let it rest covered for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to its highest temperature. Halve the tomatoes, then slice as thinly as you can. Slice the zucchini thinly. You can use a mandoline like I do to get super thin slices quickly.
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough out onto the floured surface. I shoot for about a 12 inch round, but I can never get it perfectly rounded. My crusts have a more “organic” shape. Brush the top of the dough with the olive oil, then arrange the sliced veggies on top. Drop little dollops of goat cheese around the pizza, then top with the smoked mozzarella. Sprinkle on some Italian seasoning.
- Sprinkle a little cornmeal on a baking sheet and slide the pizza on. Bake in the super hot over for about 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is browned and the crust is blistery.
I double this recipe and make two pies because this combo is heavenly and it goes fast. The smoked mozzarella gives it a meatiness, and the tomatoes and zucchini keep it light. This can be easily adapted to any season. Just use whatever is cheap and prominently displayed in the produce section. That’s usually how I remember what’s in season.
Ingredients: goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes, olive oil, pizza, pizza dough, smoked mozzarella, tomato, zucchini
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