Farm Fresh Summer Pizza

There are times when you make a dish and just want to give yourself a pat on the back. But really, that’s not enough. And it’s not enough that the other person who ate it complimented the dish or someone thought it smelled good. No. There are times when you just want to gloat about your culinary prowess and mentally reflect (over and over and over) on the combination of textures and flavors.

Like so many great summer recipes, this one started with the ingredients in my fridge and windowsill, namely the little fairytale eggplants, garlic, and garlic scapes from Sunday’s farmers’ market and the basil and oregano I’m growing. As Mark Bittman pointed out in today’s New York Times’ Diner’s Journal, there’s nothing like fresh basil. I wanted a light, fresh dinner that would showcase the produce in a fun way and I really had no idea what to do with the garlic scapes. Enter the pizza. Roasted garlic cooked into the pizza dough was delicious, particularly when the garlic flavor was mirrored by the scapes. I sauteed the eggplants and scapes before baking, giving them a chance to cook down a bit and bring out their flavors independently of the pizza. The eggplant, particularly with fairytale eggplants, becomes creamy and is almost part of the sauce. The fresh tomatoes mellow out the strength of the garlic and tomato sauce.

Farm Fresh Summer Pizza

makes one pizza for two people

Pizza Dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 package active dry yeast

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon white sugar

1/2 cup warm water

2 cloves roasted garlic, mashed

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add oil and warm water. Mix and knead until ingredients form a dough. Add mashed garlic cloves (roast garlic by wrapping cloves in tin foil and placing in the oven at 400°F for twenty-thirty minutes).

Stretch dough over greased cookie sheet or pizza pan. Spread as evenly and thinly as possible, patching holes with excess dough from edges.

Bake at 375°F for 10-15 minutes or until crust becomes golden brown.

Pizza Sauce

1 small can diced tomatoes

1/2 red onion, diced

2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

2 tsp fresh basil, chopped

2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp lemon zest

Empty tomatoes into heated sauce pan. Simmer over medium heat for ten minutes. Add onion.

When the onion is soft add seasonings except lemon zest. Cook until tomatoes are soft and flavors have been absorbed. Sprinkle lemon zest and mix. Spread over pizza.

Toppings

5 fairytale eggplants, sliced

3 garlic scapes, whole

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 package of mozzarella cheese

3 leaves fresh basil

Sauté eggplants and garlic scapes in 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Place on top of sauce, followed by cherry tomatoes. Cover toppings with cheese as desired.

Bake pizza at 375°F for 10-15 minutes or until desired done-ness.

Top with fresh basil and serve.