Roasted Summer Veggie Pizza (The Zucchini Chronicles, part 4)

 

In addition to zucchini, kale is another veggie we have growing in our garden en masse.  This recipe makes beautiful use of both.  I could see this kale pesto also working as a pasta sauce, perhaps some tomatoes, and any vegetable you like.

This is my go-to pizza crust recipe.  It makes two pizza crusts.  Since it takes about 2 hours or so to make, I generally make this on a weekend, and then wrap the remaining crust in a plastic baggie, and save it fridge for dinner in the middle of the week.  This pizza was so tasty this evening, it will likely be used tomorrow.

Feel free to use any roasted veggie here-- it be good with basically anything, including winter squash.

Ingredients:

Pizza Crust:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/4 cup very warm water

Kale Pesto:
5-7 leaves kale, large veins removed, and broken into small pieces (enough to fill my food processor)
1/2 cup cashews (walnuts or almonds would also be nice)
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
water (my kale was a little wilted, so I added a few tablespoons)
salt/pepper
3-4 tablespoons olive oil

Pizza:
1 pizza dough
2 cups kale pesto
1 medium egg plant
2 small zucchinis
3 patty pan squash
1-2 cups shredded cheese (I just used mozzarella)
olive oil
salt/pepper

Directions:

Pizza Crust:

note: This takes about 2-3 hours total time and is very easy.  Since it requires some prep time, I usually save this for the weekends, dividing the resulting dough in half to make another thin-crust pizza later in the week.

In a small container, combine warm water, active dry yeast, and sugar; stir until dissolved.  Keep in a warm place at least 15 minutes.  Put flour in a large bowl.  Add yeast mixture, and stir with a fork until combined.  Turn out onto a lightly floured counter and kneed until dough is formed.  Wash and dry bowl, and coat with olive oil.  Place dough in bowl, lightly coat with oil, cover with a damp dish towel, and place somewhere warm for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.  Punch down, turn onto a lightly floured surface, and kneed.  Divide in half for a thin-crust pizza, wrapping extra crust in plastic wrap and storing in fridge for a few days.  Roll out crust immediately before use.

Kale Pesto:
In a food processor, place kale, cashews, garlic, olive oil, sugar, salt/pepper, and water (if using).  Pulse ~10 times to get it started, and then on low speed 1-2 minutes, until as smooth as possible (the kale will not get as smooth as basil pesto).  If desired, add additional olive oil, and sugar (if the kale is particularly bitter).

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut veggies into 1/4 inch-wide pieces (I prefer to do this length-wise, but either is fine).  On a baking sheet, spread out sliced veggies. drizzle olive oil over them, and season with salt and pepper.  Mix the veggies around with your hands to coat them in the oil.  Bake them for 10-15 minutes until soft and tender.  Remove from oven and cool.  

Roll out pizza crust to the size of the baking sheet you will use.  Lightly oil the baking sheet, and place the rolled out dough on it, crimping the edges, if desired.  Pierce dough throughly with a fork to prevent air bubbles.  Spread kale pesto evenly on the dough.  Top with the roasted veggies followed by cheese. Bake for 12 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned.  Let it cook 5 minutes before cutting.  Drizzle with a little olive oil before serving, if desired.