Pizza Night🍕Is The Best Night!
Making pizza at home is so much more entertaining (and delish!) than home delivery. Plus, I made this perfectly amazing and fresh pizza from dough I made a few weeks ago and then froze. That’s right, you can make a batch of dough and it’s ready anytime you want it, just pull it out of the freezer and you’re good to go, just let it thaw. It’s ready to shape right into the pan.
Eat Your Veggies
Eating pizza is especially good when you load it up with tons of grilled, fresh veggies. We had a bumper crop day, filled with some zucchini that looked like they came from “The Land Before Time”. This is what happens when we can’t see the zucchini that are hiding so well under the mass of leaves.
The entire dinner can be made right on the BBQ grill, and we’ve done it lots. But, this night, we were not “Que-ing, so I used the indoor grill pan. I don’t know what I would do without my grill pan. I use it more than any other kitchen pan.
Dough Not Give Up
Making pizza dough is so easy! If you’d rather buy some at the store or even pick up some dough from your local pizza place, it’s all good. I make mine in my mixer with the dough attachment. Add 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt and give it a mix. In a separate bowl I add 1 envelope of dry active yeast to 1/2 cup warm water with a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes and bubble up. If you want to add fresh herbs, now’s the time. Just add a tablespoon or two of your favorite fresh herbs. If you’re using dry herbs, use about 1 teaspoon. I used finely minced rosemary.
Add the yeast mixture, fresh herbs and the oil to the flour/salt, then slowly add 1 cup warm water and let it come together in a ball, it will pull away from the bowl and all want to stick to the hook. It it’s too sticky, add more water. If it’s too dry, add a bit more water, very slowly. Remove the ball of dough and kneed on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes.
Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean cloth and let it sit in a warm spot for up to a few hours. It will double or more in size. Punch it down and separate into 4 pieces and roll each into a ball. This recipe makes 4 very large servings or 8 small servings. Freeze any dough you do not need and proceed with the rest.
When The Moon Hits The Sky Like A Big Pizza Pie!🌝
Shape the dough any way you like. You can shoot for a perfect circle, which I have never achieved, so hats off to you! You can do the rustic look, which, I must say, is my super power move. Rustic just falls as it may, in any shape you like. Another popular go to for me is the “shape it into the pan” style. I just put the ball of dough into the sheet pan and using my fingers, I gently push the dough into the pan, creating a bit of a ridge for the crust line. Sometimes it takes a bit of time. I give it a little shaping, then leave it and come back to it as I’m preparing the toppings. Eventually, it always comes together!
No matter which way you decide, I promise it will taste amazing! If you did not use the fit into the baking pan style, put your finished dough onto a baking sheet, with just a little cornmeal under the crust. This will help it to not stick when you bake it.
Meanwhile, Back At The Grill Pan!
Making this pizza also gives me the opportunity to use another one of my favorite gadgets, the mandoline. I set mine on 1/4 inch and used it (with the safety holder) to slice all my veggies in record time, even the onions. Ever since I cut myself on this thing, I am super careful and I always use the safety holder. In fact, I’m a bit scared to use it without. I used to be all, “I won’t cut myself, I’m so good at this”, until I did. A mandoline will give you the worst, most awful and deep wound before you ever even knew what hit ya. So, take my advice and use the safety holder. No, back to our regularly scheduled ranting.
I used zucchini, crook neck and onion. I grilled the squash on the grill pan, and it looks so beautiful with all the delicate little grill marks. 1/4 inch thick slices will cook really fast. Just take the sliced veggies and toss them into a bowl. Add about 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon fresh black pepper and toss. Cook in batches on the grill pan.
The onions may be cooked the same way, but I just put them into a pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Once they started to brown, add 4 cloves of finely minced garlic and and let cook another 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Top This!
Preheat your oven to 425°. If you have a pizza stone, put it on the bottom shelf to warm in the oven. On top of the uncooked crust, add 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese. For my recipe go to https://wp.me/p9KEfL-9P . I just put it on in spoonfuls all over the top.
Then add your cooked onions and other veggies. Top with 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano, parsley, marjoram, etc. You could even top with some cooked or raw baby spinach. Top with 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, then drizzle top with about a total of 1 tablespoon olive oil. Put the finished pizza on the baking sheet or pan, into the oven directly on the pizza stone.
Cook for 15 minutes until the crust is brown and the Parmesan is melting. Let the pizza sit for a couple minutes, then cut and serve. Enjoy!
Pizza with Grilled Veggies and Fresh Herbs
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 package active dry yeast
- Optional: 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs or 1 teaspoon dried herbs (rosemary/basil, etc.)
For the Toppings
- 2 medium zucchini
- 2 medium crook neck squash
- 1 sweet onion
- 3-4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (1 tablespoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram (1 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (1 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- optional: 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
Instructions
For the Dough
- Add 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt whisk to combine. In a separate bowl I add 1 envelope of dry active yeast to 1/2 cup warm water with a pinch of sugar. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until it's bubbled. Add the yeast mixture and the oil and fresh herbs to the flour/salt, then slowly add 1 cup warm water and let it come together in a ball, it will pull away from the bowl and all want to stick to the hook. It it's too sticky, add more water. If it's too dry, add a bit more water, very slowly. Remove the ball of dough and knead on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean cloth and let it sit in a warm spot for up to a few hours. It will double or more in size. Punch it down and separate into 4 pieces and roll each into a ball.
For the Toppings
- Slice squash and onions into 1/4 inch wide pieces. In a medium bowl, add sliced zucchini and crook neck squash and 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon fresh black pepper and toss to coat. Cook in batches on the grill pan.
- In a medium size saute pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat on medium high. Add the onions and cook to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook one more minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425 and set a pizza stone on the bottom rack .
- On top of the prepared dough, add ricotta cheese by spoonfuls, scattering evenly accross the cust, leaving 1 inch border around the sides. Then add your cooked onions and other veggies. Top with chopped fresh herbs. Top with 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, then drizzle top with about a total of 1 tablespoon olive oil. Put the finished pizza on the baking sheet or pan, into the oven directly on the pizza stone.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the top is cooked and bubbly. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.
