10:16 / Midsummer

As often happens, this year's vacation days extended beyond the fourth of July, and monopolized an entire week. The festivities culminated with an evening of games, food and sharing amongst family. My new pattern of not preparing an idea in advance [mostly due to exhausting the six or so ideas I started with and being too lazy to plan ahead] has been having good results, so I stuck with it.

It seemed right to put something pepperoni-shaped on pizza. Zucchini and summer squash are two things I always cook in rounds, and the garden is currently overflowing with herbs that marry well with them. You can get away with one zucchini and one squash for the two pies if you slice thin and have extra large vegetables, but I recommend have two of each on hand in case. Beyond that, I think there is only so much to be said about simple pizzas being the best, it just makes sense.

This is another pie that is fairly impossible to ruin. I actually prepared the non-finicky crust a couple hours ahead of time and waited to bake it until my cousin-in-law Margot [Check out her fantastic blog here: Margot's Mixtures] arrived for a collaborative pizza party. I also highly recommend her thin crust creation - with leeks, mushrooms and bacon - which is as delicious as it sounds, and may make an appearance on her blog one of these days, so keep an eye out!

Crust:

4½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ cup warm water

1½ cups room temperature water

2¼ tsp yeast

Toppings:

¼ cup olive oil

5 cloves garlic

1 large zucchini

1 large summer squash

1 tsp dried thyme

4 - 5 sprigs fresh thyme

3 - 4 tbsp fresh oregano

1 lb mozzarella

A bit of parmesan [optional]

As usual, kick off with the crust. Mix the salt and flour, and sprinkle yeast over the warm water. After a few minutes, once the yeast foams, add to the flour along with the room temperature water and mix with a wooden spoon or dough hook until the dough begins to form. Once silky and sticky, move to a floured surface and knead the dough until it forms a cohesive ball. Place in an oiled bowl in a warm place and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 500º to give it time to get piping hot while the dough rises and you prepare the toppings. On the stovetop, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large, shallow saucepan over medium heat. Slice the zucchini and summer squash into ¼ inch rounds. Dice garlic and add about half of it to the oil, watching closely to avoid burning. As soon as you can smell the garlic, begin adding the sliced zucchini and summer squash. I cooked them side by side in a few batches, occasionally adding extra olive oil and garlic to keep a steady ratio and balance the flavors. Flip the slices with a fork or spatula, and sprinkle the dried thyme everything. If you have extra on hand, add a little of the fresh thyme and oregano as well. The veggies are ready once they are tender and lightly browned. 

When the dough is ready, punch it down and knead to remove lingering air bubbles. Separate into two pieces and roll/shape each into a 14-inch circle. Lay on your baking sheet or pizza stone, and bake for about ten minutes to give it a head start [as always, this pre-baking step is optional]. 

Arrange the zucchini on top in whatever pattern you fancy. Slice or tear mozzarella and distribute liberally over the zucchini. Snip the thyme and oregano leaves from their sprigs and sprinkle over everything. Finish with a little salt and pepper, and a dusting of parmesan around the edges of the crust if you like. Slide into the oven for ten minutes, or longer if you skip pre-baking the crust. Enjoy two pies with friends and family, board games recommended!

9:16 / Smoke City

As usual, I was stuck for inspiration this week, and left things until the last minute. On an impromptu shopping trip, I ran into some applewood-smoked bacon, then managed to track down an apple-smoked gouda I knew I had seen there before. This pizza's personality emerged just that quickly; it's a little sweet, a lot smoky, and less fussy than many. Depending on taste, a lot of the toppings can be allowed to char, so being a great cook is not a requirement.

Braeburn apples are preferred, but any cooking or baking apple works just fine. I make a lot of kale chips, and am guilty of stinking up the house with salty, blackened leaves. Not everyone's favorite, but I love them that way so they seemed to fit with this just-a-bit-overdone approach to pizza.

Crust:

4½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ cup warm water

1½ cups room temperature water

2¼ tsp yeast

Toppings:

4 cups torn or rough-chopped kale

3 - 4 Braeburn apples [or other baking apples]

8 - 10 strips applewood-smoked bacon

6 - 8 oz smoked gouda

4 oz parmesan

About 1 stick butter

⅓ cup sugar

Prepare the crust. Combine flour and salt, and sprinkle yeast over the warm water. Once it foams, add the yeast to the flour and mix with a wooden spoon or dough hook. Add the additional water, and continue mixing until a silky, sticky dough has formed. Knead on a floured surface until dough holds into a ball. Transfer to an oiled bowl, and allow to rise for 1 - 1½ hours in a warm place.

During the rising stage, caramelize the apples. Cut the apples into thin slices, about ⅛ - ¼ inch thick. Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a wide saucepan, then begin cooking the apples of medium heat. Sprinkle a little sugar over the apples. This will require cooking in stages, and each batch of apples will need about 2 tbsp of butter and a little sugar. Overall, I used almost a full stick of butter, but this will vary. Once the apples are soft, turn up the heat and allow the apples to brown. A little burning may even be desirable, it's all up to you.

Fry the bacon over high heat. Again, it's okay if a little burns. Drain on a paper towel and, once cooled, shred the bacon into small pieces. Grate the gouda and parmesan, wash and chop the kale, and set everything aside.

Heat the over to 500º F. Once the dough has risen, separate into two pieces and roll or shape them into 14-inch circles. Sprinkle a little cornmeal on your pizza stone or baking sheet, and transfer the dough onto it. Bake the dough for ten minutes, until it begins to turn golden-brown.

Remove the dough from the oven and top with the kale, apples, bacon and cheeses. Dust a little of the parmesan over the edges of the crust. Pop back in the oven for another ten minutes, until the cheese has melted and the crust is well done. Makes two pies as usual. Enjoy!