Early Summer Pizza

I splurged on a few baby zucchini at the farmers market this weekend. We'll have them in the garden eventually, but this was a taste of things to come. Combined with scapes and fresh basil, they sing of early summer.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 baby zucchini, sliced in rounds as thinly as possible (about 2 cups)
3-4 scapes, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 oz. fresh mozzarella, in 1/2 cubes

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Paint the pizza crust lightly with olive oil.

Spread the tomato sauce over the crust. Lay the zucchini slices over the sauce, overlapping somewhat. Sprinkle with the scapes and basil, then add a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Bake for 12 minutes. Remove pizza from oven, scatter the fresh mozzarella over it, and return to the oven for another 3-5 minutes.

Serves 3-4.

Middle Eastern Pizza with Chickpeas and Herbs

I bought big bunches of parsley and mint at the farmers market this past weekend. I am still planning to make some parsley pesto out of them, along with some scapes, but there was enough for a few other endeavors as well. I also used chives from my garden and fresh mozzarella that I made over the weekend from Upinngil Farm milk. I wasn't totally certain that this was going to work as pizza, but it turned out to be really good.

Later in the summer I would use fresh tomatoes instead of sauce for this recipe. Actually, I did notice one vendor with tomatoes at the farmers market this weekend (cucumbers, too), but they were a standard variety conventionally grown and I figured we could wait for the good ones.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup coarsely mashed/chopped chickpeas
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp minced fresh mint
3-4 oz. mozzarella, shredded (or in chunks if fresh)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil. Spread on the tomato sauce.

In a small bowl, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, 1 Tbsp olive oil, and salt and pepper. Spread this mixture over the sauce, then sprinkle the chives, parsley and mint over the chickpeas. If using standard mozzarella, sprinkle it on top. If using fresh, start baking the pizza without it and add it in the last 3-5 minutes (I have found this keeps it from soaking in too much).

Bake the pizza for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is done and cheese is melted.

Serves 3-4.

Spring Lasagna

With homemade ricotta and mozzarella in the fridge, lasagna was calling my name. This is pretty basic (apart from the homemade cheese!), but I threw in some nice late spring ingredients. I have been enjoying the thinnings from my basil seedlings and am eagerly waiting for the remaining plants to get bigger. You could also use some fresh oregano in addition or instead. Quantities are approximate.

3-4 cups pasta sauce (tomato-basil would be best)
12 no-boil lasagna noodles (1 12-oz box)
Olive oil
1-2 stalks spring garlic, in thin rounds
1 medium onion, chopped
5-6 cups spinach
1/2 - 1 cup basil leaves
2-3 cups ricotta
2-3 cups shredded or sliced mozzarella (fresh or the regular stuff)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13x2-inch baking pan. Place three noodles over the sauce.

Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the pasta sauce and simmer until heated through. Add the spinach and basil and cook until wilted.

Spread 1/3 of the ricotta over the noodles in the pan, then add a thin layer of sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the mozzarella. Add another three noodles, another 1/3 of the ricotta, another layer of sauce, and another 1/4 of the mozzarella. Repeat one more time. For the final layer, add the noodles, a layer of sauce, and mozzarella on top (no ricotta).

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes.

Serves 4-6.

Pizza with Spinach, Rosemary, and Fresh Mozzarella

Still working on the big log of fresh mozzarella I made! I hope no one is getting too tired of pizza recipes. This one used a nice big bunch of spinach from the farmers market, along with rosemary from my potted plant. If you you like rosemary, fresh is so much better than dried, and it's really easy to grow potted rosemary inside. When I lived in California, I saw huge bushes of it growing in people's yards as shrubs, but it's not hardy here in New England. However, it grows pretty happily in a large pot and can go outside for the summer. Now is a good time to pick up a small one at the farmers market.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
6-8 cups spinach, stemmed (about 1/3 lb)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, in small chunks

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Paint the pizza crust lightly with olive oil.

In a large skillet, heat a little olive oil and saute the garlic and rosemary for a minute or so. Add the spinach (in batches if necessary) and saute until wilted. Stir in salt and pepper.

Spread the tomato sauce over the crust, then top with the spinach mixture. Strew mozzarella chunks over the top.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is done and cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Serves 3-4.
Spread the tomato sauce

Pizza with Asparagus, Dried Tomatoes, and Fresh Mozzarella

Seeing as I have over a pound of fresh mozzarella in my fridge now, I thought perhaps I ought to make some pizza. There is always a good reason to make pizza, after all! If you don't have fresh mozzarella, just top with with regular shredded mozzarella. It won't be quite the same, but it will still be tasty.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
8-10 spears asparagus, in 1/8-inch rounds (tough ends snapped off)
3-4 bunching onions, in 1/4-inch rounds
1/4 cup dried tomatoes, rehydrated and diced
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, in small chunks

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Paint the pizza crust lightly with olive oil. Spread with tomato sauce. Sprinkle the asparagus, onions, and tomatoes over the sauce. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Spread the chunks of mozzarella over the pizza. You are not aiming for full coverage.

Bake 14-16 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese is turning golden.

Serves 3-4.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

Some other easy ways to serve up gorgeous ripe tomatoes in late summer:

Cut into wedges and arrange on a platter. Drizzle with good olive oil and sprinkle with chopped fresh basil and a little salt. Or try fresh oregano in place of the basil.

Array in slices or wedges and drizzle with good olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar. Salt if desired.

For good slicers: Arrange on a platter and top each slice with a bit of goat cheese. Add olive oil if desired.

Slice and serve with good bread, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, and basil.