Garden Fresh Pizza

The best pizza in town can come straight from your oven, wafting glorious aromas from your herb and vegetable garden. Homemade pizza from scratch takes some time, but if you have an infatuation with food and culinary herbs the preparation will seem more like an artistic undertaking than the pain before the glory.

Herb and Garlic Tomato Sauce
1 Large or Two Medium Onions, finely diced
6-8 Cloves Garlic, chopped fine or pressed in a garlic press
1/2 Cup Olive Oil(or more to taste)
Sea Salt(to taste)
Black Pepper, coarsely ground in a mortar and pestle or pepper mill
a pinch or two or three of Red Chili Flakes
Fresh Oregano, Parsley, Basil, Fennel Sprigs or crushed seeds, Thyme, Sage
112 oz. home-canned or four large store-bought cans of organic stewed tomatoes(I like the fire-roasted ones)

Heat a stock pot on low heat while dicing onion and garlic. Pour olive oil into hot pot, then add onion and garlic and stir to coat with olive oil. While they are sauteing, mince fresh herbs and prepare pepper. (I have not put specific measurements for the herbs and spices because that is where the fun artistry part comes in--you decide!) When onions are translucent, and garlic is not burned, add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and fresh herbs and stir, sauteing for another minute or so. Add tomatoes. Simmer on medium/low heat until sauce is reduced to a thick and savory delectable stew. This could take 1-2 hours. Putting the pot lid on skewed, so that steam can readily escape helps it reduce quicker.

Add additional salt to taste, if needed. If taste is too acidic, add a little sugar or honey, or if you prefer no sweetness add more olive oil to mellow out the acid.

Rosemary Pizza Dough
1 1/2 Cups Warm Water
1 T Baking Yeast
1 T Raw Sugar or Honey
2 Cups Flour(I like to do 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup white)

While sauce is simmering, in a large stoneware or glass bowl sprinkle yeast over warm water(should feel just barely warm to the touch). When yeast bubbles and froths on the surface of the water, stir in sugar(or honey) and flour with a wooden spoon. Mix well until sponge(yeast and flour preparation)is smooth with no lumps. Let rise in a warm place with a towel over the bowl for 30 minutes.

2 tsp sea salt
Dried or fresh Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme
a little ground Black Pepper
1 1/2 Cups Flour(I like to do half whole wheat and half white here too.)
a glug glug of Olive Oil

When sponge is doubled in bulk, sprinkle salt, minced or dried herbs, pepper over the top of the dough. Add a glug glug of olive oil and fold into the dough. You can do this by gently running your wooden spoon around the edges of the bowl, folding the dough over itself. Be careful not to break the strands of dough with your spoon or rising and texture will be diminished--folding rather than stirring prevents this.

1/2-1 Cup Flour

After folding the herbs and oil in several times, fold in 1 1/2 cups flour a little at a time. Once the flour is mostly incorporated, turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead in 1/2-1 cup flour until the dough is smooth and gives the feeling of pushing back at your hands when kneading.

When dough is springy and smooth and not sticky at all, put it back in your bread bowl--no need to wash it out. Cover with a towel and allow dough to rise for 30-35 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

During this rising period, check your sauce. If it still needs a lot of reduction turn the heat up a bit. When your dough is finished rising your sauce should be ready--ideally the sauce should be done before the dough, to allow for time to cool a bit.

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.

When dough has doubled in bulk, turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead for a couple minutes. For two large pizzas cut the dough in half, then form each half into a ball. Use a rolling pin or your hands to flatten out and shape the dough. It should be fairly thin--1/4 inch or so unless you want thicker crust. Use olive oil to grease two baking sheets, and sprinkle a little corn meal on the oiled surfaces. Transfer dough to prepared baking sheets and gently reshape and re-stretch until they reach desired size. Roll edges of dough over and pinch in place to make crust edge. You are ready to add sauce and toppings.

Prepare toppings ahead of time. Use whatever is fresh from your garden: broccoli, onions, eggplant(brush with a little olive oil), tomatoes, squash, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil and oregano, spinach, etc. To make it extra delicious, I like to saute red onions in olive oil with a little salt, until translucent. Then add some pine nuts or walnut pieces to the warm onions. Chop up everything else, including fresh herbs. Spread a good amount of sauce on the prepared dough, then add sauted onions, fresh vegetables and herbs, sprinkle on soft goat cheese or feta.

Bake in the oven on 350 for 35-40 minutes, or until crust is golden. C'est bon!


Note: Try other sauces like pesto or roasted eggplant and garlic. A friend of mine omits the sauce and does a focaccia style pizza with tomato slices, veggies from the garden, and coarse salt. Saute onions and eggplant in salt and herbs before adding to your focaccia. Pine nuts or walnuts are especially divine with fresh or sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese.