Oblong-ish: The shape of pizza to come.
I thought when I became vegan I'd have to give up pizza. But no, technology has provided us with soy cheese that melts as good as the stinky milk-based product. (You don't think cheese is stinky? Wait till it's lingered a while in your stomach and intestines. It's pretty horrid smelling then.)
The only thing is, Domino's and Pizza Hut and Pizza Express haven't caught on that some of us have advanced to the point where we no longer suckle at cow's udders, imagine that! So the only way to keep our love affair with pizza current is to make the stuff ourselves.
No problem, we have a nifty pizza dough recipe, and cutting up an eggplant or something is hardly hard work.
Half the dough in this recipe made a pizza large enough for the three of us. Notice, however, the non-round shape. Oblong, I think describes it. Actually oblong pizza is much better; you don't have to mangle whatever vegetable has the misfortune of being at the apex of the pie-shaped piece.
As for what to put on top, imagination plays a part here, too, as does the contents of your vegetable bin. Try not to use that fuzzy stuff in the back, though. It will smell as bad as cheese.
Basic Pizza Dough
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 2/3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons salt
Put the yeast, sugar, and 1 cup of the water into a large bowl and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until the yeast dissolves and the liquid appears foamy. Add the remaining water and 1 cups of unbleached flour, plus the whole wheat flour. Beat well (about 100 strokes), and then let stand for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture swells and becomes bubbly.
Add the salt and the olive oil, then stir in the remaining flour 1 cup at a time until the dough is stiff but still slightly sticky. (Reserve 1/2 cup flour for the board you'll be kneading on.) Place the dough on a lightly floured board and let rest for a few minutes. (You can use your time wisely and clean the bowl at this point; you'll "knead" it later!)
Knead the dough on the floured board about 5 to 8 minutes. (I've read it described as the consistency of an "earlobe" but that's kinda weird. Just knead it about 200 times and you'll be fine.) Return the dough to the oiled bowl, cover with a cloth, and put it in a warm-ish place to rise, about 35-40 minutes. It should have doubled in size by then.
At this point, divide the dough if you plan to make two pizzas. If you want to save some for another day, place half the dough in an oiled freezer bag and refrigerate or freeze. If you're not quite ready to make the pizza, you can refrigerate all the dough and make it later. Or punch it down and let it rise again, thus buying yourself some more time.
Let's suppose you've opted for number one and are preparing the pizza. Roll it into a ball and flatten with a rolling pin or a chilled bottle of wine. (The second option has more flair, in my opinion, and works quite well.) You'll have to work with it to get it to about 1/3 inch thick. Toss it in the air like a real pizza chef, if you dare.
Preheat the oven to 475°F. Place the flattened pizza dough in a oiled pan. I usually sprinkle corn meal in the pan, out of habit, mostly. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the top, and any uncooked toppings you've prepared. Now you want to cook the pizza half way, about 8-10 minutes, before adding the pre-cooked toppings and "cheese".
After adding toppings and about a cup of grated soy mozzarella cheese, bake for another 8-10 minutes, until cheese melts and starts to brown. Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting in square-ish pieces.
About those toppings:
Eggplant, red onion, Nicoise olives, and fresh basil are good. Saute eggplant slices lightly along with red onion sliced into rings (alternatively, roast them 15 minutes in the oven) before placing them on the half-baked pizza.
Spinach, garlic, mushrooms and onions are good too. Saute spinach lightly in a drop or two or ten of olive oil, with minced garlic. About a pound of spinach will cover a large pizza. Precooking the mushrooms and onions is optional; otherwise add them at the beginning of pizza baking.
Pizza sauce at your fingertips:
Make your own pizza sauce; it's much tastier than the store-bought stuff, and almost as fast. Mix one small can of tomato paste with 2 tablespoons water, 2 teaspoons olive oil, a spoonful of sugar, and dried oregano and basil, about 1/2 teaspoon of each. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste. Stir well and spoon over pizza. Spread evenly before adding vegetables.
