Zucchini Pizza

I used to cringe a little whenever I got zucchini or summer squash in my Boston Organics delivery because while I liked the vegetable enough not to add it to my "No List", I didn't like it enough to know what to do with it other than to stir fry it with garlic or grate it into an amnesty bread.  But that all changed when I saw Smitten Kitchen's post about summer squash pizza.

I tweaked the recipe (which is originally from Jim Lahey of no-knead bread fame) a little by using my favorite pizza crust instead of the one in her post because I already had some on hand.  I also tossed the breadcrumbs in a little olive oil for a little extra crunch and to protect it from burning too fast.

I wasn't really sure about having to buy the Gruyere cheese and even made it for the first time without the cheese and substituting with some minced garlic and olive oil (which, by the way, ended up being pretty darn good and worth trying if you don't eat cheese).  But then I caved in and got a small block of Gruyere.  And boy oh boy was it amazing.  Divine.  Glorious!  In the oven, the cheese melts and binds the shredded zucchini together in a holy matrimony of texture and flavor.  It's simply perfect.

Zucchini Pizza (adapted from Jim Lahey by way of Smitten Kitchen)
makes 1 pizza

8 oz. ball of pizza dough
1 medium zucchini or summer squash, about 1/2 lb.
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 oz. Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated
1 generous tablespoon breadcrumbs
Drizzle of olive oil

Place a pizza stone on an oven rack set at the top 1/3 of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Trim off the round end of the zucchini and using the other end as a handle, shred the zucchini on the coarse holes of a box grater.  Squeeze the shredded zucchini in your hands to remove the water and transfer a fistful at a time to a small mixing bowl.  Add the salt and mix well.  Let sit for 20-30 minutes so that more water is released.  Squeeze the zucchini again until you get out as much water as possible.  Mix with the Gruyere cheese.

Mix the breadcrumbs with a little olive oil, just enough to moisten and clump them together a little.

Stretch the dough onto a parchment paper-lined flexible cutting board.  Top with the zucchini-cheese mixture then sprinkle on the breadcrumbs.  Slide the pizza (still on the parchment paper) onto the pizza stone and bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the breadcrumbs are golden.  Use tongs to slide the pizza with the parchment paper from the pizza stone onto a cutting board.  Slice and eat!

Next:  Extra-Crispy Tortilla Pizza
Previously:  My Mom's Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Two Years Ago:  Grace's Ginger Scallion Fish
Three Years Ago:  S'mores Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Amnesty Bread

After a post about World Peace Cookies, it only seems appropriate to follow up with a post on Amnesty Bread. The idea for the name came from David Lebovitz's Amnesty Cookies, which are really Compost Cookies. But the theory is that you declare a day of amnesty for your fridge and pantry and just throw everything you want to get rid of into this bread. I had a zucchini, a pear, and two bananas from my Boston Organics delivery that needed to be used up plus some leftover dried cranberries and walnuts. If I had had carrots I would've grated those up and thrown them in here, too. Raisins, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and other types of nuts would certainly have worked just as well in here. If you make any substitutions, I'd recommend trying to keep it a total of 2 cups of grated veggies or fruits and 1 cup total of dried fruits, nuts, or chocolate.

Amnesty Bread
makes 2 loaves or 24 muffins

3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 zucchini, grated
1 pear, peeled, cored, and grated
2 bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour two 8"x4" bread loaf pans, a 10" tube pan, or line 24 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light yellow and frothy. Add oil, brown sugar, white sugar, grated zucchini, pear, bananas, and vanilla; blend together until well combined. Stir in 2 3/4 cups of the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Toss the remaining 1/4 cup flour with the cranberries and nuts and mix in with the rest of the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans or muffin tins.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes for the loaf pans and tube pan and 35 minutes for the muffins.

It's not the prettiest of breads or muffins, but it certainly does its job, which is to use up all those ingredients in a yummy way. It's quite moist, thanks to all the zucchini and fruits, but also a sturdy enough bread that you could slice and toast it and serve it with some butter.