Jazz it with Zucchini

Zucchini may not be a fancy thing, looks bland and boring and not the top of mind ingredient when you're thinking of 'pizza'. But sometimes these humble vegetables surprise me the most.

A simple stir fry zucchini in olive oil with some salt and pepper, till it's nice and crunchy, is a tasty snack on its own. Fry some onions as well in the left over oil in the pan, till they caramelize a little, and layer these over a pizza base. (layer the base with some pasta sauce if you wish) Grate some fresh feta or mozzarella and a bit of Parmesan, and pop it into an oven for about 15- 20 minutes.

The stir fry zucchini can also be a yummy crisp garnish for your pasta. I tried it with an older recipe of pasta al limone- and it was lip smacking delish!

Margherita night!

I don't think we would be ordering pizza so often anymore. It's just so easy! And it's fun.
Making the sauce is fun, kneading the dough, watching it puff up, rolling the base, sprinkling the cheese...
Making the dough was easy. I just followed the recipe behind the Active yeast box. Or alternatively you can get it from here: http://litebite.in/homemade-pizza-base-gluten-free-healthy-recipe-pesto/

For the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, small dice
• 4 tablespoons chopped garlic
• Salt and pepper
• fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons red wine (optional)
• 3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup water

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until onions are soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add the basil leaves, red wine, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool the sauce before using it to make pizza.

Roll the dough really thin and place it on the baking tray. Sprinkle the tray with flour, so the bread doesn't stick to the base. After about 5-7 minutes, take out the base and brush it with a bit of olive oil and slather it with the rich tomato sauce. Add the thinly sliced mozzarella and toss it back into the oven for another 10 mins. By now the cheese would have started to melt. Time to pull it out and sprinkle the chopped basil leaves and leave it in the oven again for another 5-7 minutes. The cheese would soon start to bubble and turn a lovely crusty golden brown.