LEEK AND ROASTED PEPPER PIZZA

We have pizza at least once a week and have managed to get its assembly down to a fine art. We make the pizza dough in the Bread Maker earlier in the day, leaving it to rise while we are off at the gym or shopping at The Temple. We use part of the dough for the pizza and the rest becomes light, hot dough balls that are baked and then dipped into garlic oil as an appetizer while the pizza bakes.

Bar

Makes one 15-inch or two 9-inch pizzas. And that's real inches, not Internet inches.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 large leeks, white parts only, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced, and washed, about 3 cups

¼ teaspoon salt

Pepper

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Pizza dough from your favourite recipe. (Don't you hate recipes that refer to other recipes?)

Oil, to brush the dough with. (Seasoned with garlic, it's even better)

Roasted Pepper Sauce (see below)

8 Niçoise or Gaeta olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

5 ounces Fontina, provolone, or mozzarella cheese. (We use low-fat mozzarella just fine)

½ ounce Parmesan cheese, grated, about 3 tablespoons

2 teaspoons chopped Italian parsley

{short description of image}{short description of image}{short description of image}{short description of image}{short description of image}

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté the leeks with ¼ teaspoon salt, a few pinches of pepper, and the garlic until tender, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Roll out the dough and place it on a lightly oiled pizza pan or a well-floured wooden peel; brush with the oil. Spread about 2/3 cup pepper sauce over the dough. (You'll have a little sauce left over, good for dipping dough balls into.) Cover with the leeks and sprinkle on the olives. Spread the cheese on top.

Bake the pizza, in the pan or on a preheated pizza stone, for 8 to 12 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp. Remove it from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Bar

ROASTED PEPPER SAUCE

Makes about 1 cup

3 medium-size red bell peppers, roasted and peeled

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Place the peppers in a blender or food processor. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and a few pinches of pepper. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and another splash or two of balsamic vinegar.

Back to food page