Garlic and Spinach make for a tastier, lighter pizza
I am not a big fan of the heaviy-salted, red sauced pizzas she orders from the local pizza parlor. It's good stuff, by mass produced pizza standards, don't get me wrong. I grew up in a old-fashioned Sicilian home where "pizza" was a way to use up the veggies that were left over from the week. When my grandmother made what she called pizza, you never knew what vegetables you might find on your slice...asparagus, broccoli, corn.
I loved it when we had spinach left over. And some onions and peppers from a salad. (No, she never put lettuce on the slices, thank goodness!) Though tomatoes are good for you, over the years, I have backed away from the red sauce because it tends to be a bit salty - and without the salt it doesn't taste as good, to be honest. I discovered that a crust brushed with a garlic paste is a great base for a pizza. Garlic is so good for you and it just brings out the taste of everything with which it is combined. Garlic is also claimed to help prevent heart disease (including atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure) and cancer. Garlic is used to prevent certain types of cancer, including stomach and colon cancers. In fact, countries where garlic is consumed in higher amounts, because of traditional cuisine, have been found to have a lower prevalence of cancer. But, in this case, just concentrate on the way it brings out the other flavors in this lower fat pizza treat.Garlicky Spinach Pizza12 ounces of refrigerated pizza dough1/2 bell pepper (whatever color you have on hand), diced2 big handfulls of fresh spinach1/4 onion, dicedSalt and pepper1/2 cup of ricotta cheese3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheeseGarlicky Spinach Pizza
- •Preheat the oven to 325°. Put the garlic on a sheet of foil and drizzle it with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon water. Seal the foil into a packet and bake until the garlic soft, about 30 minutes. Open up the packet and let it cool slightly. Squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins into a small bowl and add 2 teaspoons olive oil and mash into a paste.
- Meanwhile, grease a baking sheet or a large pizza pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil; dust with the cornmeal. Stretch the pizza dough into a large rectangle or a circle (depending on the shape of your pan) and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes; stretch again to almost fill the pan.
- Position your oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425°. Throw your spinach into a skillet with a bit of olive oil and cook over low heat until it's warmed through and season with salt and pepper.
- Brush the pizza dough with the garlic paste. Top with the spinach and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with the peppers and onions and the mozzarella. Throw whatever spices strike your fancy over the top and bake for 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 400° and bake until the cheese is bubbling, about 10 minutes.
Vegetarian
