Spinach pizza

Tonight we had the spinach that came in our haul this week on top of a homemade pizza, along with a nice side salad of lettuce and cucumbers with a simple homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Salads somehow taste better when they're made with greens that come from close by; I remember just going out to the garden when I lived at hom to pick some lettuce for the evening's salad - the greens just have more flavor. Even though these were delivered last Tuesday, washing and putting them with a moist paper towel in a Ziploc bag kept them as tasty as they were the day they arrived. The cucumber was equally delicious. After having eaten so many where you just have to peel off the skin to get that thick, chemical-tasting layer off, to have one that you just slice and eat is fantastic. It was hard not to just eat the whole thing while waiting for the pizza to finish cooking.

After getting back from doing some serious shopping today, I made the pizza dough. I've been making this recipe for a few years - it's easy, and makes enough for two 12" pizzas. We freeze half of the dough, wrapped in wax paper and in a freezer bag - it keeps well for a month or so, and defrosts beautifully.

Thin-crust pizza dough

1 3/4 cups very warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp slt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for oiling the bowl

Stir the yeast into the warm water (I do this in the Pyrex measuring cup I measured the water in). While waiting for the yeast to proof, pulse the flour and salt in a food processor to mix. When the bubbles have formed at the top of the yeast/water mixture, pour into the food processor while the blade is turning constantly. Then add the olive oil. The dough should have formed a coherent ball and pull away from the sides of the food processor bowl. If it feels very sticky, add a bit more flour.

Put some olive oil (about a tablespoon) into the bottom of a large glass bowl. Turn the dough out into the bowl, and roll it in the olive oil to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit until double its original size.

When fully risen, cut in half and freeze extra half - or use a large cookie sheet pan for a very large pizza. Roll out to fit your pizza pan, and top with whatever your heart desires.



Our heart's desire this week: our favorite pizza sauce, spinach, some hard salami, and mozzarella.