This past Saturday was opening day for the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market. Every year I head off to market with my reusable shopping bags, fully prepared to do my part by purchasing lots of yummy produce. Week after week last year, I would find myself refilling a veggie drawer that was already half full. I began with the intention of using all of my produce over the course of the week, but I found that on some days I was too busy to cook the meal I had purchased them for. Some weeks I even had to throw some of my rotten produce out. I always felt guilty. but, this year, I have a plan.
Here’s where Just Pizza comes into play. Sunday night has become “clean out night” in our house. Whatever is left in the veggie drawer from the previous week has to go, and I’ve decided that homemade pizza is my muse in this experiment. Just Pizza has been integral to this endeavor. I stop by the Elmwood & Summer location and purchase a ball of dough for $2. Wilson Farms is right next door, so I swing over and grab a bag of mozzarella. Then it’s off to the kitchen.
This week, I had leftover red, yellow and green bell peppers, a bunch of chives, grape tomatoes, and some fresh asparagus. First, I blanched the peppers and asparagus. Then, I topped my dough with ricotta mixed with the chives, plus garlic, salt and pepper. Veggies get scattered on top next, followed by the shredded mozzarella. Into the oven at 375° until the cheese starts to turn golden (it takes about 15 minutes in my oven). Then let the pizza set for about 5 minutes before you cut into it. It worked out really well for me.
My only problem was that I had some leftover dough. I happened to watch a recent Everyday Italian program where Giada DeLaurentis deep fried little balls of pizza dough in oil and immediately tossed them in a paper bag with powdered sugar to make donut holes. Not the healthiest recipe, but I’ll try anything once. I did, and they were awesome.
As I continue to search for ideas on using up my leftover produce, I’ll be sure to share them with you, but please, share yours as well!