Grilled Vegetable Pizza

This Sunday at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market you can look forward to the following offerings from Sweetwater Farm and Fair Valley Farm:

• eggplants and corn (throw them on the grill)
• honeydew mellons
• apples from SLO Farm (bake a pandowdy)
• tomato sale! 20 lb for $20 (lots of varieties including early girl, big beef, beeefsteak, brandywine, san marzano, Japanese black trifele, new girl, ponderosa del oro, principe, borghese, rebeleski, red pear piriform, sun gold, celebrity, mt. fresh, orange blossom, paragon, polbig, qualit, taxi, and valley girl)
• peppers both sweet and spicy (including: ace, ancho, anthoi romanian, carmen, conchos, czech black, el jefe, flavor burst, italia, jalafuego, lipstick, melrose, numex joe, parker, red rocket, sahauro, serrano del sol, tiburon and yankee bell) (try these bruschetta)
• baby lettuce salad mix
• zucchini and summer squash (make ladybugs on a log)
• green beans, yellow wax beans, and romanos
• cucumbers
• red, white, and blue potatoes
• sweet white onions, garlic, fennel, and leeks (make a tomato and leek clafouti)
• fresh herbs, including basil, cilantro, dill, thyme, oregano, and sage
• tomato sauce and pesto
• naturally fermented pickles, dilly beans, and sauerkraut
• homemade jams
• Scottish oats (make granola)
• a selection of dried beans and grains from Camas Country Mill
• pastured chicken
• pastured pork: bacon, ground pork, pork chops, shoulder roasts, ham roasts, spare ribs, and the best sausage for hash
• pastured lamb: ground, stew meat, leg roast, rib chops, loin chops

We brought home these beauties from Sweetwater Farm last Sunday (freshly picked corn, plump eggplants, elegant Red Long of Tropea onions, and lipstick peppers). Indulging in all of this fresh produce is one of the great pleasures of summer. But all this bounty can leave one with a nagging sense of panic about how to process it. 

Grilling is a great solution, because leftover grilled vegetables can be used in so many ways. While my husband tended our grill piled high with corn, eggplant, peppers, onions, and lamb burgers, I cooked down some of Sweetwater's romas in a simple tomato sauce. Later that evening I mixed up a batch of Jim Lahey's no-knead pizza dough, which conveniently needs about 18 hours of rising, ready in time for next night's dinner. And the following evening, dinner practically assembled itself.

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

1 recipe of Jim Lahey's no-knead pizza dough
tomato sauce (preferably made with fresh romas)
grilled peppers, onions, and eggplant, chopped
fresh mozzarella balls, sliced
handful of basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and insert a pizza stone if you are using one. Divide the dough into four balls, flour them lightly, and shape them according to Lahey's instructions (or use a rolling pin to roll them out on a silicone mat). Sprinkle polenta on a baking sheet or pizza peel and place the pizza dough on top. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the dough, distribute over the grilled vegetables, and then sliced mozzarella.  Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes until the crust in browned and the cheese is bubbling. Top with fresh basil leaves and enjoy.