Week 29: Super Simple Summer Stovetop Pizza

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.

Sam Keen

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If your weather is anything like ours this week, you are looking for easy recipes that do not require an oven. Here in Northern California we are sweltering at 102° and have already experienced one three hour blackout from PG&E. I checked out a weather map of the USA and it appears that the entire country is red, even places that typically have more mild temperatures this time of year. Climate change is real and we are feeling it!

If you are looking for something simple and yummy and that does not require much heat, check out this simple summer recipe. It’s light and flavorful and the dough can be pan fried with or without oil in about 5 minutes. NO oven required, though you probably have your own private Bikram studio in your living room right now. We do!

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Ingredients

• 1 ripe peach, preferably organic, sliced thin
• vegan ricotta
• balsamic vinegar
• dried currants (optional)
• honey or agave (optional)
• dough of choice

A few notes on the ingredients:

I realize that many vegans do not use honey. I did not consume it for many years but then a hive decided to live on our porch and we developed an interest in our local beekeepers. Consuming honey from your local area has numerous health benefits. Of course it’s up to you to decide if honey works for your diet. Agave, yacon syrup, and coconut nectar would all be great substitutes as would just letting the natural sweetness of a tree ripened peach steal the flavor show.

We used Kite Hill brand vegan ricotta. It was $7 from Whole Foods, so not cheap, but definitely better than anything I could make at home. It’s creamy and has a nice texture. I would definitely buy it again and will look for other creative ways to use the rest of the container.

If you have the time, a few hours to a few days before you you make this recipe, place some dried currants in a container, fill it with balsamic vinegar, shake it up, and put it in the fridge. The flavors will meld and your vinegar will take on a sweet flavor. You can keep this mix in the fridge for a few weeks. It makes a nice base for salad dressing, as a marinade, or to dress up veggies or grains. Raisins, apricots, and other dried fruit would work too.

For the crust, I used a piece of leftover dough made with roughly equal parts of whole wheat and all purpose flour. I used honey instead of sugar to activate the yeast. It’s a delicious base for this pizza. You can use any dough you like. You may prefer to use store bought dough as proofing your own in this heat won’t be easy. Pita pockets would work and taste great too. A thicker dough works well for this flavor combo.

Normally I leave my dough out of the fridge for 2-4 hours before use. With this heat, I’d aim for 90 minutes at “room temperature” before frying the dough. Less could work too.

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Instructions

1. Heat your pan over medium-high heat. (I know you don’t want to. This will be over soon!)
2. Gently shape your dough in a circle using your hands. Place it in the frying pan and push down the edges with your fingers. (I know it sounds like you will burn your fingers, but if your dough is the right thickness, you will not. Work quickly though and err on the side of caution.)
3. Toast each side of the dough for 2-4 minutes depending on the size and thickness of your dough.
4. When dough is on the second side, top with ricotta. I used a very modest amount, but you may prefer a thicker layer of cheese.
5. Take your pizza off the heat. (Yeah, you are done with the heat. Turn it off and be glad it’s over!)
6. Top with peach slices. Drizzle with honey and balsamic vinegar. Add a few currants.
7. Eat and enjoy!

We enjoyed this pizza and plan to make it again. It’s amazing how good a simple pan pizza can be.

If you make this or any other vegan pizza, we’d love to know @52veganpizzas. Next week we hope to again be using our oven and our new French pizza stone that we are excited to use. Wishing you a wonderful and cool week ahead.