Vegetable Pizza

                                        When I want kiddos to eat vegetables without fussing , only two dishes come to my mind . The good old Pav-Bhaji and Pizza . Pizza is always welcome at the parties , playdates and even mom's meetups .

               The pizza crust and sauce recipes are from The Complete Italian Cookbook by Tarla Dalal though I have tweaked them a little . I got this book about 10 yrs back and still love it .

You need :

Dough :

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp yeast
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt

      
For the sauce :

6 medium tomatoes
2 bay leaves
4-6 peppercorns
1 small onion diced
1/2 green pepper ,chopped
1 tsp garlic , grated
2 tbsp tomato puree
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp oregano or pizza seasoning
salt to taste

Toppings :
vegetables of your choice
Cheese

**you can add any meat to make it a non vegetarian pizza .

To proceed :

Dough :

1) Combine all the ingredients except oil and knead into a soft dough using enough warm water until smooth and elastic .( The amount of water differs with different brand pf wheat flour )
2) Add oil and knead again .
3) Cover the dough with wet cloth for 15-20 minutes or till it doubles in volume .
4) Knead lightly to remove trapped air .
5) Divide the dough in two equal parts .
5 ) Roll and stretch into a pizza dish .

Sauce :

1) Blanch ,peel and chop the tomatoes .
2) Heat oil in a pan .
3) Add bay leaves and peppercorns and saute for a minute .
4) Add the onion ,garlic and green pepper and cook for couple of minutes .
5) Add chopped tomatoes and simmer for 12-15 minutes .
6) Add tomato puree ,ketchup ,sugar and salt and let it simmer for another couple of minutes .
7) Let it cool down a little and grind well in a blender .
8) Return to the stove and finish off the sauce with oregano or pizza seasoning .


Assembly :

1) Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2) Spread the pizza sauce on rolled pizza crust .
3) Add the toppings .
4) Add cheese .
5) Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes .

Serve hot .