Baking, Mains, One-Handed Meals, Vegetarian

Corn, Zucchini, and Spicy Pesto Pizza

Debbie Koenigby Debbie Koenig
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Corn, Zucchini, and Spicy Pesto Pizza

pizza topped with spicy pesto, fresh corn kernels, and thinly sliced zucchini

I’ve missed you.

Really, I have. I’ve been a terrible blogger lately (well, I’m still blogging twice a week on Weight Watchers, but that seems to be all I can handle right now). My first excuse: a week in Maine, our second summer taking Harry to the area we stumbled upon during our honeymoon. This time we rented a sweet little house that turned out to be two doors down from the teeny-tiny cottage we stayed in for three consecutive years before he was born. Such a lovely coincidence.

And since our return a week ago, Harry and I have been on a bit of a staycation—he’s done with camp so I don’t have any childcare until school starts on the 6th. My computer time is limited, and I sure as heck ain’t writing blog posts on my phone. My wrists ache just considering that. Oh, and this coming Sunday is his birthday party! My baby turns 6 on Wednesday. A Star Wars party, complete with Millennium Falcon cake, Jedi robes, and pool noodle lightsabers, people. Pray for me.

I’ve got about 15 minutes before my sweet child starts demanding that I pay attention to him (really, why should I expect even half an hour to myself when he’s here, and he’s got more action figures than he can play with all by his widdle self?), so I’m putting this up with very little commentary. I’ll say this: If you like your summery foods to have a little zing to them, you’re going to love this pizza. Instead of tomato sauce, I used a quick and untraditional pesto, and topped it with corn straight off the cob and thinly sliced zucchini. I’ve been rationing out the leftovers for my lunch over the last few days—today’s the final slice, and I’m sad already.

Corn, Zucchini, and Spicy Pesto Pizza
Serves 4

1 portion pizza dough (whole wheat preferred, and I like Jim Lahey’s no-knead recipe)
1 cup basil leaves
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 small clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo or other red pepper (you can use more or less, depending on your taste & the pepper you use)
salt & pepper
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium zucchini, sliced very thin
3/4 cup corn kernels (from 1 ear corn, or defrosted frozen kernels)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

  1. Fit dough into your pan—I make mine in a rimmed baking sheet, which stretches it quite thin.
  2. In a food processor or blender, puree the basil, thyme, garlic, seasoning, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Stir in the Parmesan. Spread the pesto over the dough.
  3. In a large bowl, toss together the zucchini, corn, and remaining tablespoon of oil. Scatter on top of the pesto, then top with mozzarella.
  4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and crust is browned.

MAKE BABY FOOD: If your baby likes spice, this pesto is a great way to introduce somewhat strong herbal flavors. Reserve some of the zucchini and/or corn and steam or microwave it, then puree with a bit of the pesto. Once he’s on finger foods, you can deconstruct the pizza—give him some corn, some zucchini, and some (uncooked) shredded cheese, along with a crust to gnaw.