pizza four hands

We make pizza around here quite often--it's a great way to use up whatever veggies are in season. And if you have a little time and a lot of patience, it's also a great way to incorporate the eager hands of little ones into the art and work of the kitchen.  There was a time when making a pizza felt intimidating to me, so I thought I'd share how we do it in hopes of inspiring another hopeful but hesitant family to give it a try.

We start out by making the dough--a much loved project of the resident two year old. So squishy and messy and it smells good, too! Our current recipe of choice is the calzone crust in Molly Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. Very simple, quick, and tasty. You could also buy a pre-made crust if you're short on time. (We often make a double batch and freeze half after rising--makes for a very quick second meal.)

After the dough has risen for an hour, we oil a pan and roll or stretch the dough to fit. We have a round pan now, but used to use a jelly-roll style pan--it doesn't really matter. Then we spread on a bit of sauce, which can be store-bought or home made. This week the pizza sauce I had planned to use had been sitting in the fridge a little too long and was topped with a good inch of mold. The only other tomato sauce in the house was still in this form:

We weren't feeling quite ambitious enough to turn these beauties into sauce before dinner, so instead we used left over fresh salsa I made the day before. It turned out just fine. And this goes to show how creative you can be with a pizza. It is a very forgiving medium. You could also use pesto or just a little olive oil.

Now for the real creativity--toppings! Our absolute favorite right now is the pizza pepper we grew for the first time this year (seed was from Territorial). They're a little bigger than a jalapeno and don't have the fire. Nice and thick walled, and just the right size for slicing.

For this pizza, we also added some chopped chard (stems and all) and black olives (from a can). The salsa had garlic and green onions from the garden. This is a good time to add fresh or dried herbs, especially basil or oregano.

 Now you're ready to top the pizza with a little cheese (we use mozzarella and Parmesan most often, but again, you can use anything you like and have on hand), pop it in a 400 degree F oven, bake for about 20 minutes till golden and bubbly, and...

You're ready to eat! I have to be honest and say that although my toddler thoroughly enjoyed making this pizza, she wouldn't eat it (more for mom and dad!). If you have picky eaters, it may help to let them decide what toppings they want on their portion--but again--this is the beauty of making it together! From the kneading of the dough, to the varied colors and shapes of the toppings, to the bits of shredded cheese snatched while mom isn't looking, the making of a pizza offers so many teachable moments and opportunities to connect with my little one. It really is worth the effort.