Zucchini, Sweet Corn and Tomato Pizza

My favorite recipe on this site is my sweet potato, ricotta and pomegranate pizza. Since I basically haven't stopped thinking about that pizza since I made it, I thought it was time for me to create a summer rendition.

My backyard garden was a major source of inspo for this dish. I talked about my prolific tomato plants in the last post but failed to mention that my zucchini have recently gone bonkers as well. Every morning I discover a new zucchini that's the size of my arm and need to think up yet another zucchini-centric dish.

This pizza was one result of that zucchini brainstorming. Zucchini, sweet corn and tomato are the quintessential trio of Midwestern summers, so I knew I couldn't go wrong. Toss in some ricotta, chives and red pepper flakes and you're good to go.

Let me know what you think of the recipe in the comments and don’t forget to follow the sustainability tips below!

Time: 2 hours

Makes: 2 pizzas

Serves: 6-8 people

Ingredients

Dough

• A little over 2 cups (250 grams) bread flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ¾ cup, plus 1 tablespoon water

• 2 ¼ teaspoon (7 grams, 1 packet) rapid or fast-rising yeast

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

• About 3 tablespoons semolina flour

Toppings

• 2 large cobs of sweet corn

• 1 medium zucchini (about 4 cups of slices)

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (about 24-30 tomatoes)

• 15 ounces ricotta cheese

• 2 tablespoons minced chives, plus more for garnish

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• Red pepper flakes and lemon zest for garnish

Steps

Make Dough

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment or a large bowl, whisk together bread flour and salt. In a smaller bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together water, yeast, oil and sugar until sugar has dissolved. Knead on low speed (or stir with a wooden spoon) while slowly adding the liquid mixture to the dry mixture. Continuing mixing until dough forms a shaggy mass.

2. If using a stand mixer, turn the speed to medium-low and knead for 5 minutes, or until dough is elastic and springy. If not using a stand mixer, knead the dough on a clean countertop for about 10 minutes. Once the dough is nice and springy, form it into a taught ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rest for 50 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Prepare toppings

1. While the dough is rising, bring about 8 cups of water to a boil in a large covered stockpot. Once water is boiling, add the corn cobs, cover and let return to a boil. Let corn boil for 5 minutes, then remove from water and set aside to cool.

2. While the corn is cooling, use a mandolin or sharp knife to cut the zucchini into 1/8-inch thick rounds. Arrange rounds in a single layer between two kitchen towels and press down gently to absorb excess moisture. Once the corn is cool enough to handle, use a knife to cut the kernels off of the cob. Set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta, chives and garlic and set aside.

Put it all together

1. Punch down on the risen dough to release air and then split it in half. Working with one half at a time, stretch and roll the dough as thin as you can into a large circle, or whatever shape your heart desires (that fits on your baking sheet).

2. Dust the preheated baking stone with semolina flour and quickly place the dough on top. Drizzle dough with olive oil, arrange half the zucchini, corn and tomatoes on top, dollop with half the ricotta mixture and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and ricotta is just beginning to brown. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and extra chives. Repeat with other half of dough and dig in!

Sustainability tips

• Flour: I like to use King Arthur brand flour because King Arthur is a B Corp! This just means they're held to a really high environmental and social standard. Read more in my post about B Corps.

• Vegetables, garlic and chives: Make these pizzas when all the veggies are in season. This will make it easier to find locally and organically grown varieties. This will cut down on GHGs from travel and on nasty pesticides.

• Ricotta: Since ricotta comes from cows, which are just terrible for the environment, make sure you buy your ricotta from a brand you trust. I like to buy dairy from B Corps because I know they're held to a high environmental standard.