I know what you’re thinking: “Corn? On pizza?  She’s crazy.”  Crazy like a fox, I say. Or crazy like a person who enjoys crispy, chewy, sweet, spicy, savory, salivatingly (salivatingly? Oh, shut up I’m on a roll) good pizza.

Corn is the key.  Don’t get me wrong, roasted peppers & onions are lovely by themselves, but the corn!  The corn added texture, a hint of smoky sweetness, a foil for the tomato sauce. Roasting brought out a flavor very much like grilled corn on the cob and was reminiscent of lazy summer barbeques when the daylight lasted forever and tank-tops and flip-flops were the order of the day, not fleece-lined boots and down jackets. Ah, the corn. I know you’ve got some tucked away in your freezer; dig it out, make this pizza, and bring a little summer back into your life. You deserve it. 

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Roasted Pepper, Onion & Sweet Corn Pizza

INGREDIENTS

• 1 recipe Quick(er) Whole Grain Pizza dough
• 2 cups diced yellow bell pepper (frozen), or 2 fresh bell peppers, diced to 1/2-inch squares
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup hot red banana pepper (frozen), or about 4 fresh banana peppers or 1 red sweet bell pepper, diced to 1/2-inch squares
• 1 cup sweet corn (fresh or frozen)
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• olive oil
• about 1 oz hard grating cheese, such as Bardwell Farms Equinox
• about 1 cup tomato sauce (I used Tomato Sauce with Fresh Basil)
• about 4 – 6 oz fresh mozzarella, homemade or purchased
• cornmeal and/or extra flour, for sprinkling

METHODS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Make the pizza dough.
3. Toss the peppers, onions, and corn with 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large bowl.  Add 1 tsp oregano and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.  Toss well and transfer to a 9″ X 13″ roasting pan. Roast in a 400 degree F oven, stirring two or three times, until the vegetables begin to brown and smell divine, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to as high as it will go (550 degrees F on my oven).
5. Meanwhile, shape the pizza dough (or if you have the time, punch it down and allow a second rise). Transfer your pizza shell to a parchment-covered pizza peel, or one liberally sprinkled with cornmeal or flour. Or, if you do not have a pizza stone, transfer to a baking sheet or pizza pan.
6. Assemble & cook the pizza. Drizzle about 1 tbsp of olive oil on the formed pizza shell, and spread over the surface of the dough with your fingers or a pastry brush.  Sprinkle grated hard cheese and a little oregano over the shell.  Then add dollops of tomato sauce, mozzarella, roasted veggies, and oregano.  If you wish, brush a little more oil along the edges of the pizza dough and sprinkle with grated hard cheese.  Slide the pizza off the peel and onto your pizza stone, or transfer the pan to the preheated oven.  Cook for 7 – 10 minutes, or until the dough edges have puffed up and browned and the cheese is bubbling and starting to carmelize.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3 – 5 minutes before slicing. 
7. Shape and par-cook the remaining dough into a pizza shell for freezing, to have on hand for impromptu pizza night.

Yields one 14-inch pizza plus one 9-inch pizza shell.

OPTIONS

1. Any combination of peppers will work well; for a spicier pizza, throw in some minced jalapeno, habanero, serrano or other hot chile.  The roasting will mellow them somewhat and the corn adds a nice sweetness.
2. Double the amount of vegetables specified in the recipe to have some on hand for sandwiches, topping salad or soup, or to make a second pizza.

STORE

Lasts for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.  Cooked pizza will also freeze well for up to 1 month.  Par-cooked pizza shells will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.

SEASON

Best made in winter when frozen veggies are on hand and you want to warm up the house with the oven on high.