Fresh Veggie Pizza to DIE For!

We live close to Robert Redford's Sundance Resort, so we go there from time to time for lunch. The beauty and ambiance of the place is world famous, but its food is almost legendary. The Sundance chefs place a strong emphasis on freshness, using local ingredients in their dishes. And they are masters at creating "feasts for the eyes." The presentation of the food at the Foundry Grill and the Tree Room are simply stunning.

Our latest lunch involved a fresh veggie pizza to DIE for. I couldn't get enough, and I left wishing I had the recipe for it. Well, funny how things work. It just so happened that in one of my Aunt Annie's Country Living magazines (July 1995), THERE WAS THE VERY RECIPE! I almost hyperventilated!

Now I haven't made it yet (I wanted to share this with you right away), but I intend to this coming weekend. So I can't vouch for how literal this recipe will translate into what we ate for lunch the other day. But let's give it a try and compare notes. In the meantime, if you have a restaurant recipe you think we ought to know about, please share--we're all in this together, remember, so let's spread the good stuff! And until our next visit, happy cook'n!

GARDEN-VEGETABLE PIZZA (serves 8)
Although this recipe involves a good deal of preparation, almost everything can be made ahead of time, including the individual pizza crusts. You can pre-bake the crusts and saute the vegetables early in the day, leaving just a little time for assembly and baking prior to serving.

Pizza crusts (recipe follows)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small sweet green pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 small sweet red pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 Tbsp dried oregano leaves
1 small zucchini, cut into thin strips
3 1/2 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
4 plum (Roma) tomatoes, thinkly sliced
1 1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C crumbled blue cheese

Prepare pizza crusts and set aside on baking sheets; leave oven on. (If desired, crusts can be made several hours ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature; if this is done, heat oven to 400 degrees before proceeding with recipe.)

To make topping, in large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat. Add onion, green and red peppers, and oreganp; saute 3 min.. Stir in zucchini and mushrooms; saute 5 min. Add garlic, salt, and pepper and cook 2 min. Remove heat and set aside.

To assemble pizzas, brush tops of crusts with some of the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle a layer of mozzarella on each crust, then top with tomato slices. Mound sauteed vegetables on top of tomatoes. Divide Parmesan and blue cheese among pizzas and bake 8-10 min. or until cheeses melt and brown lightly. Serve.

PIZZA CRUSTS:
3 C flour
1 pkg rapid-rising dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 C very warm water (120-130 degrees)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
Yellow cornmeal

In large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. In 2-cup measuring cup or small bowl, mix together water, olive oil, and honey. Stir into flour mixture until blended and dough forms. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead 3 min. Wash, dry, and lightly oil mixing bowl. Place dough in oiled bowl, turning to bring oiled side up. Cover with clean cloth. Let dough rise in warm place, away from drafts, until double in size--about 1 hour. When dough has doubled, heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets and sprinkle each with cornmeal. Punch down dough and divid into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 6-inch round; place rounds on prepared sheets and bake 8-10 min. or just until lightly browned.