Lemony Zucchini - Almond Pizza

I had noted down this recipe from a cook book that I had borrowed from my local library some time ago since the ingredients that went into making this pizza sounded interesting. This blogging marathon seemed like a perfect opportunity to try it and today I did. A different version than the regular tomato based one and it was like eating a cheese pizza with potent lemony flavor.  

Ingredients:
1 pound pizza dough (Check recipe here.)
1 zucchini, shredded
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon / lime zest
1/2 cup / 2 oz grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp sliced almonds 

Method:
* Toss the zucchini with the salt in a colander and drain for about 30 minutes. Squeeze the shredded zucchini to remove as much as liquid as possible. Add the lemon / lime zest to it and mix well. 
* Preheat the oven to 450 deg F. Grease the pizza tray or baking sheet that is going to be used.
* Place the dough at the center of the tray. Form the dough into a flat thick circle by dimpling with fingertips. Then shape it into a 14 inch circle / 12x7 inch rectangle. (I used half pound dough and made a small sized one.)

* Spread the zucchini - lime mixture evenly over the prepared crust, leaving an 1/2 inch border at its edge.
* Top with the cheese and sliced almonds.
* Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 16 - 18 minutes.

Notes:
1. I had some leftover pizza dough when I baked the cheese pizza and I made use of it for this pizza. The original recipe uses a semolina based dough for the crust. I haven't tried it but here is the recipe for anyone who is interested. 
List of ingredients:
3/4 cup luke warm water
1.5 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 & 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
2 Tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp for greasing the bowl.
Preparation of pizza dough:
* Combine water, yeast, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir just until everything is dissolved. Cover and set aside the mixture for about 5 minutes at room temperature. The mixture would usually bubble and foam by the time.
* Stir in both flours and the oil. Transfer the mixture to a floured work space and work dough back and forth with the heels of your hands. Knead until smooth and elastic for about 8-10 minutes. If the dough is dry while kneading, add extra water in 1 Tbsp increments. I find that this recipe needs an extra tbsp of water.
* Grease a bowl and place the dough in the prepared bowl. Turn the dough so that all sides are coated with oil. Cover and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1.5 to 2 hours.

2. The original recipe uses a lemon that is cooked in water for about 25 minutes and drained. Then the inside pulp is removed, the rind is shredded and used in the recipe. I followed this method and found the flavor to be very potent. I like the lemon flavor to be subtle in any recipe and so I think lemon zest suits better here.

This is my Day 2 post under "Pizza" theme and check this page for other marathoners who are doing BM #35.

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