Pizza with Herbs and Vegetables

Pizza is one of those foods that I never get tired of eating. Lately, I kept seeing a pizza dough, that I made, in the freezer. Whenever I opened the freezer door I would see the pizza dough and think of the satisfying meal that it would become.

It is summertime in the States and each day I see my herb garden growing and maturing. To me herbs represent possibilities. You can take a grilled eggplant and season it with cilantro, mint and Thai basil and you have beginnings of an Asian dish. Take the same eggplant and stew it with thyme, bay leaf and parsley and you have the beginnings of a European dish.

Below are golden oregano and Thai basil. I would see these two herbs in the garden and their colors and flavors seemed like a great match for the pizza dough in the freezer.

This pizza came together so nicely. I defrosted the dough in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning I spread out the dough into an oiled pan and let the dough rise for a few hours.

To the pie I added:

• Tomatoes
• Golden Oregano
• Thai Basil
• Chanterelle Mushrooms
• Sweet Onions
• Mozzarella Cheese

The pie bakes in a 450F oven for 20 minutes. I like to have a raw flavor and texture on my pizza so I finished off the cooked pie with fresh arugula. For a final seasoning, I sprinkled the pizza with kalamata olive flavored fleur de sel.