“I pressed down the mental accelerator. The old lemon throbbed fiercely. I got an idea!” ~ P. G. Wodehouse, KBE, British humorist and author (1881-1975)

The beauty of pizza is that it gets to be whatever you want it to be. Someday, I hope to walk the streets of various Italian cities just to sample all the regional specialties. In the mean time, we’ve been trying to put together some variations that step away from the common chain offerings.

The crust… For some of us, that’s the best part.  Make it whichever way you like it. Or, don’t make it – just use a split loaf of French bread or a tortilla.

Lose the heavy tomato sauce; it covers up the other flavors and when your ingredients are delicious, you want to be able to taste them.

Top it with ingredients you love, then add a surprise. For us, the surprise was tiny slivers of preserved lemon. They’re almost invisible, but they give the pizza a spark in flavor that leaves the pizza summer fresh.

For the pizza pictured, we opted for just a sprinkling of Daiya mozzarella style shreds rather than cheese. It is dairy free, and much less salty than dairy cheese. Remember that cheese in entirely optional on pizza – more than flavor, it is just something we have come to expect. Think outside the box, literally!

You can buy preserved lemons from Mediterranean markets, or make them yourself from the recipe from November 29, 2010. (click here).

Sunshine Sparkle Pizza

Serves 4
Time: 25 minutes

12-inch crust of your choice, prepared or start from dough
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic salt
½ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
½ cup halved Kalamata olives
2 cups shredded fresh spinach leaves
2 tablespoons thinly sliced lemon peel from preserved lemons
½ cup Daiya mozzarella style shreds (entirely optional)

Preheat oven to 425° F and grease your pan.

Place crust on pizza pan or other baking sheet and brush the crust edges with olive oil. Sprinkle the garlic salt onto the area with the olive oil, so it sticks.

Spread the center of the crust with the sun dried tomatoes. Top by evenly distributing the ingredients in the order given.
If you are baking the crust from raw dough, it will typically take about 20 minutes in the oven. If you are using a crust that is already cooked, such as a baguette or a flour tortilla, it will take about 10 minutes to crisp up and warm the toppings. Cook until the edges have browned and crisped up a bit.

Serve while hot. We enjoyed this with a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc, a light white wine that is perfect for a hot summer’s eve.