Pretty Pita Pizzas

The request: Pizza. The problem: No mozzarella cheese in the fridge, and no desire to drag tired, hungry kids or my tired, hungry self to the store. The other problem: Not enough time to make dough.

The solution: Pizzas on pita bread. For the kids I used an olive oil base topped with garlic, sliced tomato, and zucchini, with a little Parmesan cheese. The adults got a rosemary-caramelized onion base, topped with thinly sliced zucchini, capers, and an egg, also with a bit of Parmesan.

The result: Momentary happiness, full bellies, and the feeling of satisfaction that comes from making a pizza that looks like a flower.

These pizzas are very easy, and open to individual interpretation. This was my general method: For the kids' version just place a piece of pita bread on a sheet pan, then spread some olive oil on the bread, sprinkle with salt, then top with minced garlic, tomato slices, zucchini, and a little more salt. Bake in a 450° oven for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan after you remove the pizza from the oven.

For the adult version, you follow the exact same principle: Put your pita bread on a sheet pan, spread the caramelized onion sauce (recipe follows) on the bread, then arrange very thinly sliced zucchini in a circle around the edge. Crack an egg into the middle, and sprinkle capers and a little salt on top of everything. Bake for about 10 minutes in a 450° oven, or until egg is set. Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle grated Parmesan and black pepper on top.

Rosemary Caramelized Onion Sauce
The only thing that takes any time worth mentioning in this whole process is the caramelized onion sauce, which needs to cook for about 35 minutes. You could always make this ahead of time if you manage to plan ahead. Or you can just let it cook while you prepare your other pizza ingredients. The sauce tastes even better the next day, and would be great on a piece of crusty bread or crackers.

6 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium-sized yellow onions, peeled and sliced
Salt
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Dash of sherry vinegar

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onions and a little salt and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for a long time, until the onions turn a nice golden brown. (Be careful not to scorch the onions. If they start cooking too fast, turn down the heat. Slow and steady is the idea. It took about 35 minutes for my onions to be done.) During the last few minutes of cooking, crush the rosemary in your palm and add it to the pan. Stir to combine and cook for a few minutes until the onions are done. You will then need to puree the onions in a blender or food processor, adding perhaps a bit more olive oil to get a thick, fairly smooth sauce with some lumps in it. Pour the onions into a bowl, and add a dash of sherry vinegar and more salt to taste, if needed.

Incidentally, this sauce makes a really nice salad dressing if you add a dollop to some balsamic vinegar. Make a salad of toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped apples, and very fresh lettuce, then toss with this dressing. I did this with some of my leftover sauce, and it was quite lovely.