Zucchini Fried Pizza for One

I love Chinese Green Onion Pancakes. What does that have to do with pizza, you ask? This dough is the basis for a green onion pancake (which you roll in sesame oil, salt, and green onions, coil, and then press flat and fry). It’s light and delicate and doesn’t demand too much attention, just right for pizza toppings.

½ cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup very hot water (bring to a boil, pour into a measuring cup, and cool for a few minutes)

2 teaspoons canola oil plus more for frying

½ zucchini, sliced into rounds

2 slices onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

Faux ground “meat” (I like Yves brand)

1 hefty TBLSP faux sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated faux cheese (I like Daiya Mozzarella)

1/3 avocado, sliced or diced, as is your pleasure.

1. Combine the flour and water, kneading until the dough is formed. Place the dough on a well-floured surface.
2. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and soft, and a little spongy, perhaps 5 minutes. It will be pretty sticky, so just keep adding pinches of flour until you can knead it properly.
3. Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a damp cloth for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, you’ll want to make the topping. Put canola oil into a small skillet. Add in the zucchini and onions, and sauté until both are slightly softened.
5. Add in the garlic and faux meat, cooking until it’s warmed through.
6. Take the zucchini off the heat and add in the faux sour cream. You’ll want to taste and add salt and pepper at this point too.
7. Once the dough has rested, flatten it into two disks (or be a scofflaw and go for some other shape), place it on a well-floured board, and roll it flat with a rolling pin. You should get two 6” disks. You’ll be frying the disks, so it needs to fit into your frying pan, but you could certainly go larger if you wanted one big pizza rather than two small ones. Keep on flattening until it’s about 1/8-inch thick.
8. Heat the rest of the canola oil in a frying pan. Fry the dough on each side for 3-4 minutes. There should be little dark dots here and there if you’ve done it right. It shouldn’t be greasy at all.
9. Set the fried dough on a baking sheet. Top with the faux meat mixture, some grated faux cheese, and the avocado slices.
10. Stick it under the boiler until the cheese is melty, about 2 minutes.

Variations:

• You could go the traditional route and put a sauce on there. I find the dough to be very yummy and don’t like to drown out its delicate flavor.
• I can’t eat them, but a touch of chili flakes would be pretty good here, too.