ZUCCHINI-RONI PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• If you are using jarred red peppers, drain them very well and pat peppers dry with paper towels. Place peppers in a food processor and pulse-grind into a paste. Spread paste in a thin layer on a thin crust shell. Top paste with thin slices of smoked fresh mozzarella cheese.
• Place very thinly sliced zucchini discs in a small bowl and combine with remaining ingredients. Toss discs well to evenly coat with seasonings. The zucchini discs will have a flavor similar to pepperoni. You have just made zucchinironi!
• Arrange your zucchinironi slices around your pie: as little or as much as you like, but do not overlap slices or you pie will be wet.
• Bake directly on oven rack or on a preheated, perforated pizza pan. Bake 10 minutes on the middle rack of preheated oven or, until cheese is bubbly and golden and edges of pizza are crisp.
• Tidbits: How to roast red peppers: To roast in your oven, preheat broiler to highest setting. Halve red peppers and rip out seeds. Place pepper halves, skin side up, on a cookie sheet. Broil peppers until the skins are completely black. Leave the oven door ajar while peppers roast to let steam escape. Place blackened peppers in a large brown paper sack and close tightly. Let peppers stand 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Peel skins away from red pepper flesh, and discard skins. To roast peppers on the outdoor grill, leave peppers whole and roast covered over high heat on a gas stove or close to coals. Follow above method to peel.
• If your market does not carry smoked fresh mozzarella cheese, you can substitute 1 1/2 cups of shredded smoked Gouda (the yield of grating about 8 ounces of cheese).