Pizza alla zucca?!?!?

I mentioned that for the 'bagna caoda' party I prepared some pizza just in case someone didn't like the bagna caoda. I prepared three types: one was my favorite ricotta and pesto focaccia, another was a traditional grilled eggplant/cheese pizza, and the last one was an experiment (again inspired by the 'San Francisco flavor' cookbook!). I decided to try it as it involves my ingredient of the month - squash. No one would ever make pureed squash pizza or focaccia in Italy (at least not that I'm aware of), but I decided to give it a shot anyway!

Focaccia con zucca / Squash focaccia
The recipe in the 'San Francisco cookbook' suggests using delicata or butternut squash for this focaccia. Instead, I used turban squash. I bought it at the Berkeley Bowl intrigued by its beautiful shape and color, and it turned out to be absolutely delicious. I think it's now in the list of my favorite squashes. It tastes a little like pumpkin, and the yield is really high. It smells delicious after baking.

The preparation of this focaccia is quite straightforward: prepare pizza dough (recipe here). When ready, spread on a baking pan, previously greased with olive oil. Bake the squash of your choice, until soft. Scoop the flesh out and puree with a spoon. Add olive oil, salt and oregano (amounts to your taste) and mix. Spread on the pizza dough, and add pieces of cheese on top (suggested by the recipe: cheddar cheese. I used Vermont farmer's cheese). Bake at 400 F for ~10 min, or till the crust starts becoming golden in color. Serve hot.

This squash focaccia turned out quite good - in my opinion not as good as the ricotta and pesto one, but definitely worth trying. I believe homemade pizza or focaccia is one of the best foods for a party: tasty and easy to pick up with your fingers without being too messy. So, I'll send this focaccia recipe as my entry for the 'Game night party' event hosted by Mansi at Fun and Food just for this month! - If you want different pizza/focaccia recipes, look here!

And I hope this recipe also inspires you to send me a contribution to the event I host, the 'Fresh Produce of the Month', centered on squash.. Still a few days open for submissions!