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Pita Pizza Makes a Vegetable Feast BY DANA JACOBI FOR THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH

Fall has officially arrived, but most gardens and farmer’s markets are still loaded with tomatoes, peppers, zucchini squash and fresh herbs. Depending on where you live, this bounty may disappear soon – and seemingly overnight – when the year’s first frost hits.

Shortly after Columbus Day, this first frost usually lays siege near my home, signaling the end of the growing season and making me anxious to indulge in the “real thing” one last time before my local produce disappears.

Ratatouille is one of the easiest ways to combine tomatoes, peppers and zucchini. That said, by now I have eaten enough of it to be thoroughly bored and am looking for alternatives. I’ve tried escalivada, a Spanish dish made by grilling or roasting tomatoes, peppers, onions and eggplant. What else could I make to savor generous amounts of these last lovely vegetables?

The answer came to me during a walk in New York City’s East Village last week. This trendy, yet funky part of the city is crammed with small restaurants that serve inexpensive food. Some eateries focus on one signature item, offering 20 kinds of dumplings, for example. Others keep prices down by serving simple ethnic dishes like hummus, French crêpes or spaghetti with garlic and olive oil.

One of my favorite restaurants serves a delicious pita pizza. Borrowing the concept, I created this Greek-style version with roasted vegetables. The vegetables are cooked separately and then heaped high on pita bread that has been sprinkled with feta cheese and warmed in the oven until the cheese is just melted.

Roasted Vegetable Pita Pizza - Makes 4 servings

• 1 large ripe tomato, preferably beefsteak
• 1 small fennel bulb
• 1 small red onion, cut into ¼ inch slices
• 1 yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into ¼ inch strips
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into ¼ inch slices
• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp. dried thyme)
• 4 (6-inch) whole-wheat pita bread loaves
• Olive oil cooking spray
• ½ cup (2 oz.) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut off the top and bottom of the tomato. Slice the tomato into four thick slabs. Coat lightly on both sides with cooking spray and arrange the tomato in one layer at one end of a 13½- x 17-inch baking sheet. Cut off the top and bottom of the fennel bulb. Remove the tough outer layers and halve the bulb vertically. Cut out most of the tough core at the bottom of each half and cut the fennel vertically into thin slices.

Pile the fennel on the baking sheet. Next, add the onion, pepper, zucchini and garlic to the baking sheet. Add the salt, a generous amount of pepper and the thyme. Coat the vegetables generously with cooking spray, using your hands to toss and combine them.

Bake the vegetables for 12 minutes. Transfer the tomato slices to a plate. Stir the remaining vegetables and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Stir again and continue roasting until tender, about 10 minutes more. Pile the vegetables on a plate.

Coat the top of the pita loaves lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle on the feta. Place the pita in the oven until they are warmed and the cheese is soft, about four minutes.

To serve, place each pita on a plate. Add a tomato slice and top with one-fourth of the vegetables. Serve warm.

Per serving: 248 calories, 4 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 48 g carbohydrate, 12 g protein,
9 g dietary fiber, 567 mg sodium.

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