Butternut Squash Sage Pizza

CSA has started back up again...hooray!  I must say, it does seem to bring a sense of order to my life, or at least to planning meals for the week.  So much easier for me to get a box of predetermined vegetables and go from there than to think of ideas off the top of my head.  I also end up eating things that are good for me that I normally wouldn't buy at the grocery store.  For example, I don't really like squash.  I think it goes all the way back to my childhood when I had to eat the tiny sliver that was put on my plate and it felt like it took hours to finish it.  But now, if Fairview gardens gives it to me and it's in season, I have to find a way to cook it and dare I say even like it.  Well, tonight I liked it.  Butternut Squash Pizza.  I know, what's not to like?  And what made it even better was Martha and Augie came and enjoyed it with us.  I'm trying unsuccessfully not to be too sad that those days are numbered. :(

Butternut Squash Pizza (from Chez Panisse Vegetables; by Alice Waters)

1 butternut squash (about 1 pound)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic
Pizza dough for 1 pizza
1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese
12 sprigs parsley
20 sage leaves
1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Slice off the top of the squash about 1/2 inch under the stem and slice just enough off the bottom to remove the remnants of the withered flower stem; be careful not to cut into the seed cavity. Split the squash in half crosswise just above the bulge. Stand each half end up and carefully cut away all the skin. Cut each portion in halt lengthwise and scoop the seed and fiber from the lower half with a spoon. Cut the quarters crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. The upper portions will yield half-moon slices, and the lower sections elongated C shapes.

Brush the slices with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and arrange them in one layer on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 30 to 60 minutes, checking from time to time. The roasting time will vary according to the sugar and moisture content and the density of the squash. It is done when lightly browned and tender to the touch.

Meanwhile, peel and chop fine the garlic and add to about 1/4 cup olive oil. When the squash slices are done, remove from the oven. Put a pizza stone in the oven and boost the heat to 450F to 500F.

Roll out a circle of pizza dough, brush with the olive oil and garlic, and sprinkle evenly with the mozzarella and Gruyère. Arrange the slices of cooked squash over the cheese. Bake the pizza for about 10 minutes, until the crust is browned and the cheeses have melted.

While the pizza is baking, chop the parsley leaves. Fry the sage leaves briefly in hot olive oil, then drain them on an absorbent towel. When the pizza is done, garnish with the sage leaves, the chopped parsley, and a squeeze of lemon.

This is a very rich pizza, and is best served in small portions, as an appetizer.

Makes one 12-inch pizza.