I have expanded my culinary boundaries since I switched to a vegetarian diet about a month ago. I am following a lot of Chef Jamie Oliver’s tips for cooking fresh with local ingredients. His Food Revolution TV series was filmed near our town.

I picked up a butternut squash last week at our town’s farmers’ market. Yesterday I made one of the best specialty pizzas I’ve ever eaten. My family concurs. Let me share the recipe:

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Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza (from The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook)
Serves 4

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
4 cups white bread flour (I used 3-1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup golden flax flour)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed, about 1 pound prepared weight
16 sage leaves
2 x 14-ounce cans chunky tomato sauce
4 ounces mozzarella
4 ounces firm goat cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1) Put 1-1/4 cups warm water in a measuring cup. Add the yeast and sugar and let sit 5-10 minutes, until mixture is frothy.

2) Sit the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Gradually pour in the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Mix to make a smooth dough. Knead about 10, until smooth, springy, and elastic. (I let my Bosch mixer do all the work!) Place the dough in a floured bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1-1/2 hours.

3) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Oil four baking sheets. Put the butter and oil in a roasting pan and heat in the oven for a few minutes. Add the shallots, squash and half the sage leaves. Toss to coat. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until tender.

4) Raise the oven temperature to 425°F. Divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll out each piece on a floured surface to a 10-inch round. (I divided the dough in half and froze one half for later use.)

5) Transfer each round to a baking sheet and spread with tomato sauce, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around. Spoon the squash and shallot mixture over the top.

6) Arrange the mozzarella over the squash mixture and crumble the goat cheese on top. Sprinkle with the remaining sage leaves and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the crusts are golden.

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I halved the ingredients and still had enough pizza to send home to my daughters for dinner. Listen, the goat cheese makes this pizza! Don’t skimp on this. I splurged and bought a 3.5-ounce container of crumbled goat cheese for under $3. I have enough left to do another pizza.