Alexander's "Plain" Pizza

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As you may have heard by now, things being what they are in the Kratz household (e.g., that certain people "don't like" vegetables, I regularly resort to the kind of culinary espionage known previously only to consorts of Julia Child (did you know she was in the OSS, the precursor to the CIA?) I can't wait to see the new movie Julie and Julia, coming out August 7th! But, I digress.

Anyway, I had a hankering for a nice big veggie pizza tonight, especially with mushrooms and onions (mushrooms are packed with antioxidents and selinium and I read that eating half an onion a day prevents colon tumors in later life) so I go out my spy glasses, invisibility cloak and wand, and made a "plain" cheese margherita-style pizza for Alexander.

Two ready made pizza crusts (I use Mama Mary's Gourmet - Kof-K) brushed on the outer corners with olive oil
one regular sized box of white mushrooms, washed and sliced
one onion, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained well
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp dried basil
1 handful fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 handful fresh spinach leaves, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 dash cayenne pepper
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 8-ounce bag of mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
red pepper flakes to taste

In a food processor, buzz your mushrooms until they are very finely chopped. Empty them into a deep saucepan, add a little olive oil and saute over low heat. While this is cooking down, puree your onion in the food processor, and add that to your mushroom mixture. Add the garlic and cook until the mushrooms give up their water and most of the water has evaporated. Now, add the diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce and simmer for about ten minutes. Then add the rest of your spices. Add salt and pepper to taste. It's done when it looks like a dark, meaty tomato sauce. If it doesn't look right, add a little more tomato sauce and cook just a bit longer.

Divide your sauce equally onto your two pizza crusts, and spread evenly. Depending on whether your family members will eat green things willingly or not, place your fresh basil and spinach either on top of the cheese or on top of the sauce. Garnish generously with cheese, and put in a 425 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot, with red pepper flakes. Yum-Yum.