Homemade Margherita Pizza and an Almost Disaster!

 I have posted this pizza recipe before, but wanted to again so I could make a beautiful Margherita Pizza. But I almost had a calamity instead. I like to bake pizza on my pizza stone because it really makes the crust crisp and delicious, but I was in a hurry the other evening and almost lost my pizza on the oven floor! I use a method of placing the pizza dough on parchment paper and then laying it on the backside of a large baking sheet, where I top the pizza. Then I carefully grab hold of the parchment and guide the pizza onto the pizza stone. Yes, I saw this done on Cook's Country one time, and it really does work, but I was too hurried I guess. Actually my daughter made pizza at her home a couple of weeks ago, and she did drop part of hers down in the ovens elements! So, anyway, my pizza looks a bit messy on the crust for good reason. The next time I make this delicious pizza I'll update the photo with a less messy pizza. Messy or not, it was fantastic tasting though.
I've posted this recipe before; it is from Bobby Flay and I love it still. The dough is so easy to mix up and it is a breeze to work with. Not to mention we love the flavor too. It will make 2 pizzas, so besides my yummy Marherita Pizza, I made a more traditional pizza for my husband. That pizza was made with pepperoni, turkey Italian sausage, green bell pepper, and red onion. It was fantastic as well. Hope you'll give it a try.

Homemade Margherita Pizza
from Bobby Flay in Parade Magazine
Bread flour will give you a crisper crust, but all purpose flour can be used, resulting in a chewier crust.
Makes 2 crusts!

Directions for dough:
3 1/2 - 4 cups of bread flour, or all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 envelope yeast- I use the quick rise
1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F.)
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a bowl add 3 1/2 cups of the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast and whisk together. Stir in the water and the olive oil and stir until the dough forms a ball. If too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time. If dough is too dry add 1 tablespoon water. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until dough forms a smooth ball. Grease a large bowl with olive oil and place dough in bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. After it has risen, turn dough out and cut in half. Cover and let rest 10minutes.

Pizza Sauce Directions:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 of an onion
2 cloves garlic,minced or pressed
pinch of red chili flakes
28 ounce can of good quality whole, canned tomatoes
1/4- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil, or 2 tablespoons fresh basil
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in the olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes until it is soft; add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the whole tomatoes, but crush them, and stir in the herbs and sugar. Cook about 20 minutes until thickened; remove from heat. This sauce can be made a day ahead of when you need it. It's great time saver to have the sauce done when you are ready to make the pizza.

To make a Margherita Pizza, you'll also need an 8 ounce ball of fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven on the middle rack and then turn oven on. Preheat the stone for 25-30 minutes).
Take 1/2 half of the pizza dough and roll it out with a rolling pin into about a 12-14 inch crust. I've also tried making a pizza that was almost too large for my stone, which caused a mess, so go smaller than you pizza pan or stone. A 12-13 inch crust is perfect for my 15 inch stone. If you are using a pizza pan, just roll the dough to fit your pan. Smooth some sauce over the dough. Cut the ball of fresh mozzarella into thin slices and place around the pizza. Place pizza in oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until cheese it bubbly. Remove from oven,  and add some leaves of fresh basil to the top of the pizza. You can use whole leaves, or a chiffonade of basil leaves.
Bake remaining pizza. Enjoy!

Cheesy Pizza Dip - from Ellie Krieger

 I was strolling across the web the other day when I came upon this interesting recipe for Cheesy Pizza Dip. It caught my eye because it was different from others I have had, plus it was from Ellie Krieger, so I thought it had to be good. And is it ever. Who among you likes to eat bread sticks or pizza crust that you've dipped in extra pizza sauce? Well, that's the idea here. When this is served with toasted baguette slices, the bread becomes the vehicle for delivering the sauce and cheese.  A mini pizza if you will. The sauce is  deliciously thick, spicy, and topped with Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan and creamy ricotta cheese. I love, love, love it! I hope you will to. I think it would be a hit at any get together, even a Super Bowl Party. Here's the recipe.

Cheesy Pizza Dip
adapted from Ellie Krieger
Ellie calls for this to be made and served in a skillet. She baked at 450 degrees. I made it in a 10 inch casserole dish and baked it at 400 degrees F. for about 10 minutes, just until the cheese melted. I also added a couple of tablespoons of diced green pepper, but I don't think I'll do that again.

For the sauce:
1 - 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 -2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
pinch of crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Toppings:
about 3/4 cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese ricotta

Directions:
In a saucepan, over medium high heat, saute the onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until the onion is softened, 4-5 minutes. Add more oil if needed and add the minced garlic to the pan. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour the crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and oregano to the pan and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil. Sauce will be thick and chunky. There will be about 3 cups of sauce.

Pour the sauce in a baking dish. Top with the mozzarella, and Parmesan. Divide the ricotta onto 4 dollops. Bake at 450 degrees F. until the mozzarella cheese melts, 5-8 minutes.
NOTE: I baked it at 400 degrees F. as I wasn't sure if my pan could handle the higher heat. Enjoy this yummy treat! Can be baked in a pie plate also.

Need some other dip ideas for the Super Bowl this weekend? How about my Black Bean, Corn and Tomato Salsa, One Minute Tomato Salsa, Guacamole or these other dips.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. We had a lovely day and then went out of town to Branson for several days. Now Christmas preparations are in full swing, but I had to share this appetizer recipe that I made awhile back. If you need a tasty appetizer to feast upon while watching a football game, or something to add to your party repertoire, or even just to feed your kids after school, these Pizza Puffs would be for you.These Pepperoni Pizza Puffs are crisp on the outside, and full of pizza flavor on the inside. Kids and adults both like them, so you might want to make them too. This recipe is quick to stir up, baked in a mini muffin pan, and then dipped in pizza sauce. They go quickly! Here's the recipe.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
adapted from Noble Pig
Makes 24 Pizza Puffs

3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk- I use 2 %
1 egg, beaten
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes- about 1 cup
1/2 teaspoon dried basil or Italian seasoning, or about 2 teaspoons fresh basil
1/2 cup pizza sauce warmed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl add the flour and baking powder.. Stir in the milk and the beaten egg, and then the mozzarella, basil and pepperoni. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Spray a 24 count mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Stir the batter and then spoon mixture evenly into each muffin cup. Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Remove Pepperoni Pizza Puffs to a plate and serve with warmed pizza sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
You may add additional fresh basil to the pizza sauce if desired.

Pizza!

A few weeks ago I found this pizza recipe, by Bobby Flay, in the Parade Magazine, which is included in an area Sunday newspaper. I've been wanting to try it and finally made it last night. We loved it, of course. The dough was so easy to make and to work with. It was a breeze to shape. I wanted to twirl it and toss it in the air, but I know my limits! I love the commercial on TV showing a chef tossing the dough quickly into the air, retrieving it and twirling again. Such fun that would be. But alas, I am no pizza chef. I can only use a rolling pin. If you have not tried making pizza from scratch, this would be a great recipe to try.

You can use all purpose flour for a chewy crust, or bread flour for a crisp crust. I used the AP as that's all I had on hand. We all though the crust was great, but next time I'll try the bread flour for a comparison. The sauce, of which I didn't get a picture, was delicious. The recipe calls for canned plum tomatoes, but I used regular tomatoes that I had in the pantry. This wonderful pizza was baked on a pizza stone. I don't have a pizza wheel to transfer pizzas to the oven, so here's what I did. After rolling out the pizza dough, transfer it to a sheet of parchment paper.

Take the paper and crust and lay it on the bottom side of a large baking sheet or flat pizza pan. Reshape the dough and add the sauce and the toppings. Open the oven door and pull out the oven rack just a little. Holding the pan with the pizza close to the pizza stone, take hold of the parchment and slide the paper with the pizza onto the stone. It works!

My daughter prefers Italian Sausage and Red Onion Pizza, and not too heavy on the toppings. My husband, on the other hand, likes more meat. So I made one with sausage, Canadian bacon and pepperoni. I just like it all. This is now my go to pizza recipe. If you don't have one yet, give this a try! It is easy to make.

PIZZA (adapted from Bobby Flay)

PIZZA DOUGH

makes 2 pizzas

3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour-bread flour for a crisp crust, or all purpose for a chewy crust

1 teaspoon sugar

1 envelope instant dry yeast

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups warm water (11o degrees)

2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

1. The recipe calls for the dough to be processed in a food processor, but I don't have one. So in a bowl add the flour, salt sugar, dry yeast and whisk,. Stir in the water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and dough should form a ball. If too sticky add 1 T. of flour at a time. Or if it is too dry, add 1 T. of water. Stir until it comes together in a solid ball. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it is a smooth ball.
2. Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add dough and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot and let rise until double, about 1 hour. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide in half equally. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest 10 minutes.

EASY PIZZA SAUCE

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

pinch of red chili flakes

1 28 ounce can of plum tomatoes, with juices, pureed- I use regular whole tomatoes, pureed in the blender

2 tablespoons fresh basil - or 2 teaspoons dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dry oregano- my addition

1 teaspoon sugar, my addition

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chili flakes and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, 20-25 minutes. Stir in basil and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Can be made a day ahead.

Assemble pizzas:

1. Heat oven to 500 degrees, with a 16 inch pizza stone on the bottom rack. Heat for about 30 minutes.

2. Place 1 round of dough on a floured surface and roll into a 14 inch circle. Transfer dough to a piece of parchment paper. Transfer paper and dough to a flat baking pan. 3. Spread 3/4 cup of pizza sauce over dough, leaving 1/2 inch border around the edges. Add toppings of choice. I used very tradition toppings this time. I used 6-7 ounces of freshly grated mozzarella cheese to each pizza. Then I added the meat and other topping. Open oven door, and holding pan close to the pizza stone, slide the parchment paper and pizza onto the very hot stone. Bake until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly, 10 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired. Repeat process with other piece of dough. Cool 5 minutes, slice. Enjoy! Can't wait to try other variations of pizza using this recipe!

What's your favorite pizza toppings?