Tag Archives: pizza

Jan27

Pepperoni Pizza: Homemade sauce &dough!

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Using the dough from an old post, I decided to make a Pepperoni pizza tonight. With cramps like a BITCH, I decided I needed to get my mind off of them. And cooking is always the best medicine ;)

Really, all I want to share here is how I made the sauce!

2 cans of diced tomatoes, pureed until NEARLY smooth. I like to leave a little bit of the chunks in there. For more of a hearty tomato bite. You don’t have to, you can puree it completely. You can also just use a can of tomato sauce. I didn’t have one, or fresh tomatoes, so I decided to be cheap about it.
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 half of a yellow onion, diced
Two cloves of garlic, minced, or more to taste (I’m pretty sure I used like… 4 cloves haha)
Pinch of each of the following (add more to your taste): Oregano, Basil, Parsley, Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper flakes, Thyme.

I sauteed my onions & bell pepper first in the sauce pan, and then added in my tomato puree.
At this time I cranked up the heat to let it reach a boil, and threw in my herbs and spices.
Once it’s hit a boil, you can leave it to simmer for an hour or so, give or take.
I let it simmer a while so all of the flavours come together nicely.
Really, this is all about YOUR taste, and how you like your pizza sauce. I like a heart, veggie filled sauce. You’ll typically find me adding way more of everything. Especially garlic & onion. Omnomnom!

Once I’ve got my dough all rolled out, I put it on a cornmeal dusted baking pan (if you have a pizza stone, you are awesome. I don’t. Yet.)

I spread a good amount of sauce onto the dough, and then add slices of pepperoni.
I like to do this in layers, by the way.
So, Pepperoni, then cheese. Then more pepperoni, then more cheese.
You can add whatever you like, underneath or on top. I was going for something a little more simple.

Here’s my progression:
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Pop that baby in at about 450, for 15-20 minutes. Let it cool before cutting! Otherwise your cheese and toppings will slide RIGHT off. Let it sit about five minutes or so, cut to your liking, and freakin’ enjoy!!

Mar26

Pizza Party!

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I had a group of friends over for Dylan’s birthday this past weekend. We all drank way too much, ate too much, and played a ridiculous amount of Beer Pong.

And the menu consisted of homemade pizzas, that turned out FANTASTIC.

I used the same exact dough recipe and bake time as this pesto pizza I previously blogged, I just changed the toppings.

We had Veggie Pizza, Supreme Pizza, Pepperoni, and Cheese & Onion. The last being my personal favorite.

I thought I’d share the masterpieces we devoured that night :D

Cheese and Onion

Veggie with Zucchini and Bell Pepper

Mar5

Pesto Chicken Pizza

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Pesto Chicken Pizza

 

DOUGH:

This dough is INCREDIBLY easy to whip up, and only takes about 15 minutes total until you can load it with toppings and pop it in the oven. The secret is to use warm water, sugar, and yeast mixed together (for about five minutes, until frothy) and THEN add it to your flour mixture. This way you only need to let the dough sit for about 10 minutes before you can roll it out and Pizza the hell out of it :D

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

Combine sugar, water, and yeast into a bowl and let sit for about 5 minutes, until nice and frothy. Then add into the rest of the mixture. Let stand 10 minutes. Then Viola! Kneed it and roll it out!

PESTO SAUCE:

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
  • 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced, to taste. I prefer a strong garlic taste.
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

All ingredients go into a food processor or blender, puree until smooth.

 

CHICKEN SEASONING AND COOKING:

Salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, dried minced onion, paprika. About a tablespoon of each, or to taste.

Rub over chicken and then heat skillet over medium to blacken both sides. Once nicely browned, pop into a 350-75 degree oven and cook through.

I brown the chicken first to create a nice salty crust on the outside, and then pop it in the oven to do the rest of the cooking. It’s a great way to keep your chicken moist, too, and not letting it get too dry.

Take out and let the juices redistribute (about five minutes), and then slice/carve/chop/shred to your liking. I personally chop it up into nice bite size chunks to spread over the Pizza later.

PIZZA TOPPING INGREDIENTS:

  • Mozzarella cheese (a few cups. It really all depends on how you like your pizza. More sauce and veggies, less cheese. More cheese, less veggies….. MORE. CHEESE. YUM.)

I also like to use what I call an “Italian Cheese Mix” which basically consists of Mozzarella and Parmesan. Or really an “Italian” style cheese you can think of. The more difference you have here, the more flavors are brought out in your finished product. I personally LOVE the saltiness of the Parmesan/Romano/Pecorino.

  • Green/Red/Yellow/Orange Bell Pepper. Or a mixture of all of them. For one whole pizza, I’d say one full pepper is MORE than enough.
  • Sweet yellow onion, diced. To taste, of course. I use about a cup or so. Depending on the type of pizza.
  • Mushrooms – I used about two handfuls of roughly chopped mushrooms. Just spread out among the rest of the ingredients.
  • Pepperoni – Just a tiny little stack of sliced Pepperoni, just to add a little bit of kick to it

To build your pizza:

I start by putting a hefty amount of sauce on the bottom. In my house, we love us some sauce, so we don’t use it sparingly. You can put however much you’d like on it. Just remember that if you have TOO much, your crust may not be able to support it. So remember to think of the thickness you’ve rolled your dough out to in comparison to how much sauce you should use. After the sauce I sprinkle just a smidge of cheese, and then start with the toppings. I add a bit of the chicken, pepperoni, and vegetables. Then add a hint more cheese (salt and pepper, and oregano, red pepper, etc. depending on what sort of taste you’re going for) before you add the rest of the toppings, and then another layer of cheese.

You DO NOT have to build your pizza in layers, and really, you can build it however you like. Some people like the vegetables on top (like the onion, where it gets a little charred from the oven) or all completely hidden by ONE thick layer of cheese. Personally, I like to do it in layers. There’s no rhyme or reason to it, really, I just think it looks prettier when building. And it keeps the cheeses from sliding clean off the top when you are biting into it.

NOW TO COOK THE PIZZA. I usually cook it at about 450 degrees, for about 20 minutes. I like my crust to be a bit darker brown. If you like a softer crust, just keep an eye on it until it’s starting to get nice and golden. Just make sure you’re cooking it ATLEAST for 15 minutes to keep the crust consistent all the way through.  Undercooking it will lead to a soggy, doughy crust. And that’s not typically pleasant.

Once it’s cooked to your degree of liking, take it out of the oven and let it sit for about 4-5 minutes or so. This allows the cheese to harden up a little bit and makes it easier to cut.

Then, just slice and enjoy. Leftovers can be refrigerated for a few days!!

 

AND NOM. :D