Tag: homemade pizza
Roasted Pesto Chicken Pizza
What do you do with leftover roast chicken and cauliflower??? Well, you make individual, homemade pizzas, of course!
- One large pizza dough from a pizzeria cut into four pieces
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Preheat convection oven (preferred) to 450 degrees F.
Take one piece and form into a round ball and using some of the all-purpose flour roll into a 9-inch circle. Keep aside. Repeat with the other three pieces.
- 1 cup fresh tomato sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Spread the tomato sauce on each rolled out pizza dough. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly and keep aside.
- 1 cup leftover roast chicken, potatoes and cauliflower- cut into small pieces
- Salt
- Pepper
Add a quarter cup of the roast chicken mixture on top of each pizza and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Pancetta
- Pizza dough from your favorite pizzeria, divided into eight pieces
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup pancetta, chopped
- 2 medium yellow onions, sliced thin
- 3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- Salt
Heat a medium frying pan with the olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat. Add the onion slices and fresh thyme. Mix well and sauté on medium heat. Add salt and mix well. Cook on medium heat for a good 20 minutes or till the onions are translucent and soft with a soft golden color. Be careful not to burn the onions. Keep aside.
- 16 Fontina Slices (2 on each pizza)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Roll out an individual pizza and add some fontina slices on the surface. Add the desired amount of caramelized onions on top. Bake pizza till the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
Arugula Pesto with Pine Nuts
I love making pestos. I don’t find myself making a whole lot of different kinds of basil pesto for some reason. I do love it but I always find myself making a sauce with another herb or vegetable.
This on is an arugula pesto. Arugula is one of my favorite greens. I love its versatility.. I can use it in a salad, cook with it and now make a pesto with it.
I simply paired it with garlic and pine nuts. I don’t like to use too much olive oil but it is important to use a really good quality one- so a little goes a long way. I used Pecorino instead of Parmesan as Pecorino has a stronger taste which is great for the bitter greens.
That is all I needed to make a delicious sauce. I used it for pasta and in this case- for pizza. Even my daughter ate it- she doesn’t usually like arugula but she really enjoyed the pesto on the pizza.
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Lamb and Mushroom Pizza
I had a lot of leftover lamb from the other night. I divided the meat into two bags- one went into the freezer and one in the fridge. I plan on making a lamb ragu served on top of pasta or even better- polenta, in a few weeks.
The leftover meat in the fridge will be used for pizza.
We love making pizza at home- we usually do it on Friday evenings. I buy some dough from a local pizzeria. One ball of dough is good enough to make four to five individual pizzas.
As usual, I always have fresh tomato sauce in the fridge. I love using it for the pizzas- nothing like your own homemade, delicious sauce.
I made a quick topping with cremini mushrooms, chopped up lamb and some white truffle paste- the secret ingredient. It gives the dish a very rounded, complex flavor- one of my favorite things to add to pasta, etc.
The pizzas were delicious- especially because of the lamb and the truffle paste. Try this combination next time you are looking for a new topping for your pizza.
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Chicken Curry Pizza
This creation came about without any planning. I love using leftovers for things like pizza toppings, quesadilla fillings, etc.
I believe it was a Friday and I bought pizza dough from our local pizzeria. I didn’t have any specific toppings in mind. I had my homemade tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese in the fridge- so I wasn’t worried.
I knew my daughter would ask for a plain pizza. I made her a delicious pizza with the tomato sauce and shredded cheese with some lettuce leaves on the side- good, healthy meal.
I decided to do pizza carbonara for myself. Since it would be made without tomato sauce, I knew my husband would not be interested. He loves his tomato sauce. So, for him I added the tomato sauce and the cheese and looked for a topping in the fridge. That is when the chicken curry stood out. I also took out half a green pepper and some onion. I decide to saute the vegetables and add them to the pizza with the chicken chunks.
My husband’s pizza definitely passed the ‘look’ test- it was gorgeous with all the vibrant colors. Once it came out of the oven oozing with melted cheese, my husband was very excited. It was delicious. The crunchy green pepper and velvety onions went really well with the savory chicken pieces.
Overall it was a big success. So, the next time you have leftovers in the fridge- consider using them as a pizza topping.
Pizza Carbonara
We love eating pizza at home. I usually buy a pizzeria dough and divide it into 4 pieces to make four individual pizzas. I am always looking to make something new or at least try some new toppings for the pizza.
My daughter likes her usual- tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and either sauteed mushrooms or black olives. She doesn’t like to mess with perfection and likes to stick to her usual. My husband is very similar- well, he is a bit more adventurous- as long as the pizza has red sauce on it. I love white pizza but am the only one in our family. My favorite is a white pizza with ricotta, spinach and lots of garlic- hmm- that sounds delicious- I could use some right now.
While picking up the pizza dough, I also stopped at the wine store. I couldn’t believe I had run out of wine- completely. As I was running my errands I was thinking what pizza to make for myself. I wanted something white and different. Pasta carbonara came to mind- I love eating it. The problem is that it is full of cream, bacon and eggs- definitely not an option for me these days. I guess once in a while it is okay to eat this stuff- right?. So, I decided to make a pizza carbonara for myself.
I sauteed some pancetta and turned the heat off. I stirred in eggs beaten with half and half (instead of cream). I then poured it all over my already rolled out pizza. Just in a few minutes the pizza crust turned golden brown and the topping rose way high. It looked beautiful. I added a lot of black pepper- that is what comes to mind when I think of carbonara. It was delicious. This would be great for breakfast, lunch or dinner- anytime, really.
Try pizza carbonara next time you want to change it up a bit.
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A Homemade Pizza Recipe with Store Bought Dough- Plain and White with Spinach
Pizza is a staple in our house. I remember when my daughter, Sia was about two years and change- she was quite picky. She had no problem eating mushy food and didn’t want any texture at all. I slowly got her into the habit of eating adult food- pizza played a big roll in the process. We ran into our neighbors with their daughters around that time at a local pizzeria. Sia saw them eating pizza with olives- and that is what started her love of pizza- with olives! She must have eaten cups and cups of olives in the last four years. The people working at the place knew as soon as we walked in- a slice of olive pizza for Sia with a cup of olives on the side. I even looked up the nutritional value for olives- not too much. Since then, she has graduated to mushroom pizza. She loves it! She is very particular about the mushrooms though- turns out some places use canned mushrooms and they taste very different than the fresh ones. Well, she only likes the fresh ones- so we stick to our favorite pizzeria, Arturos.
I am always trying to make things she likes at home healthier so I don’t feel guilty about giving them to her more often. We have tried many different ways of making pizza at home over the years but nothing has been very delicious and authentic. What I like about making pizza at home is that I can control all the ingredients. I use my basic marinara sauce for the pizza sauce. I usually buy low-fat mozzarella cheese- although in this case I couldn’t find any so I used full fat- but I didn’t use too much of it.
I was making two pizzas that day- a plain one for the kids and a white one with spinach for the adults. I made the marinara sauce the morning of and kept it aside. I bought shredded low moisture mozzarella cheese to make my life easier. The plain one was quite simple to put together. I did add some olive oil to the crust before cooking it on the grill. The oil gives the dough a nice sheen and a crusty top. For the white one I mixed ricotta cheese with Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. I added garlic powder and salt to season the cheese sauce. I sautéed frozen, chopped spinach with fresh garlic for extra flavor. Both adults and kids enjoyed the pizzas. I made a nectarine salad for the adults- the recipe will be up tomorrow. I served the apricot kuchen as dessert and of course some wine- we ended up opening two bottles!
To read more about pizza making at home, please read my post in New York Times blog, The Local. It will be out Wednesday, June 24th.