Archive for the ‘Pizza’ Category

Pizza is a very popular dish that has its origins Naples, Italy and the experts all agree that the best pizza is made in Naples too. Of course, in the states everyone says that New York style pizza or Chicago style pizza is the best and you would be hard pressed to prove either one of those cities wrong. The only real problems that these pizza styles have is that you have to pay for them and you either have to wait for them to be delivered or go pick them up yourself. This can lead to you having to eat your pizza cold instead of piping hot, which is why you should try making your own pizza it is not hard to make.

The ingredients for making a pizza are pretty easy to remember, because you most likely know what you want on your pizza. Another good reason for making your own pizza is that your local grocer will most likely have everything you need to make your own pizza. This also includes the pizza dough, which might already be laid out for making a pizza or will require you to roll it out or toss it. You will also need a pizza pan, which come in a variety of sizes and sometimes come as a set, so you will always have the size pan you want when you want to make a pizza.

The basic ingredients that you will need to make your own pizza are of course the pizza dough, a tomato based pizza sauce, and the kind of cheese you want to use, which is usually mozzarella. Other ingredients that are very popular as pizza toppings are pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushrooms, and green peppers. Of course, making your own pizza allows you to become very creative with the ingredients you choose. Goat cheese pizza and feta cheese pizza are popular cheese pizza topping favorites, while Canadian bacon, ground beef, and even shrimp are popular meat toppings.

Here are some other things to try when you are making your own pizza. Try using whole grain pizza dough instead of white pizza dough. A whole grain pizza dough will not take any longer to bake than a normal pizza and it will give your pizza an earthy grainy tasty and be better for you too. Another neat and tasty trick to do when making your pizza is creating a cheese stuffed crust, and all you have to do is roll out the dough about another two inches, put the cheese inside the two inches, and then roll the edge back over. All it really takes to make your pizza an original is imagination.

Now we are going to go through the steps of making a pizza. First, roll out the pizza dough to the desires size. Next cover the pizza dough with your tomato bases pizza sauce. Once the sauce is spread evenly, top the pizza with the cheese or cheeses that you want to use. At this point, add on your additional toppings making sure that they are evenly spread over the face of the pizza. The next thing to do is to place your pizza in an oven that has been preheated to 375 degrees. Bake your pizza approximately 20 minutes or until the crust is golden. Let cool a couple of minutes and then enjoy your pizza.

Hamburger can be used in many great ways, such as a topping for pizza. You can also look for hamburger recipes as a way to make a tasty dinner. Find the best hamburger recipe online for a dinner the whole family will love.

The Best Burger Recipes the Net Has to Offer – BestHamburgerRecipes.org

Chicago pizza is a mystery outside of the Windy City. Too often, non-residents consider Chicago style to be only thick crust pizza. There are far more differences than the thickness of the base.

Real Chicago pizza is made what New Yorkers would call inside out. The crust is first topped with cheese, then meat and toppings, then the sauce, then more cheese. It is a lot of topping on a lot of crust.

What kind of meat, you ask. Cotto salami, turkey pastrami, ham. A spicy sauce, like Arrabiatta. Finally, mozzarella cheese. The meat and cheese has to be sliced thinly. Arrange the meat in an overlapping round, layering the different types of meat. Follow with the cheese, and cover the pie completely with slices of cheese. Ladle on a good amount of sauce and spread out. The easiest way to spread sauce is with your hand. It sounds icky, but a spoon does not give you as even a coating and will leave tracks. Using your hand gives you more control. Then top the pie with shredded cheese

If you do not normally make your own sauce for pizza, you can use a commercially prepared sauce. Add a few hot pepper flakes to spice up the sauce.

Remember, these pies should be made square rather than round. This is the one time when you will be using butter to grease a pizza pan. Slather it on thickly, and then press a light yeast dough into the pan. You can use plain bread dough for this, even purchased frozen dough. You want the crust to rise and get “puffy.”

For a Chicago style pizza you will not need to pre-bake the crust. Let the crust rise in the pan for about 20 minutes in a warm place, then top. Place in a cold oven. The rising heat will encourage the yeast to continue to act before the dough begins to bake. After about 15 minutes, reduce the heat from 400° to 375°F until the crust is beginning to brown.

To serve, slice with a knife rather than a pizza wheel. A wheel may not do the pie justice, and may tear the tender crust. Use a large sharp knife and just cut straight down.

Chicago pizza is a hearty meal for hungry people. It was created in a town known for hard working people. It stands to reason they would need a stout, filling meal. Add a salad and a glass of something cold and you have a complete meal.

Chicago pizza is in a different world than traditional thin crust New York style pizza. The pizza recipes for this involves a thick, buttery crust, topped first with meat, then cheese then sauce.

GreatPizzaRecipes.com You Make the Pizza, We Help You Make It Great!

For the last ten years or so, “Hawaiian pizza” has been popular in pizzerias and restaurants. It is a simple traditional pizza, but rather than sausage or pepperoni, it has lunch meat ham and pineapple. However, there is more to fruit pizza than just pineapple and ham.

What about dessert pizzas? Yes, there are such things. You can make them with just fruit and perhaps chocolate or caramel, or you can make a fruit and cheese pizza, for almost a traditional cheese course.

So what sort of dough and fruit and cheese?

If we look at it logically, what cheese would you serve as a cheese course after supper? Perhaps feta? Alternatively, maybe a goat cheese? What about gruyere or Emmentaler? In addition, what sort of fruit? Apples? Peaches? Pears? In addition, would you use a traditional crust, extra thin, or something else entirely? Use the same dough as you would for the bread you would serve with the course, the same fruit, and the same cheese. Just assemble it as a pizza rather than put it on a platter. You will more or less be making a flat fondue. Instead of dipping bread and fruit into melted cheese, a fruit and cheese pizza is the same bread topped with the same fruit and cheese.

Should you opt for apples and pears, with a tangy goat cheese like Etoki, then you want something akin to a baguette for the crust. Make your traditional pizza dough, but do not knead it. Spread it out and leave it just a little thicker than you normally would, and reduce the oil by half. That will give it a chewier texture closer to a baguette.

Then a basic sauce. What pairs well with apples and pears? Perhaps a small amount of jelly? Melt it in the microwave and spread it thinly on the crust, then arrange the apples and cheese on top.

You will need to slice the fruit on a mandolin, cutting them almost wafer thin. Arrange them in a starburst, circular pattern on the pie.

Sample different spices with this combination. Try cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Any of it could work nicely, but you need to see what flavors work for you.

Shred the cheese and place it sparingly on top of the fruit. Not too much cheese or it will overpower the fruit. This is to be a delicate blending, not a big bold taste.

These would be good to make small, individual pies with different cheeses and fruits for a party. Use the same amount of dough you would use for a small dinner roll, flatten it out with the heel of your hand. Bake for a few minutes at around 400°F, just long enough to stop the yeast from rising, and then top with your fruit and cheese. Return to the oven and brown the crusts.

When you serve these, put out something savory on the side, like some Greek olives.

A fun way to end a big dinner is to serve fruit pizza recipe. You can put out a smorgasbord of different combinations and flavors easily, by alternating pizza recipes and playing with the flavors.

GreatPizzaRecipes.com You Make the Pizza, We Help You Make It Great!

Pizza is one of the most popular meals for a game day, or for slumber parties, or when you just do not feel like messing with a lot of complicated preparation. After all, pizza is the perfect food. It contains grains (the crust), fruit (tomato sauce) protein (sausage, pepperoni or whatever, and the cheeses) and vegetables (peppers, onions, etc). You have started making your own crusts. You found the perfect artisan cheese. You discovered a farmers market where you can buy exotic peppers and heirloom onions. The grocery had artichoke hearts on special, and you have prosciutto contadina in the freezer. So why would you open a jar of prepared sauce?

Pizza sauce is easy to make. All you need is whole tomatoes, some rosemary, thyme, marjoram, parsley, and oregano, salt and pepper, and a few vegetables. In addition, you will need some time on a rainy afternoon.

Sauce with Mushrooms and Onions

Ingredients:

• 10 large red ripe tomatoes
• 1 cup red wine
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 large onion
• 8 ounces mushrooms
• salt
• pepper
• sugar

Directions:

note: use dried herbs. If using fresh herbs, increase to 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped herbs.

Crush the tomatoes in a large, non-reactive pot. No plain aluminum or cast iron. Stainless steel or non-stick is fine. The easiest way to do this is to cut them into quarters, then attack the tomatoes with a potato masher. Put on medium-low heat while you prepare the vegetables.

Crush the garlic cloves. Chop the onion finely. Cut the mushrooms into slices. Put the garlic, onion, and mushrooms into a skillet with the oil. Sauté until the onion is soft but not brown. Pour the sautéed veggies and the oil into the tomatoes.

Put the dried herbs in your palm and squish them with your other hand. This releases the essential oils and makes them taste better. Add the herbs to the tomatoes.

Pour in the wine. Allow the sauce to simmer uncovered until it is thick. It will take a couple of hours. Stir occasionally.

Taste the sauce. Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Be judicious. You can always add more but you cannot take any away. Do not scoff at the sugar. It removes the bitterness from the sauce which can happen.

Once the sauce is ready, you should have enough to make several pizzas. What you do not use that day, you can package in plastic containers (caution: it will stain) or plastic zipper bags.

You can easily double this recipe. If you object to the seeds and skins, strain the sauce before using. You can also use Roma tomatoes if you can obtain them easily and cheaply. You will need at least 30 of them, instead of 10 beefsteak tomatoes.

You can make special pizza recipes at home by making your own crust. With farmers markets and gardens coming in, use fresh home grown tomatoes to make your own pizza sauce recipe and impress everyone.

GreatPizzaRecipes.com You Make the Pizza, We Help You Make It Great!

So you are feeling adventurous. You are tired of buying pizza dough in a can. Alternatively, you do not want to use commercially prepared products because of the additives like dough conditioners. Maybe you are just bored and want to do something creative. It does not matter. Have a go at making your own pizza dough.

Making dough is simple. You do not need fancy dough hooks or commercial mixers. Sure, they use them in restaurants. They are also making a couple of thousand a week. You are making one or two.

Your tools are simple. You will need a bowl, a pizza stone if you have one, or a baking pan (not necessarily a pizza pan), measuring spoons and cups, a wooden spoon and a pair of clean hands. This dough can be allowed to raise, or baked as is. Your choice. If you allow it to raise, you will get a texture closer to the rising crust. By baking it without allowing it to rest, you will obtain a crispier crust.

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

• 3 cups bread flour
• ½ tablespoon dry yeast (one packet or one cake)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water

Directions:

There are two ways to make this dough. This is version 1:

Put the yeast and sugar in a bowl. Add the warm water (it should be about the temperature of bath water) Allow to set for about 10 minutes, or until the yeast is dissolved and smells…well…yeasty.

Stir the sponge, and add the olive oil, flour, and salt. Allow the dough to rest for about 10 minutes in the bowl while you prepare your work surface.

Sprinkle a little flour on the board. Turn out the dough. Sprinkle a little flour on top, and knead until the dough is no longer sticky, and becomes elastic.

Grease your mixing bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Put the bowl in a warm place to raise until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450°F (if you are using a pizza stone, put it in the oven to allow it to heat at the same time)

Once the dough is risen (should take about an hour) punch down the dough. Knead a few turns to break up any air bubbles.

Stretch and pat the dough into a large circle. Place on a greased baking sheet. Prick the dough with a fork several times. Place low in the oven for about 5 minutes.

Remove the crust. Dress with your favorite toppings and return to the oven at 400° and bake until the edges have browned and the cheese is bubbly.

Version 2:

This one is way easier and faster. The results are almost the same. It depends on how much time and effort you want to invest.

Mix together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the warm water and oil. Mix well. Pat out on to a greased baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 425 °. Pierce the crust with a fork several times, and place low in the oven and bake for about 5 minutes. Top as you like, then return to the oven until the crust is brown and the cheese bubbly.

Pizza dough recipe is easy to make. You can make these crusts ahead and freeze them so you can have homemade pizza whenever you like.

GreatPizzaRecipes.com You Make the Pizza, We Help You Make It Great!