FOUR PIZZAS FROM ONE RECIPE

If you like thin-crust pizza, then my new favorite pizza dough recipe will provide you with 4 pizzas.

First, I made a Cippolini Onion/Roasted Red Pepper Pizza.
Cippolini onions are those little flat onions that cost so much money. But they are definitely worth the price. They have a distinct pleasing taste. Roasted red peppers are a mainstay in our home. I'm always roasting peppers, and they disappear fast. I placed strips of pepper all around the outside of the pizza, and put the onion chunks on the inside circle, leaving the center open to the sauce and cheese.
I used Kraft Italian 5-cheese blend, already grated, for the cheese. This was a delicious pizza.


Next, Guy made a green pepper, onion and anchovy pizza by just sprinkling the components over the sauce/cheese mix. The peppers were raw, and the onions were a sweet variety, but not Vidalia. He didn't get his crust as thin as I did. (Hrmmphh! And he's the tomato pie expert?) He still liked it, I guess because he made it.

Next, I made a green pepper, onion and meatball pizza. I tossed the green pepper and onion with salt, pepper and olive oil before sprinkling them over the sauce/cheese mixture. Then I cut up 2 meatballs that were left from a spaghetti dinner and scattered them around the pizza. The pizza was not overloaded, because the components were not piled on top of each other. This pizza was delicious! And the crust was nice and thin.

Last, I made a mushroom/onion pizza. I sauteed the mushrooms in some olive oil and cooled them slightly before sprinkling them over the sauce/cheese mix; then I sprinkled some chopped onions that had been tossed with salt, pepper and olive oil over the pizza. This was also delicious.

Yes, these are all traditional. No, there's nothing exotic here. But these were worth eating. We savored every bite. Not only were the toppings tasty, the crust was thin, crispy and flavorful after having cured in the fridge.

WHITE PIZZA WITH BROCCOLI, OLIVES AND RAISINS

This is my absolute favorite pizza. It's great for lunch, dinner or snacks. It may sound crazy to have broccoli and olives with raisins, but the flavors are perfect together.

White Pizza with Broccoli, Olives and Raisins

Source: Judy's Kitchen

Rating: 10 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 - 2 cups broccoli flowerets

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. dried crushed basil, divided use

1/4 tsp. dried crushed oregano, divided use

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup Italian 5-cheese blend

3 Tbsp. black olives, chopped

3 Tbsp. raisins, chopped

Dough for 1 12" pizza

Heat oven to 500F. In small bowl combine broccoli, olive oil, salt, pepper, 1/8 tsp. basil and 1/8 tsp. oregano; set aside. In another small bowl, combine cheeses, olives, raisins and remaining 1/8 tsp. of basil and 1/8 tsp. oregano.

Cut out a circle of parchment paper 12" in diameter. Place the paper on a pizza board and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Roll or stretch out pizza dough to fit the circle. Drop the cheese mixture over the top of the dough and spread it out with a spoon. Place broccoli on top of cheese and sprinkle with the chopped garlic.

Bake 8-12 minutes, or until edges are golden, filling is bubbly and center is cooked.

Remove pizza from oven with pizza board -- just gently pull on edge of pizza to move it onto board.

Pull out parchment paper from underneath pizza before cutting with pizza wheel.

Parchment paper may be reused several times.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over servings, if desired.

THIN CRUST PIZZA

We have friends who moved to New Bern from Chicago where they regularly enjoyed the famous Chicago thick-crust pizza. They miss it so much that they have it sent to them and pay $60 for one pizza (that includes shipping costs.) Guy and I, on the other hand, prefer our pizza with thin crust. Guy says the best pizza place in Trenton, NJ is DeLorenzo's and their pizza is thin right to the edges, and kind of burnt on the edges. I've been experimenting with pizza doughs, and there have been some very tough crusts with these experiments. But persistence has paid off, because I've found a great pizza dough. Tonight Guy said it was as close to DeLorenzo's as he has ever tasted. Since I haven't tasted DeLorenzo's pizza, I will just say that I really liked this crust because it was so thin -- that meant fewer carbs for me!

Now, about the sauce: another winner -- excellent flavor and texture, easy to make.

I hope you have some equipment to help you make pizza. I would be lost without my pizza stone and pizza board. They are both well-worn from years of use. I also use the pizza stone for pastry crusts and pies. If you don't have these tools, they're not expensive; go buy them. Photo below shows my pizza stone and board.

Make the pizza sauce and dough first; refrigerate or freeze till needed. When you want to make the pizzas, prepare your other topping ingredients. The pizza doesn't take long to put together and bake; it's all the other components that take the time, and they can be done in stages -- hours, days or even weeks ahead of time. BTW, this recipe is from Wolfgang Puck, Food Network. Since I've changed it considerably, you might want to see the original, which is on the Food Network website.

Thin Crust Pizza (adapted from Wolfgang Puck)
Rating: 10 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:
Cornmeal to sprinkle (I used self-rising)
Pizza Dough
All-purpose flour to sprinkle
1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 cup grated Asiago or Fontina
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup cooked Italian sausage, in small pieces
1 cup sliced cooked mushrooms
3/4 cup sliced roasted red peppers
(any other toppings you desire)

DIRECTIONS: Place oven rack in center position. Preheat oven with pizza stone to 500F. Set out all the pizza toppings on the counter like an assembly line. Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper in a circle about 7-8", and place one parchment circle on the pizza board. Sprinkle about 2 tsp. cornmeal over the parchment paper circle. Place one ball of dough on the cornmeal and flatten it with your hand. Sprinkle it with about 2 tsp. flour, and rub it over the top of the ball with your hand. With a rolling pin, roll the ball in a circular motion around the edges, as you would a pie crust. To put it another way, divide the dough into quadrants and work clockwise, starting at 6 and going from 6 to 9, then 9 to 12, then 12 to 3, then 3 to 6. Keep doing this until the dough has become a flattened circle slightly larger than the parchment paper. The photo below is from my last attempt -- I was still trying to work the dough with my hands then. The pie was good, the crust was tender, but when I rolled the dough tonight, it was exceptional. Of course, our friends from Chicago wouldn't think so, because the crust would be just too thin for them. The crust on the pizza below puffed up at the edges, the way most pies do. And here's another little tip: whatever crust you see exposed when the dough is raw will expand in the oven. The dough below really blew up around the edges and there was quite a bit of crust showing on the baked pizza. (Naturally I forgot to take a photo; you know how I am with that.)

Once you have the dough the way you want it, spread the toppings. First, the tomato sauce. Less is more. Don't overdo anything. After the sauce, then the cheese. Instead of mixing the cheeses, I put them on in layers. First the Parmesan, very sparingly. Then the Asiago or Fontina. Then the Mozzarella. Guy's aunt, who cooked for Dean Martin in Las Vegas, used Cheddar Cheese in addition to Mozzarella and Parmesan.
Your final toppings are up to you. We're partial to sausage and peppers, especially roasted peppers. The pizza below has gold and red peppers. Also, note the parchment paper -- it's larger than the pie and it did burn somewhat. So tonight I cut it smaller than the pie and it didn't burn. It really helps to move the dough onto and off of the pizza stone. The first night I struggled with the dough and couldn't move it easily. The parchment paper makes it a breeze.
Go back up top and look at the final pizza photo. That's from tonight. See the difference? There's less crust showing. We're so excited! We will be enjoying pizza at home more often. This is especially exciting considering that we have no decent pizza places in New Bern. I mean, how can a southerner make pizza? Did you know it originated in Trenton, NJ? Honest. It was called Tomato Pie back then.

Here's the last bit of instruction: Slip the filled dough onto the hot pizza stone by slightly tilting the pizza board towards the stone. The parchment paper will slide onto the stone, taking the dough with it. Bake for about 9 minutes. You may have to experiment with this. I find 9 minutes to be perfect for my oven. Wolfgang Puck says 7-8 minutes. I hope someone will leave me a comment about how this worked for them.