Three Cheese Pizza

My daughter is home for the summer. I am back to trying new things in the kitchen as she is willing to try anything I make. Unfortunately, not much has made it to the blog. Clicking pictures and making time to post to the blog has been an issue for me for the past year. After making several attempts I am back with some simple recipes. My goal is to keep posting recipes on 3 days at least 2 weeks of the month with a group of blogger friends. Two weeks back I posted trail mix and this week it is pizza.

Cheese pizza is an old favorite. This time I tried it with a new combination of cheese. This three cheese pizza brings together our new favorite goat cheese with mozzarella and cheddar. It is a very simple recipe and cooks in about 7 minutes on very high heat.

You will need
Pizza dough with my classic pizza recipe
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella, goat and cheddar cheese to taste

Follow instructions on my classic pizza recipe for the pizza dough.  Prepare the pizza sauce using my pizza sauce recipe.

When you are ready to make the pizza preheat the oven to 525 F. Slice the mozzarella, crumble the goat cheese and shred the cheddar. Once you transfer the pizza to the heated pizza pan, add the pizza sauce as the base.

Add the cheese - all of it. Place the pizza in the preheated oven for 5 minutes followed by two minuted under the broiler. 

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Sourdough Pizza

Several months back we tried a new pizza place in town. We loved the toppings they used on their Mediterranean pizza and went back for more over the next few months. The last time we visited I noted down the toppings so I could try it at home. My goal was not to create a copy cat recipe but to use the same toppings with my classic sourdough pizza recipe. My family loves the taste of sourdough pizza and I am always looking for new ways to top it.

A close up of the toppings. Chopping up the olives into small pieces instead of slices gives it a whole new flavor. Use fresh olives instead of the canned ones. Adding garlic to this mix enhances the flavor. This is our new favorite.

During the week I fed the sourdough and mixed the pizza dough. By the time the weekend rolled around the dough was ready after a long rise in the refrigerator. We got fresh groceries from Whole Foods and were ready to go. I followed my classic recipe except for the addition of toppings. The end result was delicious.

You will need
Pizza dough
Follow my classic pizza recipe
Pizza sauce

Toppings
A handful Black olives
1 large tomato sliced to 1 inch pieces
~15 leaves of spinach, chopped
2 pods garlic minced
Sliced mozzarella, crumbled goat cheese and crumbled feta cheese to taste

Follow instructions on my classic pizza recipe for the pizza dough.  Prepare the pizza sauce using my pizza sauce recipe.

When you are ready to make the pizza preheat the oven to 525 F. Get all the toppings ready.

Once you transfer the pizza to the heated pizza pan, add the pizza sauce as the base.

Add the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

Place the pizza in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.

Take the pan out and add the remaining toppings. Put it back int he oven for 2 more minutes followed by two minuted under the broiler. The pizza is done.

Enjoy!

Pineapple Tomato Pizza

Weekends are usually savored for the downtime from the mad week day rush. The menu on weekends is different from week nights but is usually simple. For years Friday night was pizza night. It would be movie night if we wanted to watch a good movie. Other weekends it would be game night where we played strategy and board games like Settlers of Catan. For the last few years Friday night has become the night to catch up on sleep for my high school going daughter. She has a quick dinner and sleeps for 12 hours straight. This pizza is a throwback to quieter Friday nights that were all about family time.

My daughter loves pineapple on pizza. I know this is not an authentic pizza topping but after years of eating it I have to say I like it too. There is something about the pineapple and the tomato that just go together. This pizza has a sourdough crust but would taste great with regular pizza crust too.

You will need
Pizza dough made as per this recipe
Pizza sauce 
Parmesan cheese as needed
Pineapple chunks as needed
dried oregano

Prepare the pizza dough and keep it refrigerated at least 24 hours for the flavor to develop. Preheat oven to 500 F. If you have a pizza stone heat it with the oven. If you use a baking sheet like me put it in the oven when the temperature reaches 400 F. Ensure you place the sheet / stone in the top rack. When the oven is preheated and the baking sheet / stone is heated through take the dough out of the refrigerator and shape it. Follow instructions in my original sourdough pizza recipe. Make sure you shape the crust as thin as you can for a thin crust pizza.

When done shaping the dough remove the heated baking sheet. If working with a stone assemble the pizza on a floured pizza peel. Place the pizza carefully on the sheet / peel. The dough is sticky and will stick together if it folds on itself. Spread a ladle of pizza sauce. Sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese over the sauce.

Arrange the pineapple chinks over the top. My daughter loves the flavor of pineapple on the pizza so I add a lot. You can add as many or as few pineapple chunks as you like.

Place the pizza sheet in the oven. If using a stone slide the pizza from the peel to the stone. Bake for 5-7 minutes. Switch the oven to broil and broil for 1-2 minutes until you see some charred spots.

Enjoy!

Margherita Pizza

Pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil is a simple and delicious dinner. When the pizza crust is made with sourdough it adds a lot of flavor to the pizza. I do not make pizza often but when I do it is truly loved. I did have a little crisis with the basil leaves. There is no basil in the garden yet so I have to rely on store bought basil. The week I made this pizza I checked 2-3 grocery stores and they were all out of basil. I used dried basil on the pizza.

You will need
Pizza dough made as per this recipe
Pizza sauce 
Mozzarella cheese sliced (I get lowfat cheese made with vegetarian rennet)
Fresh basil leaves

Prepare the pizza dough and keep it refrigerated at least 24 hours for the flavor to develop. Preheat oven to 500 F. If you have a pizza stone heat it with the oven. If you use a baking sheet like me put it in the oven when the temperature reaches 400 F. Ensure you place the sheet / stone in the top rack. When the oven is preheated and the baking sheet / stone is heated through take the dough out of the refrigerator and shape it. Follow instructions in my original sourdough pizza recipe. Make sure you shape the crust as thin as you can for a thin crust pizza.

When done shaping the dough remove the heated baking sheet. If working with a stone assemble the pizza on a floured pizza peel. Place the pizza carefully on the sheet / peel. The dough is sticky and will stick together if it folds on itself. Spread a ladle of pizza sauce. Place the sliced cheese and sprinkle the dried basil over the top.

Place the baking sheet in the oven. Alternately if using a baking stone slide the pizza from the peel to the stone. Bake for 5-8 minutes. Switch to oven from bake to broil. Let the top brown for 1-2 minutes. If using fresh basil add it before you broil. Do not let the cheese solid separate from the liquid. Remove from the oven and serve it hot.

Enjoy!

Herbed Tomato and Olive Pissaladiere

Pissaladiere is a French savory pastry. The dough is rolled flat and thin like puff pastry and then topped with a variety of toppings. I used tomato, olives and onion with fresh thyme and cilantro. The crust is thin and has an edge. Passaadiere makes a filling meal especially if you use whole wheat flour for the dough and vegetables for the topping.

I made this on a super cold day and it tasted great hot out of the oven. We like pizza without sauce and cheese and this was no exception. The crust was crisp and topping toasted just right. Everyone loved it.

I think rosemary would taste great with the onion but my daughter does not like rosemary so I do not use it. You could also use vegetables of your choice for the topping. I used what I thought my family would love.

You will need
For the dough
155 gm white whole wheat flour
100 gm all purpose flour
3.5 gm instant dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cup lukewarm water

For the topping
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 medium onion
3-4 twigs thyme
1 medium tomato
10-12 black olives
a small handful cilantro

1 tbsp. sharp cheddar cheese

Combine all the ingredients for the dough in a mixing bowl and form a soft dough. Knead for a few minutes until soft and elastic. Cover and keep aside to double in volume about an hour.

In the meantime heat oil in a pan and saute the onions. Pull the thyme leaves from the stick and add them to the pan with a little salt. Turn off heat when the onions are tender. If you like you could go on to caramelize the onions. Keep aside to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 425 F. When the dough doubles transfer it to a work surface. Roll it out to the size of your baking sheet. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the rolled dough on to it. Using the tines of a fork prick the dough in several places to prevent it from puffing up. Cover and keep aside for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile cut the tomato in half and remove the seeds. Slice and place on a paper towel to soak the moisture. Chop the olives into thirds and keep aside. Chop the cilantro and keep aside. After the dough has rested add the topping. Place the tomatoes first.

Next add the onion mixture and sprinkle the cheese. Place the chopped black olives. Sprinkle the chopped cilantro.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Tastes best the day it is baked and hot out of the oven.

Enjoy!

Turkish Mushroom Pide (Pizza)

A few months ago I tried Turkish pide (pizza) for the first time. Everyone in the family loved it. I decided to make the pide again this week and accordingly bought the feta cheese and a large tub of baby spinach. Unfortunately, I used up the spinach for something else. The sourdough was ready but I had nothing for the stuffing. There were some shitake mushrooms in the refrigerator that I had bought for a different meal. I used those with the feta cheese and roasted red bell pepper paste. No spices except some black pepper. I added basil for some additional flavor. The kitchen smelled really good so I knew it would taste good. My daughter took it as packed lunch and I got a text sometime in the afternoon letting me know that lunch was very good. In fact she has asked me to forget about the spinach recipe and make this filling again.

These pide were prepared and baked early in the morning before sunrise. The pictures were taken on a cloudy morning just after sunrise. I am a complete novice when it comes to pictures in artificial light.

You will need (for 4 pide)
Prepared Pide dough
15-20 shitake mushrooms
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion
a handful feta cheese
4 tbsp. red bell pepper paste
salt and pepper to taste

You will have to prepare the pide dough as per this recipe a day in advance. You will need 4 portions of dough. Keep refrigerated until needed.

Roast a red bell pepper on the stove top on direct heat until charred. Wrap in aluminum foil and keep aside for 15 minutes. Unwrap the pepper. Remove the skin and seeds. Chop coarsely and puree in the blender. Use as needed.

Dice the onions. Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions until tender. Turn off heat and allow the onions to cool. Meanwhile clean the mushrooms by wiping the tops and bottoms with a wet paper towel. Throw away the stem. Slice the mushrooms and keep aside. In a mixing bowl combine the cooled onion, mushrooms, feta cheese and red bell pepper paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Go easy on the salt as feta cheese has a lot of salt.

Mix well but do not mash the mixture. Keep aside until needed.

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Take one ball of dough from the refrigerator and transfer to a floured work surface. Flour the rolling pin and roll out into an oval shape about 1/4 in thick. Keep aside and repeat with another ball of dough.

Place the filling in a thick layer leaving an inch on all sides.

Fold the edges in along the sides and twist together at the end.

Transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is turning brown. Repeat with the remaining two portions of dough.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Calzone

Calzone is a pizza folded in half with the stuffing inside. I make calzones as a variation of pizza and bake them in my cast iron pan. My daughter loves them. In fact she was so hungry when I made these, I forgot to press the edges with the tines of the fork to give it a decorative edge. There was no difference in taste, though, and the calzone was gone pretty quickly.

I use the same wild yeast leavened dough as I use for my regular pizza. The taste is great and filling choices are endless.You can use any vegetables you like. Since the dough is folded in half you can vegetables that you might no use on regular pizza. It is a lot easier to use mozzarella cheese as you do not have to watch it as much as you do on a regular pizza. Just add a little shredded cheese and pizza sauce with the vegetables. I used my go to recipe for pizza sauce.

Calzones are very filling as they have close to twice the quantity of dough in each slice. Making thin crust helps in reducing the amount of dough.

You will need
200 gm ball of pizza dough (I used this recipe)
1 medium onion
12-15 leaves spinach
1 tomato
3 tbsp pizza sauce
3 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese

Slice the onion and saute on medium heat to caramelize it. Keep it aside. Cut the tomato in half and drain the seeds and juice. Slice and keep aside. Wash and dry the spinach leaves. Break them into pieces.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Get you cast iron pan out and keep it ready. Flour working surface and transfer the ball of dough to it. Using floured hands work the dough until you a flat disc. Follow instructions here. Place the pizza base in the cast iron pan. Add the caramelized onion, spinach, tomato and shredded cheese to one half leaving about an inch on all sides.

Add the tomato sauce over the top.

Fold the pizza base in half to form the calzone. Seal the edges.

Using a sharp blade make three cuts on the flap to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 10 minutes. If you like a brown crust rub a little butter over the top and bake for another 15 minutes.

The calzone is done. Cut it as needed.

Enjoy!

Fruit Dessert Pizza and First Blog Anniversary

I started this blog seven years ago but had to abandon it when life got really busy. I started blogging in earnest last year. One year and 500 odd recipes later here I am celebrating my blog's first 'real' anniversary. I decided I had to post something sweet to mark such a sweet milestone. So today I am posting the recipe for dessert pizza. I also thought it would be very appropriate to set myself a new challenge. A food photography challenge. This is a challenge for anyone who likes to click pictures of food and is working to get better at it. More about that here. Moving to the recipe for the day.

When my daughter was in 1st grade Pizza Hut was running a reading initiative and awarded pizza hut child buffet coupons. My daughter won a few and we used a couple of them. The pizza she loved the most was the dessert pizza. Today I have recreated that pizza using cinnamon apples.

You will need
For the base
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. instant yeast

For the topping
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. all purpose flour
a pinch cinnamon powder
a pinch nutmeg
a pinch salt

For the crumb topping
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
2 tbsp. rolled oats
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. butter
a pinch cinnamon

For the glaze
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. butter
1 couple drops vanilla extract

To make the base mix all the ingredients in a bowl except the water. Heat the water so it is lukewarm. Add the water to the flour and form a soft dough. Knead well and keep aside overnight.

To make the topping add all the ingredients for the topping to a pan and heat it until the apples are soft and the sugar has melted, about 3-5 minutes.

Combine all the ingredients for the crumb topping in a separate bowl. Keep aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Flatten the pizza dough with your knuckles. Form a wide disc by running the edges through your fingers. Work till the disc is the size of your pizza pan. Place it on the pan and prick with the tines of a fork. Bake it for 4-5 minutes. Take it out of the oven and spread the apple mixture over the top. Next spread the crumb mixture over the apples.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until.

Combine all the ingredients for the glaze and drizzle it over the top. You could use less milk and make the glaze thicker if you want.

Leftover pizza can be refrigerated and eaten over two or three days.

Enjoy!