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!

Naan

Naan, the delicious flatbread leavened with yeast is a great addition to any menu especially if it hot out of the oven. There is a large variety of naan and I have a sampling of a few here in this space. This past summer we were on a vacation to Disney World and decided to dine in at Sanaa, the restaurant in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. They served a flatbread platter - different types of flatbread with chutneys, sauce and dips. I decided to recreate this platter in my house. I served it roasted red pepper hummus and cucumber raita.

There are five different flatbreads in my platter - Garlic naan, plain naan, spicy naan, onion kulcha and aloo (potato) paratha. Recipes for Garlic naan (first bread from left in pic) and aloo paratha (fifth bread from left in pic) can be found on this space. The others are new to this blog. I will post them one by one this week. The first is the naan, it is the third bread from the left.

You will need
For the dough
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 oz. instant yeast
4 tbsp. almond milk
2 tsp. thick maple syrup
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 fl. oz. warm water

This recipe is similar to the garlic naan recipe. Add all the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl. Now mix in the wet ingredients and form a dough. Cover and allow it to rise for about 2 hours. Transfer to a working surface and divide the dough into 6 portions. Allow them to rest for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 F.

Once oven is preheated place a pizza stone or an inverted baking sheet on the second rack. Switch on the broiler on high heat. Take one portion of dough and roll it out on a floured working surface to about 6-7 inches in diameter. Pick up the naan in one hand, moisten the other palm with water and gently rub it over one side of the naan. Place the naan moistened side down on the heated stone/inverted sheet. Place it under the broiler for a couple of minutes watching closely. You can do two naan at a time.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week four, day one of BM #69 for the theme flatbreads.

Walnut Kale Pesto

Pesto is a green sauce traditionally made with pine nuts, basil and olive oil. Pesto is rich in fat and while a well made sauce is very flavorful it may not always be the preferred choice. If you are looking for an alternative this recipe is for you. I had some left over cottage cheese I trying to use up and needed a sauce to bind it as a filling. The walnut kale pesto worked perfectly.

I would not say the flavor is close but this pesto will work just as well as the traditional pesto recipe. You could add a bunch of basil leaves along with the kale to bring the taste profile closer to that you are used to, but in my family we really like this recipe.

You will need
2 cups Kale leaves
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1 clove garlic
salt to taste

Bring water to a boil in the microwave safe cup. Add the kale leaves to the water and let it sit on the counter top for a few minutes. Drain the water, rinse the leaves in cold water and you are have instant blanched kale. Alternately you could use a pan over a stove top to boil the water.

Add the kale to a food processor along with the other ingredients and pulse until you have the desired consistency.

Use in pizza, pasta or sandwiches.

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!

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!

Italian Meal

My sister-in-law was to visit us for a day. When it comes to food she is not picky about the cuisine. So I cooked this Italian meal for lunch when she visited. I chose this Italian menu with dishes from different regions of Italy. Italian cuisine is very popular around the globe and our house is no exception. We all enjoyed this delicious meal.

I have made pizza at home for years but I really started loving the pizza I made only after I started making it with wild yeast leaven. The ingredients in the dough are flour, water, salt and wild yeast. The sauce is made up of fresh tomatoes. It was only natural to use this pizza as the foundation of my Italian meal. The remaining dishes come from different regions of Italy. There is the fresh handmade Gnocchi in tomato sauce, one of the easiest dumpling to make at home. Fagiolli All'uccelleto is an ancient Italian dish made up of beans in tomato sauce. Caprese salad was added to the menu because we all love it and there is fresh basil growing in my garden. For dessert I wanted something light and so I went with Gelo di Melone or watermelon jello. This jello is thickened with corn starch and is delicious.

I did not use any new ingredient in this meal but making fresh pasta was new to me. I enjoyed it so much that I am now trying my hand at different types of gnocchi and ravioli. Something I found very interesting was that all the dishes in this menu use tomato as the base and yet every sauce is different and tastes different.

As they say in Italy, Buon Appetito!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Sourdough Pizza 
• Pizza Sauce 
• Gnocchi in Tomato Sauce 
• Fagiolli All'uccelletto 
• Caprese Salad 

And for dessert

• Gello di Melone (Watermelon Jello)

Gourmet Pizza with Caramalized onions and sundried tomatoes

This recipe is a family favorite. There is no sauce on this pizza, just a bunch of vegetables and a sprinkling of aged parmesan cheese. I first made it after we had something similar at a gourmet pizza joint and hence the name. I made it regularly as a Friday night special. We either had family Pizza and movie night or Pizza and game night. The crust is made of whole wheat flour.

What I really like about this recipe is that it is not loaded with cheese and sauce and yet it is delicious. Use sundried tomatoes that are not stored in oil. I get mine from Trader Joe's. You could also make your own. If you do not have sun-dried tomatoes you can use a regular tomato.

I use good quality parmesan cheese that I buy as a block from Costco when they have their annual imported cheese sale. Parmesan is aged cheese and stores well. Use in small amounts. A little goes a long way.

You will need
1 300-340 gm ball of pizza dough (recipe here)
1 onion
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes or 1 tomato
1 cup baby spinach
1 tsp. dried basil
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare the pizza dough the night before as given in this recipe. The next day you are the ready to make pizza.

Chop the onions lengthwise. Place in a pan on low heat and allow it to be caramelized. It will take about 20-25 minutes. Keep aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 475 F. Chop the spinach. If you are using a regular tomato, chop lengthwise and drain on a paper towel. If you are using sun dried tomatoes, soak them in warm water for a few minutes and drain on a paper towel.

Use a little all purpose flour on your hands. Now using gravity work the pizza dough into a flat disk. Place it on a pizza pan. Sprinkle the basil over the pizza. Now place the caramelized onions and tomatoes on the pizza.

Add the spinach and grate parmesan cheese over the top.

Place the pizza in the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve hot.

Enjoy!