Margherita Pizza

Pizza stone fiasco 2013...

I knew I was going to make pizza to go along with the Camarones Henesy En Hamaca. I didn't know the amount of stress this would add to preparing the meal. 

After looking up a couple of recipes online for Margherita Pizza I found one that sounded simple enough. Homemade dough. Done that before. Using whole tomatoes for the sauce. Sounds easy enough. Cooking on a pizza stone. What better excuse than that to purchase new kitchen tools? 

We headed to Williams-Sonoma since I had a gift card to use up. I needed a pizza stone and a pizza peel. A worker led me straight to the section which was probably in my best interests. I could do damage in that store. 

When it was time to prepare dinner I read through all of the directions trying to best decide how to juggle all of the steps with both recipes and the timing of it all so everything would be ready at once. I preheated my oven as high as it would go, 500 degrees, and halfway through I realized I forgot to put the pizza stone in the oven to heat up as well. Sigh. 

While the oven and stone were heating up I rolled my homemade dough. I could not for the life of me figure out how to roll the dough into a circle. I fail as an Italian. Sigh. 

Next it was time to add the cornmeal to the pizza peel. Without thinking I pulled the item that was holding the bag in an upright position and cornmeal went spilling all over the kitchen counter. Sigh. 

For the "sauce" it was just a base of hand crushed canned whole tomatoes. Why would you not just buy crushed tomatoes? Learn from my mistakes. I got my hands in that bowl of tomatoes and got all of my aggression out squeezing and pulling the tomatoes apart. A few times the tomatoes would burst open and I'd get a tomato facial. The lycopene has to be good for it's anti-aging properties when applied topically. Don't quote me. I'm sure I made that up. The blog I found this recipe on had a photo of what the tomatoes should have looked like. Soup was not reflective in that image. Sigh.

Buffalo Mozzarella Balls and I are good together. Slices of cheese. No problems.

I laid the dough on the cornmealed peel and began applying the toppings. Tomatoes and slices of the cheese. The oven and stone had a good 15 minutes to heat up. I opened the oven and from my understanding the pizza should have slid right off of the peel and onto the pizza stone. That is not what happened! The dough stuck to the pizza peel. Oh my! I was freaking out at this point. I was frantic and grabbed a spatula and a serving spoon since those were the closest items in my reach. I slid the spatula under the dough but it made the dough fold under and my toppings were sliding off. Scratch that idea. What what could I do? I had to make that method work. I went for it and slid the spatula back under lifting the other side with the spoon. Sure it stretched out a little bit over the pizza stone's surface and the cheese immediately sizzled upon hitting the hot stone but it was finally in the oven. Sigh.

After 10 minutes in the oven the cheese was bubbly and the Camarones Henesy En Hamaca were ready as well. I set a beautiful dinner in front of my son and he turned up his nose to all of it! "I'm not a pizza kid anymore." Sigh.

I on the other hand loved this pizza. I will do more research and learn the proper techniques for the pizza stone and all things pizza. Definitely a repeat worthy pizza crust recipe and obviously a good vehicle for all sorts of toppings. 

A tip that was shared was allowing the dough to sit overnight in the fridge for an ultra crispy crust. I made mine the day of and chilled for two hours before letting it come to room temperature before preparing the pizza. My crust was pillowy and delicious. I can go either way on crust. 

Margherita Pizza

Utah's City Weekly

Makes Two 10-Inch Pizzas

Stars of the Show:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 tsp active yeast
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp warm water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 28 oz can Italian-style whole or crushed tomatoes
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella balls, cut into thin slices
• 15-20 fresh basil leaves
• extra virgin olive oil

And Action:

Note that you'll need at least 6 hours before you plan to make the pizzas.

Mix the warm water with the yeast and sugar. Make sure the water is warm, not hot because hot water can kill the yeast. Allow the yeast to proof for about 10 minutes until it bubbles and foams a bit.

Place the flour, salt and yeast mixture into the bowl of mixer. (I also sometimes use a food processor when making the dough. Or, you could simply use your hands.) Mix the dough on the lowest speed for 2-3 minutes, until it forms into a mass. Don't overwork the dough. 

Shape the dough into a ball and place into a large bowl coated with olive oil.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for two hours.

After two hours, the dough should have risen and plumped up considerably.

Punch the dough down, cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least two more hours. You can leave it in the fridge overnight or even longer for a super-crispy crust.

Two hours before you're ready to make the pizza, remove the dough from the fridge and punch it down again. 

Heat your oven to the highest temperature it will go. 

While the oven is heating, prepare the tomato "sauce." Drain the tomatoes and place them in a large container and then crush them in my hand, pouring off any excess liquid. The tomatoes will be chunky and not very "saucy," but that's how you want them. 

Divide the dough into two equal-size pizzas and reform them into balls.

On a large pastry board dusted with flour, roll one piece of pizza dough out until it's very thin, about 10 inches in diameter. Place the rolled-out dough onto a pizza paddle dusted with cornmeal. 

Spread half of the crushed tomatoes as evenly as possible over the pizza crust.

Next, distribute half of the mozzarella slices evenly over the pizza. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

Slide the pizza onto a preheated pizza stone and cook until the crust is lightly charred and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Depending on the temperature of your oven, this normally takes 6-10 minutes.

Remove the cooked pizza from the oven using the pizza paddle and distribute half of the basil leaves onto it.

Repeat the process for pizza #2.

Grilled Pizza with Italian Sausage and Spaghetti Bolognese

Itty Bitty was having a rough day and refusing to nap. Finally got him to sleep after an hour of him fighting it. Twenty minutes passes and I go into his room to clip his nails while he was sleeping. All of a sudden a knock at the door and the dogs went wild barking. Sure enough it woke Itty Bitty up. Since it was a stressful morning I was pissed there was someone at the door.

It was our friendly UPS driver. How could I stay mad when he came baring a gift? I had no idea what it was. I wasn't expecting a package. With Itty Bitty out of bed and throwing a temper tantrum I went into my little corner in the kitchen and opened the package.

3 bottles of Crisco Olive Oils!!!

I go through olive oil by the gallons. Not really. But it seems that way.

Foodbuzz had selected me as one of their "Tastemakers" to sample Crisco's Extra Virgin, Pure, and Light Olive Oil. Their olive oils are made from a blend of Cheatoui, Chemlali, Arbequina, and Hojiblanca olives. High quality.

In my package came a recipe pamphlet with 4 recipes. I decided to give two of them a try. Grilled Pizza with Italian Sausage and Spaghetti Bolognese.

For lunch I decided to make the Grilled Pizza with Italian Sausage while Itty Bitty finally fell asleep. Mama needed to relieve some stress and the best way for me to do this is by being in the kitchen. This pizza was so flavorful and loaded with yummies. A ready made pizza crust is topped with marinated grilled spicy Italian sausage, red bell peppers, and red onions on top of three cheeses. It is then layered with plum tomatoes and green onions. Smelling this cooking was unbareable. Once out of the oven I sliced this up and sat at the table in silence enjoying every bite. This is a must try pizza recipe.

Knowing Itty Bitty would end up sleeping until around dinner time I decided to make the Spaghetti Bolognese so it would be ready for when he woke up. This is a big step up from the spaghetti I normally make. Sadly, I just boil noodles and mix it with canned tomato sauce. Poor baby had no idea what he's been missing out on. This Spaghetti Bolognese was easy to prepare and so flavorful from the mix of two meats. After a good nap and a bowl of this for dinner his mood took a turn for the better and the night was bareable.

I'll be marking #13 off of my "Stir The Pot" page. 4 down, 21 to go.

Grilled Pizza with Italian Sausage

Crisco

Makes 2 - 12 inch Pizzas

Stars of the Show:

• 2 (12 inch) ready made pizza crusts

Stars of the Show for the Marinade:

• 1/3 cup Crisco Light Olive Oil
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar - I used a spicy garlic and pepper balsamic vinegar.
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

Stars of the Show for the Grilled Toppings:

•  1/2 lb spicy Italian Sausage
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1/2 large red onion, peeled, cut through root end into 1/2-inch wedges

Stars of the Show for the Additional Toppings:

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

And Action:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For the marinade: Whisk together all the marinade ingredients and set aside.

For the grilled toppings: Spray a grill grate with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat grill. (I used a grill pan instead.) Brush sausages, red bell pepper, and onions with marinade and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until sausages are cooked through and peppers and onion are slightly charred and crisp-tender, turning and basting occasionally with marinade, about 12 minutes for sausages and 8 minutes for the veggies. Transfer to a cutting board and cut sausages and veggies into slices.

Sprinkle each pizza with half of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Top each with half of the sausage, peppers and onion, then with half the goat cheese, tomatoes, and green onions.

Place pizzas on cookie sheets and into the oven. Bake 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Crisco

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef plus 1/2 lb Italian sausage - You can also use 1 lb of ground beef instead of the mix. I preferred the mixed meats.
• 3 tbsp Crisco Pure Olive Oil
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 tsp dried basil - I used fresh basil.
• I tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 lb uncooked spaghetti
• freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

And Action:

Heat a large skillet on medium-high. Add beef and sausage. Break up the chunks. Cook until no longer pink. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard drippings from the pan.

Return skillet to medium-high heat. Heat the oil. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent. Stir in salt and pepper.

Return beef to pan. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer sauce for 20 to 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta. Top with sauce. Serve with cheese if desired.

Disclaimer: As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received free Crisco Olive Oil products. All opinions are my own.