Passionate About Pizza: Making Great Homemade Pizza (46 page)

Topping
– Cut the tomatoes into 3/16 inch thin slices. Remove the stem and seeds from the green pepper, discard them, and then cut the flesh into long strips 1/4 inch wide.
Shaping
– Prepare Basic Pizza Dough as directed. Stretch the dough into a circle and place it on a prepared pizza peel.

Assembly
– Brush the dough all over with olive oil. Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a half-inch border. Place the tomato slices and green pepper strips on the pizza in a pleasing pattern. Sprinkle the Mozzarella cheese over the vegetables. Season to taste with basil, salt and pepper, and Romano cheese.

Baking
– Slide the pizza onto a preheated baking stone and bake at 500˚ for ten to twelve minutes. Toppings should be boiling over the entire surface. The crust should be crunchy chewy and very lightly browned.

Hawaiian Pizza

Makes one fourteen to sixteen inch pizza.

1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough (see recipe
page 92
)
olive oil
1 cup smoky, sweet barbecue sauce
8 ounces Mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 to 6 ounces Canadian bacon, sliced
1 4-ounce can crushed pineapple
Italian herbs
salt and pepper
Romano cheese
unbleached all-purpose flour (for kneading and shaping)

Shaping
– Prepare Basic Pizza Dough as directed. Stretch the dough into a circle and place it on a prepared pizza peel.

Assembly
– Brush the dough all over with olive oil, if desired. Spread the barbecue sauce evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a half-inch border. Sprinkle the Mozzarella cheese over the sauce. Evenly distribute the Canadian bacon slices on the cheese and then spread the crushed pineapple on the cheese in the spaces between the bacon slices. Season to taste with herbs, salt and pepper, and Romano cheese.

Baking
– Slide the pizza onto a preheated baking stone and bake at 500˚ for ten to twelve minutes. Toppings should be boiling over the entire surface. The crust should be crunchy chewy and very lightly browned.

Variation
– If you love pineapple, you can cover the entire pizza with crushed pineapple and place the Canadian bacon slices on top.

Meat Lover’s Pizza

This pizza can help use up leftovers. Do you have an extra hamburger, bratwurst, and hotdog leftover from a cookout? Just crumble or slice them up and put them on a pizza!
Makes one fourteen to sixteen inch pizza.

2 ounces Italian sausage
4 slices bacon
2 ounces ground beef
1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough (see recipe
page 92
)
1 cup Basic Pizza Sauce (see recipe
page 113
)
8 ounces Mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 ounces pepperoni, thinly sliced
Romano cheese
Italian herbs
salt and pepper
unbleached all-purpose flour (for kneading and shaping)

Topping
– Cook the Italian sausage over medium heat until cooked through, then drain to remove the excess grease. Cook the bacon until quite crisp, then drain and crumble. Cook the ground beef over medium heat until cooked through, and then drain to remove the excess grease. If you are using leftover meats, cut them into small pieces.

Shaping
– Prepare Basic Pizza Dough as directed. Stretch the dough into a circle and place it on a prepared pizza peel.

Assembly
– Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a half-inch border. Evenly distribute the Mozzarella cheese over the sauce then place the meats on top. Season to taste with Romano cheese, Italian herbs, salt, and pepper.

Baking
– Slide the pizza onto a preheated baking stone and bake at 500˚ for ten to twelve minutes. Toppings should be boiling over the entire surface. The crust should be crunchy chewy and very lightly browned.

Mexican Chorizo Pizza

You will be amazed how nice this pizza tastes! The use of Mexican cheese and sausage when combined with the Mexican Chile Sauce give it an authentic Mexican flair. You can substitute Mexican-spiced, grilled chicken for the Chorizo, if desired.

Makes one fourteen to sixteen inch pizza.

8 ounces Mexican chorizo sausage
1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough (see recipe
page 92
)
olive oil
1 cup Mexican Chile Sauce (see recipe
page 115
)
8 ounces Chihuahua (or Monterrey jack) cheese, shredded
dried cilantro
salt and pepper
unbleached all-purpose flour (for kneading and shaping)

Topping
– Cut the chorizo sausage into quarter inch thick slices. Cook over medium heat until cooked through, turning to cook both sides evenly. Drain the cooked chorizo to remove the excess grease.

Shaping
– Prepare basic pizza dough as directed in the recipe. Stretch the dough into a circle and place it on a prepared pizza peel.

Assembly
– Brush the dough with olive oil. Spread the Mexican chili sauce evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a half-inch border. Evenly spread the cheese over the sauce. Place the cooked slices of chorizo over the cheese. Sprinkle some dried cilantro over the pizza. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Baking
– Slide the pizza onto a preheated baking stone and bake at 500˚ for ten to twelve minutes. Toppings should be boiling over the entire surface. The crust should be crunchy chewy and very lightly browned.

Mojo Chicken Pizza

Makes one fourteen to sixteen inch pizza.

Mojo marinade sauce (found in Mexican food section)
1 pound thinly sliced boneless chicken breast
2/3 cup refried pinto beans
up to 1/4 cup chicken broth (or bullion dissolved in water)
1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough (see recipe
page 92
)
1/2 pound Monterrey jack (or other Mexican) cheese, grated
Romano cheese
dried cilantro leaves, crushed
salt and pepper
unbleached all-purpose flour (for kneading and shaping)

Topping
– Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade for later. Marinate the chicken breasts for several hours (or overnight) with an appropriate amount of the mojo marinade. Broil the chicken until just cooked; do not overcook because it will become tough. Cut chicken into small bite sized pieces. Mix the refried pinto beans with the reserved marinade and enough chicken broth to make a sauce having a smooth, easy to spread consistency.

Shaping
– Prepare Basic Pizza Dough as directed. Stretch the dough and place it on a prepared pizza peel.

Assembly
–
Spread the refried bean mixture on the pizza. Then sprinkle the cheese evenly on top of the beans. Place chicken pieces evenly over the pizza. Sprinkle with Romano cheese and top with some crushed cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Baking
– Slide the pizza onto a preheated baking stone and bake at 500˚ for eight to ten minutes. Baking time may vary from five to fourteen minutes depending on the oven, but be careful not to bake too long; the crust should be crunchy-chewy and very lightly browned.

Mustard Chicken Pizza

Makes one fourteen to sixteen inch pizza.

1 cup Mustard Sauce (see recipe
page 121
)
1 pound boneless chicken breast
1 sweet red bell pepper, diced
4 ounces smoked gouda cheese, grated
4 ounces Mozzarella cheese, grated
1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough (see recipe
page 92
)
honey
olive oil, optional
dried rosemary, crushed
unbleached all-purpose flour (for kneading and shaping)

Topping
– Brush the chicken breasts lightly with a small amount of the mustard sauce, reserving most of the sauce for later. Broil the chicken until just cooked; do not overcook because it will become tough. Cut chicken into small bite sized pieces. Remove the stem and seeds from the red pepper and dice it into small pieces. Mix the smoked gouda and Mozzarella cheese together.