What We've Been Eating

We have homemade pizza on a weekly basis. It is fast (depending on what toppings are used), healthy, and tasty. This is the recipe that I use the most and have found that the secret to a great crust is coating the baking stone or sheet with coarse cornmeal or polenta. This gives the crust an even crisper bottom with great texture and flavor. The dough can be made in under 10 minutes and is ready to use within an hour.

Pizza Dough - Giada De Laurentiis
3/4 c warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 c (or more as needed) all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp olive oil

*I have used 1 c whole wheat flour and 1 c all-purpose flour with great results*

Pour water into small bowl and stir in yeast. Let stand until yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Mix flour, sugar, and salt by hand or in food processor. Add yeast water and olive oil and process or stir until smooth. Knead dough until smooth, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky about 1 minute. Transfer to an oiled bowl, turn to coat dough with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch down dough and let relax 5 to 10 minutes.

When I roll out my dough I dimple it with my fingertips and if I am not using a marinara sauce spread olive oil and minced garlic over the top, and then add my toppings. I bake my pizzas at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. I've also found that the easiest way to slide my pizza on and off of my baking stone is by rolling out the dough on parchment paper that I've sprinkled with cornmeal. Then I transfer it to the back of a baking sheet and slide it onto the baking stone.

This week with had pizza with maple sausage, caramelized onions, and sauteed fennel with pine nuts and pecurino romano fulvi cheese. It was fantastic and I served it with dates that had been stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in bacon, and then grilled. Last week we had pizza with homemade pesto, chopped artichoke hearts, shredded chicken, and goat cheese with a salad with a simple vinaigrette of balsalmic, extra virgin olive oil, and honey. Here are some more topping ideas:

Marinara sauce, fresh slices of mozzarella, and fresh basil

Caramelized onions and butternut squash with garlic and feta cheese (I made this one night when we had another couple over and the husband told me that he hated squash, but had to have the recipe for this pizza. He ate almost all of it!)

Ricotta cheese, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan with fresh tomatoes and basil

Get creative. At book club I had an amazing pizza with (I think) asparagus, shrimp, goat cheese and pesto, a combination I would have never thought of myself! Another favorite is with Gorgonzola, pineapple, and caramelized figs.