I used my little cabbage heads in a spaghetti dish a la Martha Stewart last night. It was fine. There were bread crumbs and bacon (and how can it be all bad with bread crumbs and bacon), but I didn't LOVE it. My leeks are quiche-bound for the Memorial Day weekend festivities...so, today I give you pizza.
There are MANY nights when the Doctor is working and the rascals and I are left to fend for ourselves. Such is the perfect night for this pizza. And here are the reasons why:
Simple
Nothing to nit pick
A hot meal
Fresh
Fast
TASTY
There is something that fresh mozzarella gives to this pizza that regular mozzarella could never give. So if you can get it, use it. Also, homemade pizza dough is best of course, but remember, we are fending for ourselves here.
We paired ours with steamed broccoli, for a complete meal.
1 lb pizza dough (we use Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup pizza sauce (again, TJs)*
10-12 1/4-inch slices fresh mozzarella cheese
olive oil for brushing
kosher salt
corn meal for baking
Pre-heat your oven with a pizza stone inside to 500 degrees. (If you don't have a pizza stone, ask for one for your next birthday, anniversary, or belated mother's day. It will change homemade pizzas forever for good).
Sprinkle corn meal on your pizza peal (or an unrimmed cookie sheet). Stretch your dough to fit your stone. I like mine square because my stone is square. Set the stretched dough onto the corn meal making sure there are no sticking spots. If there are, lift and add some more corn meal. Brush entire dough with olive oil. Spread pizza sauce over dough leaving 1-inch all the way around. Cover sauce with slices of mozzarella. Finally, sprinkle edges with salt. Carefully slide (with the aid of a spatula to release the dough from the peal) pizza onto stone.
Bake pizza for 12 to 20 minutes depending on your oven. Crust should be golden brown and parts of cheese bubbling.
Fresh mozzarella, when baked, can get juicy. This is what makes it so good. Let your baked pizza sit for 5-7 minutes before serving to let the juices reabsorb a bit. Serve with a chiffonade of fresh basil if you wish.
*A quick sauce can be made from one can of diced tomatoes blended in a food processor (with the juice). Cook the sauce until thickened a bit (5-10 minutes) with some olive oil and garlic in a skillet. Salt and FGP to taste.
5 comments:
MMMMmmmmmmMMMMM! Wish we could have shared in that pizza!
Do you have any advice on getting the pizza from the bread board to the baking stone? We cannot get it to stop sticking to the bread board so we always end up with a strangely shaped pizza.
-Amy
Amy, this is a challenge. Here is my two cents worth of advice:
Use cold dough
LOTS of cornmeal
If you can (carefully) get the front "lip" of the dough onto the stone using a spatula then it "sticks" and makes it easier to pull the pizza peal out from under the rest of it.
We've had our fair share of misshapen pies!
This pizza plus your canteloupe smoothie = heaven.
I made this pizza for Jacob and myself on Sunday, and it was so delicious! That fresh mozzarella is somethin' else.
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