Oh, yeah. Pizza. Everybody loves pizza. and if you think you don’t love pizza, that just means you haven’t found the pizza you love, yet. Pizza has been transformed from a simple expression of Italian culinary wonder to a blank canvas jubilantly painted by every cook that comes near it. Simply looking at your local chain pizza company’s delivery menu brings that point home. I remember how weird Hawaiian pizzas seemed when they first hit our local pizza scene in the 90’s, but my husband and I are now well known at our local Bombay Pizza Company ordering and enjoying any pizza on the menu.
I can’t even give you a recipe for this. It’s more of a method. Find your favorite dough recipe (or use frozen bread dough, or use a prebaked pizza shell). My husband (the pizza baker in our house) uses Jamie Oliver’s recipe. Then pick a sauce, pick your toppings, pick your cheese, and bake!
I also love that it is so frugal. It costs about a quarter to make your own dough. Our pizzas tend to use about 2 c. of cheese per pizza, and the toppings are usually leftover cooked meat and veggies. It is a great way to use up little bits and pieces of food that you don’t want to throw out.
So let’s build some pizzas:
Greek Pizza: I love Greek Pizza, but my kids, not so much. 🙂 Use olive oil, fresh oregano, and minced garlic as a sauce; and top with peppers, spinach, and feta cheese. Now feta doesn’t melt very well, so add some mozzarella for that ooey gooey cheese stretch every good pizza needs.
Thai Pizza: one of our favorites! We make a peanut sauce with peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, and rice wine vinegar. Then we top it with chopped coked chicken, peppers, and onions and mozzarella cheese. After it is baked, we like to top it with fresh julienned carrots, fresh cilantro, and fresh sliced green onions.
Carribean Pizza: jerked chicken, onions, green peppers, a smidge of scotch bonnet if you’re brave, pineapple or mango as toppings; you can use a regular red sauce or a pineapple salsa; mozzarella cheese is great here.
North African/ Middle Eastern Pizza: a yummy dessert pizza topped with oranges, apricots, and chopped dates with a spicy cinnamon glaze instead of sauce, and no cheese.
In Scout's Freezer 