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homemade grandma’s pizza.

April 16, 2012 — 18 Comments

I’m fairly certain I’ve discovered the best possible scenario to end my week.

This week, next week – every week. For the rest of my life. Friday nights won’t ever be the same.

Yes, this is kind of a big deal. You’ve heard me talk about making pizza at home before – it’s one of my favorite things to do. The pizza provides a meal to feed us, but it’s the activity of making it that brings something else to the checkered tablecloth-covered table.

I’ve officially named this pizza dough recipe, chosen by Niki for this week’s episode of The Food Matters Project, our new Friday night meal plan. Now, this is not a thin crust pizza – which is usually my favorite, or should I say, is what used to be my favorite. What I’ve learned is that you need a pizza oven to get that perfectly thin and crispy crust. I’m over trying to perfect that at home now that I’ve discovered this beast of a dough.

In Food Matters Project, Main Dishes comfort food, garlic, pizza, pizza dough, pizza sauce, whole wheat

homemade pizza rolls.

June 18, 2011 — 4 Comments

Oh, yes – I went there.

I don’t feel bad about it. Nope, not in the least. These homemade pizza rolls are awesome. Dangerous? Maybe. More work than the frozen, super-processed variety we all remember as kids? Definitely.

So worth it.

This was the first time I’d worked with wonton wraps, and I am now in love. I’d heard about using them for things like this, super-quick raviolis – saw them in mini lasagna cups the other day. Yes, they are a brilliant little invention, indeed. And I suppose you can also use them for wontons…

Make these homemade pizza rolls. Play with the toppings – have fun with it. Enlist a wonton wrap-helper to help you assemble these babies if you’re doing other stuff – trust, especially if you’re making a lot. This was actually the first time I ever asked Daniel to come in and help me with something other than cleaning up. He did a fantastic job, don’t you think?

Homemade Pizza Rolls

1 12-ounce package wonton wraps {I used Nasoya, found in refrigerated produce section where tofu is sold}
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, grated
4 ounces provolone, grated
2 ounces fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1 small package sliced baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped and sauteed in olive oil until browned
1 small package baby sweet peppers, seeds removed, finely chopped and lightly sauteed in olive oil
4 ounces good pepperoni, finely chopped
Handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Vegetable oil, for frying
Small dish water

For pizza sauce:

1 28-ounce can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes, drained
A few garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of sugar
Kosher salt
Crushed red pepper flakes

To make the pizza sauce, crush tomatoes with your hands into a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add remaining ingredients to taste, turn heat down to low and let gently simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree using a hand blender or food processor. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine pizza sauce, cheeses, vegetables, pepperoni, and herbs.

Add 2-3 inches of vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat to about 350 degrees. You can use a thermometer to gauge heat, though I don’t think it’s necessary. As long as you leave the heat at medium, and fry about 4 at a time (depending on the size of the pot, the idea is that you don’t want to overcrowd or else the oil temperature will drop), they should fry perfectly and quickly. You can then turn the heat up or down as you see necessary.

To assemble the pizza rolls, get your small dish of water handy. Make sure to leave a damp cloth over your wraps as you’re working so they don’t dry out.

On a clean work space, place one wrap in front you, like a diamond with one corner pointing to you. Add a small amount of filling (a scant tablespoon) to the center of the wrap. Fold the bottom point up over the filling, then fold each of the sides over the filling. Dampen your finger and lightly wet the top edges of the wrap, folding it down over the filling and pressing lightly to seal. It should look like a tiny envelope. (For a helpful photo tutorial, click here). Place seam-side down and repeat with remaining wraps and filling.

Add pizza rolls to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 20-30 seconds per batch of 4 rolls. Flip using tongs or a slotted spoon as necessary. Be careful not to let the hot oil splatter and burn you!

Remove from hot oil using slotted spoon and place on paper towels to cool and drain.

Makes 48 pizza rolls

In Obsessed, Starters childhood classics, football fun-day, pizza, wonton wraps

make-your-own pizza party.

March 3, 2011 — Leave a comment

You’ve already heard me wax poetic on the subject of homemade pizza night.

And while Daniel and I do consider ourselves as the only guests enough to constitute calling it a party, there’s no doubt that the old adage “the more, the merrier” also applies.

We’ve been wanting to host a make-your-own pizza party for some time now, but I never could quite figure out how to do it with just one lonely pizza stone. The solution? This great new pizza dough recipe I recently discovered that makes perfectly thin and crispy crust in a baking sheet. Brilliant! Lord knows I’ve got plenty of those.

I found the pizza dough recipe through this fabulous three-cheese pizza recipe with pancetta and mushrooms, which I’ve adapted below. I doubled it and added more toppings (arugula and Prosciutto – feel free to add your own favorite ingredients) to make 4 pizzas, serving 6-8 people (which for us was more like 4-6 – ha!).

Everyone had so much fun getting in the kitchen and playing chef. I loved it because I had everything prepared in advance, and thus had plenty of time to enjoy with our guests.

Get all of your cheese-shredding and sauce-making done earlier in the day, and then bring them out before guests arrive.

Same with the preparation of the toppings.

{Though you may want to let guests know that the pancetta is a topping and not an hors d’oeuvre – note the half-eaten bowl of it in the back!}

Our friends couldn’t believe how easy it was to make homemade pizza – and you won’t either! As long as you give yourself a little time to make the dough in advance and get your prep work done, you’ll be spending minimal time in the kitchen.

{Leaving maximal time for cocktailing}

Happy pizza-making!

Three-Cheese Pizzas with Assorted Toppings

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis via Bon Appétit

Pizza dough {double recipe below to make 4 pizzas}

2 1/2 cups marinara sauce {store-bought or homemade}

2 cups coarsely grated Fontina cheese

2 cups coarsely grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 (8-ounce?) package sliced baby bella mushrooms

6 ounces thinly-sliced pancetta (Italian bacon), coarsely chopped

2 cups arugula

6 ounces Prosciutto, torn or chopped into large pieces

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

First, prep your ingredients. Get your cheeses grated (I recommend using a food processor) and set aside. (I grate my own Fontina and Parmesan and typically buy the mozzarella pre-shredded – if I use fresh, I will slice it rather than shred it.) If you’re making your marinara, do that ahead of time and set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add pancetta and sauté until crispy. Remove to a paper towel to drain, leaving rendered fat in the pan. Add mushrooms to the pan, season with salt, and sauté until the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned. Set aside.

When you’re ready to make your pizzas, reheat oven to 475°F. Line 4 large baking sheets with parchment. Divide dough into four equal pieces. Roll each onto a lightly floured surface to form a 13 1/2 x 8 1/2-inch (approximately!) rectangle. Transfer to baking sheets. Spread marinara sauce over each pizza, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cheeses and preferred toppings (except for the arugula, which should be added after baking) on top. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake pizzas until brown on bottom and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Cut each pizza crosswise into rectangles and enjoy!

Pizza Dough

From Giada De Laurentiis via Bon Appétit

3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 cups (or more) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

Pour 3/4 cup warm water into small bowl; stir in yeast. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Brush large bowl lightly with olive oil. Mix 2 cups flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons oil; process until dough forms a sticky ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface. Knead dough until smooth, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 1 minute. Transfer to prepared bowl; turn dough in bowl to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Roll out dough according to recipe instructions. (Start in center of dough, working outward toward edges but not rolling over them.)

DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Let come to room temperature before proceeding.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Main Dishes, Obsessed hostess with the mostess, pizza, pizza dough

a glamorous {oscar-worthy} pizza party.

March 1, 2011 — 2 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to see The King’s Speech.

It happens to me every year: I get excited for the Oscars, but never because of the movies. I’m lucky if I’ve seen one or two of the top contenders – this year, I think Inception was about as far as I got (Daniel and I are infamous for never making it to the movie theater when planned).

We all know the real fun lies in the fashion, and the excuse to make a night out of watching it.

And making a night of it, for me, means putting together a fabulous menu of food and drinks. This year’s Oscar viewing party was casual and impromptu – on Saturday, we invited a favorite couple over for a night of Academy Awards and Knicks vs. Heat (yes, this game was a big one in the world of Daniel – and no, it didn’t get much air-time). For the menu, I came up with this mix of comfort/movie-watching food, each with its own glamorous twist. It’s perfect for the Oscars, but I think it would also be a great way to spice up your next Netflix night.

A Pizza Party for the Stars

Lemon Rosé Bellinis

Truffled Popcorn

Three-Cheese Pizza with Assorted Toppings

Vanilla Sparkle Cupcakes

And because we can’t ignore the red carpet, I must give a shout-out to my front-runners of the night: Nicole Richie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, and Jennifer Lawrence. I also loved Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Williams, and Rhea Durham.

Did you do anything fun to celebrate Oscar night? Who was on your best-dressed list?

xxSAS

In Complete Menus all that glitters, champagne, oscars, pizza, Theme Lover

the ultimate {brunch} pizza.

December 10, 2010 — 1 Comment

This pizza is a total game-changer.

We all know how delicious homemade pizza is, but once you try this – there may be no going back.

To pepperoni or mushrooms, that is.

Now whenever I think of making pizza at home, all I can think about is eggs. And bacon. Scallions, and shallots. Lots of fresh herbs. These are the things my homemade pizza dreams are made of.

If the idea of eggs on a pizza doesn’t thrill you off the bat, you have another thing coming. Something huge. Because if you’re anything like me – as in you love breakfast, you’re obsessed with pizza, you sometimes eat pizza for breakfast, or frequently…just sayin’ – you will find true love in this pizza. It’s the best of both worlds, sure – but I don’t even feel that’s saying enough. You must taste it to believe it.

Daniel was staring at me so intently with such a crazed look on his face while devouring this pizza; the pizza seemed to be driving him mad, but in a good way – the type of madness that one associates with being crazy in love. Yes, he was madly in love with a pizza. A breakfast pizza. And of course, I heard a lot of, “this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” {I know, we’ve all heard that one before} and even more of, “people would travel miles and miles for pizza like this.”

I have to say, I couldn’t argue – not even with a mad man.

Breakfast Pizza

Recipe via Smitten Kitchen, adapted from The Big Sur Bakery

Makes 2 (12-inch) pizzas. What you will need: an electric mixer for the dough (though you could go old-school if you wanted), a pizza stone and peel (though again, you could probably use a good ol’ sheet pan and just make it into a rectangle), some time the night before to make the dough, and perhaps a bottle of champagne for enjoying while cooking, as well as serving – it’s pretty magical with the pizza. Though I found these toppings to be perfectly outrageous, you surely could switch it up to your tastes, or what you have on hand.

1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons bread flour, plus more for dusting
Kosher salt
6 strips bacon
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 cups grated mozzarella
6 large eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 shallot, minced

The night before, prepare the dough:

Place 3/4 cup lukewarm water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle in the yeast, stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix on low for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes, then increase the speed to high and mix until a smooth dough forms, about 2 minutes more. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide into two equal pieces and form each half into a tight ball. Place on a large floured sheet pan, place the pan in a plastic garbage bag, tie the bag loosely and refrigerate overnight.

One to two hours before baking, place the dough in a warm spot. Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and set a pizza stone on it. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees 30 minutes before you are ready to bake the pizza.

Prepare the dough and toppings:

Fry the bacon in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until crisp. Cool on a paper-towel-lined plate; roughly chop.

Dip your hands and a ball of dough into the flour. On a lightly floured countertop, pat the dough into a disc with your fingertips, then drape the dough over your fists and carefully stretch it from beneath to form a 12-inch circle.

Generously dust the surface of a pizza peel or large inverted sheet pan with flour and place the stretched dough on it. Sprinkle the dough with half of the Parmesan, mozzarella and bacon. Crack 3 eggs over the top and season with salt and pepper.

Bake the pizza:

Shake the pizza peel slightly to make sure the dough is not sticking. Carefully lift any sections that are sticking and sprinkle a bit more flour underneath, then slide the pizza directly onto the baking stone in one quick forward-and-back motion. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating after 5 minutes. When the crust is golden, the cheese is melted and the egg yolks are cooked, use the peel to transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Sprinkle half of the parsley, chives, scallions and shallot on top. Let cool for 2 minutes, slice and serve immediately. Prepare the second pizza in the same way.

In Main Dishes, Obsessed, Weekend Brunch bacon, eggs, i heart breakfast, pizza, smitten kitchen obsessed

our first homemade pizza night.

October 26, 2010 — 3 Comments

My favorite way to spend a Friday night is a pizza party. An adult one. With lots and lots of red wine.

That’s right. I said Friday night.

Call it what you want, but I’ll take a pizza party at home over a night out at the bar any time of the week. Particularly if there’s lots of red wine involved.

And so, this was our very first pizza party – homemade crust and all. In my {slightly neurotic} opinion, those Boboli crusts are for the birds. Homemade pizza night means just that: It’s all got to be homemade. That means dough and sauce. But don’t be afraid, my dears, because they’re both actually quite simple to make. The only tricky part, and it’s not even that tricky, is that you have to give yourself ample time to let the dough rise – about one hour.

You know what that means. More time for red wine-drinking.

So grab your favorite glass, fill it up, and let’s make some pizza. To start, here’s the super-simple crust. Did I mention it’s made with whole wheat flour? That makes it…you know, healthier. We can pretend we’re eating less calories now.

Like I said, this was my first attempt at pizza dough, and certainly not the last. I enjoyed it, though I have since made other crusts that I’ve enjoyed more {continue to stay on the lookout for a breakfast pizza that’s sure to majorly knock your socks off}. It is definitely a thicker dough, and I tend to prefer a thinner, crispier crust.

Some things that may make your life easier: a stand mixer, and a pizza stone. Don’t worry, though – you can live without. If you don’t have a circular pizza pan, you can use one of your cookie sheets and make a rectangular pizza. And if you’re feeling particularly lazy, you can buy pre-made pizza dough from your grocery store. They usually have it both in the freezer and in the bakery.

Pizzeria Style Semi-Whole Wheat Crust

via Sweet & Savory

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/3 cups warm water
1 package yeast
1/2 teaspoons salt

Combine water and yeast and let sit for a few minutes. Stir in salt and flour and mix on medium high for 5 minutes. I used my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook. Drizzle in olive oil while it is mixing. When soft and elastic, remove from bowl and cover with more olive oil. Put back in the mixing bowl, cover with a dish towel and let it rise for 1 hour.

{Re-fill glass of wine here}

After it has risen, punch down and divide in half, to make two pizzas. With oiled hands stretch dough to cover pizza pan. Keep pressing with your fingers until it covers the pan.

And now for the sauce. It’s super-easy. There’s just no reason to buy the jarred stuff.

Pizza Sauce

via Big Girls, Small Kitchen

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 can crushed tomatoes, or whole tomatoes pureed in a food processor
6 basil leaves, coarsely torn
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of red pepper flakes

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, saute the garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil until fragrant, about 1 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced to about 2 1/2 cups. Add the basil, and season sauce with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes more, then turn off the heat and cool to room temperature. (You can make this 3-4 days in advance).

Makes about 2 cups sauce. If you have any leftover, you can always freeze it for next time.

And now, for the fun part. The toppings!

Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella, Sopressata, and Basil

1 ball pizza dough
3/4 – 1 cup pizza sauce
1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
6 oz sopressata or other Italian cured meat, thinly sliced
10 basil leaves

Pizza with Mushrooms, Shallots, and Scallions

{pictured in first photo}

1 ball pizza dough
3/4 – 1 cup pizza sauce
6 oz (3/4 cup) shredded whole milk mozzarella
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
3 scallions, chopped into large pieces
1/2 – 3/4 cup sauteéd mushrooms {7-10 minutes over medium-high heat in a bit of olive oil}

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. We made the pizzas one at a time so that we could enjoy each one right out of the oven. Spoon the sauce lightly over your first prepared dough and spread evenly across the top, almost reaching the edge of the crust. Add your cheese and toppings.

Pop the pizza into the oven {preferably on a baking stone} and bake for about 10-15 minutes, until the cheese starts to brown. Remove and let it chill for a minute, then slice, serve, eat, and repeat.

Go ahead, have another glass of wine. I’m not judging.