Tag Archives: pizza

Crazy Crust Pizza with Sausage

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I believe the “Crazy” name derives from the fact that the toppings sit on the batter before the tomato sauce and cheese go on the crust, an atypical layering for pizza. The no-yeast, no-knead recipe for Crazy Crust Pizza was first popularized decades ago when it was published by Pillsbury. The easy-enough-for-a-school-night pizza relies on a simple batter of flour, milk and eggs for a light, tender crust that’s reminiscent of a Dutch baby.

Toppings like sausage, onion and bell pepper are scattered over the batter and the pizza is baked halfway before it gets blanketed in crushed tomato and mozzarella and baked again. As with any pizza, the particular toppings are customizable, but try to keep the total volume to around three cups for a well proportioned slice. (And honestly, we used about 50% more cheese than instructed.)

Many reviewers were dismayed that their crust stuck to the skillet and they ended up with a mess. We had no such experience. Possibly because we added oil to skillet even using sausage (the original directions only instructed you to do so if using pepperoni.) Plus, we waited the full 15 minutes after the pie came out of the oven to rest.

Keep in mind, the entire process from starting prep through the rest period is likely to take longer than an hour. Each slice is very filling, so it can easily feed up to four.

Crazy Crust Pizza with Sausage

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 lb. bulk Italian sausage or 3 oz. sliced pepperoni
  • ½ small red onion, thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
  • ½ green bell pepper, thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
  • 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
  • Grated Parmesan
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour 
  • ⅔ cup whole milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning or dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • Medium-grind cornmeal, for dusting the skillet

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Start the toppings: In a large (12-inch) ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a medium bowl. Add the onion and bell pepper to the bowl and toss to combine. Discard the excess fat from the pan and set the pan aside to cool slightly. (If using pepperoni instead of sausage, simply toss pepperoni, onions and peppers together in a bowl and coat the bottom of the skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.)
  3. Make the batter for the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, milk, eggs, Italian seasoning, salt and a few cranks of black pepper.
  4. Spread about 1 tablespoon of olive oil along the bottom and sides of the skillet, then sprinkle a thin layer of cornmeal into the pan, coating the bottom and sides as evenly as possible. Pour batter into the prepared skillet. Spread the sausage mixture over the batter and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the crust is set and deep golden brown around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes.
  5. Add crushed tomato and salt (we added a large pinch of red pepper flakes also) to a small bowl and stir to combine. Remove the skillet from the oven and spread crushed tomato evenly over the toppings. Sprinkle mozzarella on top and finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan. Return to the oven and bake until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Cybelle Tondu for NYTimes Cooking

Grilled Homemade Pizza

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Homemade pizzas can run the gamut as far as the whole flavor profile goes. Are you jonesing for a meat lovers pie? A vegetarian mix? A spicy concoction? Or just a free-for-all?

Even the crust has options, be it typical white flour, whole wheat, or gluten-free. Not to mention a lo-carb choice of a cauliflower crust. In this case, we just used a store-bought pizza dough for our maiden voyage of cooking it on the gas grill.

Of course you can expedite the process even more by using a jarred sauce. Instead we prepared a homemade tomato sauce from Milk Street. This can always be made ahead of time. In fact, the sauce makes enough for two pies, just freeze the leftovers for a future pizza.

The steps to a great grilled pizza were taken from an article by J. Kenji López-Alt for NYTimes Cooking. Neapolitan-style pizza is typically baked in ovens heated past 900 degrees to achieve its signature crackly, thin, charred crust with a moist, stretchy crumb. But you can easily yield similar textures and flavors at home by baking pizza dough directly on a pizza stone on a hot grill until it’s bubbly and crisp.

When rolled out, the dough measures approximately 12 inches x 15 inches, a bit smaller than an unrimmed baking sheet. Total time is about 45 minutes. When cut down to 6 or 8 pieces, it will serve 3 to 4 people with 2 slices each.

Grilled Pizza with Homemade Sauce

  • Servings: 2 cups
  • Difficulty: moderate
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Ingredients

The Best Pizza Sauce

  • 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, with juice
  • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions

  1. In a blender, process half of the tomatoes until smooth, about 20 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl. Process the remaining tomatoes until mostly smooth but with some chunks, 4 or 5 pulses. Add to the bowl.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium, heat the oil, garlic, oregano and pepper flakes, stirring occasionally, until sizzling. Slowly pour in the tomatoes and stir. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then reduce to low and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a simmer, until a wooden spoon leaves a trail when drawn through the sauce, 20 to 25 minutes. (Ours took twice as long to thicken properly.)
  3. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month (thaw and stir to recombine before using).

The steps to a great grilled pizza were taken from an article by J. Kenji López-Alt for NYTimes Cooking. Neapolitan-style pizza is typically baked in ovens heated past 900 degrees to achieve its signature crackly, thin, charred crust with a moist, stretchy crumb. But you can easily yield similar textures and flavors at home by baking pizza dough directly on the grates (or on the hot pizza stone) of a hot grill until it’s bubbly and crisp. Once the dough is baked, it can be topped and finished via indirect heat.

Heat pizza stone on grill, cover for 30 minutes.

Transfer the crust to a pizza peel. (A cutting board or the back of a baking sheet will also work.) Spread a thin layer of shredded cheese across the surface of the crust (about 1 cup should do it). Using a spoon, add tablespoon-size dollops of crushed tomatoes, spaced an inch or two apart, across the whole surface of the pizza.

Add toppings as desired (our list is below). Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone, and move to cooler side of the grill, cover, and cook until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with basil chiffonade, cut into 6 or 8 squares, and serve immediately. Top with more grated parmesan if desired.

Our Toppings

  • Roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry and sliced into thin strips
  • 4 oz. Cremini mushrooms, sliced thin and sautéed until browned
  • 2 oz. Proscuitto, sliced into ribbons
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan, more for topping
  • 8 oz. mozzarella, shredded on box grater; don’t use preshredded
  • Fresh basil leaves, chiffonade for topping

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Roasted Mushroom Pizza with Fontina and Scallions

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Having a ready-made pizza delivered to your doorstep is certainly the easy route. But often times we love a culinary challenge, and this pizza recipe from Milk Street proved to be just that. We made our dough from scratch, even warmed it up to a perfect 75° in a sous vide bath, but it still was tricky to stretch out. You can always purchase a pre-made dough and save yourself some aggravation, just sayin’…

Be aware, heating the oven and pizza steel or stone to 550°F takes about an hour. Use this time to roast portobello mushrooms, and to combine the fontina-Parmesan cream white sauce. Don’t undercook the mushrooms. Roasting them until well browned removes moisture that would otherwise make the pizza crust soggy. Another suggestion would be to use cremini mushrooms instead of portobello caps, then you wouldn’t have to remove any gills.

The second pie was more successful!

For a time-saver on dinner day, the mushrooms also can be prepped up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated. When shaping the pizza dough, make sure that the edges are thicker than the center so they contain the cream sauce, which becomes runny during baking. For a crisp, well-browned bottom crust, if your oven only goes to 500°F, the pizza will need to bake for an extra two minutes.

The first attempt was unremarkable. The crust shape was more rectangular and we over-charred the mushrooms. Since the Fontina-Parmesan Cream makes enough for two pizzas, we made another several days later, which was more of a success story. This time we browned cremini mushrooms in a nonstick skillet on the stovetop. Plus we added about another cup of shredded fontina on top of the mushrooms. And that my friends, was a perfect pie!

Roasted Mushroom Pizza with Fontina and Scallions

  • Servings: Yields 1 12-inch pie
  • Difficulty: moderate
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb. cremini mushrooms
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Table salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 portion pizza dough (warmed to 75°F)
  • Bread flour, for dusting countertop
  • 1 Tbsp. semolina flour, for dusting pizza peel
  • 1 cup fontina-Parmesan cream (recipe below); more on top of the mushrooms if desired.
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced on bias
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions

  1. At least 1 hour before baking, heat the oven to 550°F with a baking steel or stone on the upper-middle rack and a second rack in the lower-middle.
  2. Cut the mushroom caps into ¼-inch slices. In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms, olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt.
  3. Spread the mushrooms in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast on the lower oven rack, stirring once, until they have released their moisture, the moisture evaporates and the mushrooms begin to brown, about 15 minutes. OR, brown them in a nonstick skillet on the stovetop.
  4. Stir in the thyme and garlic, then roast/cook in skillet until the mushrooms have browned and the garlic is no longer raw, another 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
  5. Turn the dough out onto a counter dusted generously with bread flour. Flour your hands and, using your fingers, press the dough, starting at the center and working out to the edges, into a 12-inch round, turning the dough over once. The round should be thin in the center, with slightly thicker edges. Lightly dust a baking peel, inverted baking sheet or rimless cookie sheet with the semolina. Transfer the dough to the peel and, if needed, reshape into a 12-inch round.
  6. Using the back of a spoon, spread the fontina-Parmesan cream evenly on the dough, leaving ½-inch border at the edge. Scatter the mushrooms over it and season with pepper. If desired, add more shredded fontina on top of the mushrooms.
  7. Slide the pizza onto the baking steel or stone and bake until the crust is well browned, 7 to 9 minutes.
  8. Using the peel, transfer the pizza to a wire rack. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then sprinkle with scallions and red pepper flakes.

Fontina-Parmesan Cream

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup heavy cream, cold
  • 1 cup shredded fontina cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions

  1. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream on medium until stiff peaks form, about 2 1⁄2 minutes.
  2. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the fontina, Parmesan, rosemary and pepper.
  3. Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Diane Unger for Milk Street

Brussels Sprouts and Spicy Fennel Sausage Pizza

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Yes, you could just order a pizza and have it delivered, but how fun is that? Been there, done that, right—like at least 5,000 times? Why not throw one together at home for a change and exercise that creative muscle.

We first saw this version in a recent Fine Cooking Magazine article. Now I must admit, Brussels sprouts is not the first topping I think of, nor is it in even in the top ten! And why make the “sausage” yourself when you can buy it already flavored? Truth is, we like a culinary challenge. Plus, you can adjust the seasonings to suit your personal preferences.

It starts with the pizza dough which we bought at the supermarket, but go ahead and make one if you’re so inclined. The recipe calls for one pound, but ours weighed in at about 2/3 of a pound, which, because we prefer thin crust, was not an issue for us. We just knew we’d have to make a few adjustments.

What was bothering me, was putting the veggies slices on the pie without cooking them first. I knew there was no way they’d be tender enough in just a few short minutes in the oven. Therefore I had the brilliant idea to sauté them briefly in the hot sausage fat. Then I returned the cooked sausage to the veggies and kept them all warm while the crust got happy in the oven.

Verdict? It was real good! Now we won’t be so hesitant to think of Brussels sprouts as a pizza topping… Our changes are included in the directions below.

TIP: Sausage can be made ahead and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure to rewarm it before topping the pizza.

Brussels Sprouts and Spicy Fennel Sausage Pizza

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb. pizza dough
  • 12 oz. ground pork
  • 1 tsp. fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. crushed red pepper
  • 1 lb. fresh Brussels sprouts, very thinly sliced 
  • 2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese (8 oz.)
  • 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced 
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 500°F. Adjust oven rack to lowest position.
  2. Place dough on a well-oiled 17×13-inch baking pan or a 14-inch pizza pan. Press and stretch the dough to the edges of the pan. Let dough rest 5 minutes. If necessary, stretch dough again to cover pan. (This took me several attempts and at least 30 minutes to accomplish.)
  3. In a large bowl combine pork, fennel seeds, salt, and crushed red pepper. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Drop 1/2-inch pieces of meat mixture into the hot skillet. Cook until meat is no longer pink, stirring occasionally.
  4. Meanwhile, trim bottoms from Brussels sprouts and remove any browned outer leaves. Thinly slice the sprouts.
  5. Remove sausage from skillet with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Add the Brussels sprouts and onion slices to the hot sausage fat. Cook for several minutes until they begin to soften. Place sausage back into skillet with the veggies, turn the heat to low and keep warm.
  6. Bake the pizza dough on lowest oven rack for 8-10 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Remove crust from oven.
  7. Top with half the cheese, sausage, Brussels sprouts, onion, and garlic. Add the remaining cheese and drizzle with 1 Tbsp. oil. Bake 10 to 12 minutes more or until edges are crisp and toppings are browned, turning pan once to ensure even browning. (Because our crust was so thin, and the toppings were warm when we assembled the pie, our pizza only took 5 minutes.)
  8. If desired, drizzle with additional olive oil before serving.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Loosely adapted from a recipe in Fine Cooking Magazine