Homemade Pizza

Tags

dinner, mozzarella, pizza

I may have mentioned it before, but one of BR’s top 3 favorite foods is pizza. I have never eaten more pizza in my life than I have since I started dating BR. And really, who can blame him. Pizza is a food that can satisfy all things. Crusty crust, gooey cheese, tangy sauce and an endless array of toppings. It has the ability to satisfy all the food groups.

On this particular occasion, I had acquired a supply of beautiful handmade mozzarella and despite just wanting to sink my teeth into with a crusty baguette on the side, i thought it would serve us better melted on a homemade pizza.

The one thing I cant stand, more than anything, is making pizza dough. Why? I can never make it the same way twice. And instead of buying a premade crust, or a ball of dough from the supermarket, i walked over to my favorite pizzeria and bought a ball of their dough.

“Wait, you can do that?”

YES! and if you needed, you could buy cheese too! Isnt that awesome?

So, with my $3 ball of dough, I preheated the oven to 500* and inserted my pizza stone into the oven. If you dont have a pizza stone, i highly recommend one- its awesome for breads and stuff- and really makes a difference on the crust.

Ingredients- makes 1 10 inch pie

1 lb of pizza dough

1/2 cup of marinara sauce

8 oz of fresh mozzarella, sliced

Preheat oven to 500*

Place pizza stone in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Roll out the dough and stretch it until its an 8-10 inch circle.

Place the dough on the pizza stone – being careful not to burn yourself (note to self).

Add the marinara sauce-making sure to leave at least a half inch of “crust” without sauce. 

Slice the mozzarella.

Place onto the pizza. BR likes a lot of cheese so i covered the pizza.

Place in the oven and cake for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is to your liking.

Purchasing the dough from our favorite pizza ensured the crust was perfect! It was exactly how it tasted had we ordered in. There is something really special about making your own pizza- romantic even. We devoured our pizza with glasses of our favorite wine while watching a movie.

Mediterranean Pita Pizza

Tags

dinner, feta cheese, healthy, mediterranean, pita, pizza, recipes

In the last remaining weeks of summer (so long ago!), I dreamed up a pita pizza with caramelized onions, red bell peppers, spinach and feta cheese. It felt like it was going to be a success.

Then when I went grocery shopping, my heart sank when my local grocery did not have pita bread. They didn’t even have naan. Or flatbread.

How is that even possible??

In a pinch, I picked up whole wheat tortillas. It felt like a good idea.

spoiler alert.

no. it wasn’t.

In theory, I could have totally made this work but the ingredients I was using were heavy. And it didnt work. But if you were jonesing for some quick pizza with tomato sauce and cheese, you could totally use a tortilla.Mediterranean Pita Pizza  (serves 4)

1 tsp butter

1/2 white onion, sliced

1/2 medium red pepper, julienned

1 cup raw spinach

1 cup feta cheese crumbles

4 whole wheat Pitas Directions:

Preheat oven to 450*.

In a large skillet, heat a tsp of butter. When it’s melted, add the onions and cook over a medium heat until they brown or caramelize- about 10-12 minutes.While the onions are browning, place the pita in the oven for 3-5 minutes to toast it up for a bit. Take it out of the oven and build your pizza. Layer the onions in a single layer.

Top with 1/4 cup of feta cheese.

Top with spinach and bell peppers.

Place in the oven for 8 -10 minutes.I immediately fell in love with the color. It smelled divine.

HOWEVER.

The weight of the toppings was too much for the tortilla, which is why i needed a pita.

But things like “toppings are too heavy” never stop me from devouring. It was actually really tasty. BR thought it could have used some protein, like shredded chicken. But it made some pretty tasty vegetarian wraps.

Don’t be like me. Get the darn pita.

Need a little sauce? perhaps Some hummus or babaganoush to dunk. 🙂

Pepperoni or Sausage?

Tags

olives, pepperoni, peppers, pizza, smoked mozzarella, whole wheat dough

BR’s favorite thing to eat is Pizza. Having spent most of his lifeliving in the UK, he came to Brooklyn and fell in love with Brooklyn pizza. Anyone who has been to NY or had NY style pizza might know the hype. I think they say it’s the water. Whatever it may be, or wherever it comes from, BR loves him some pizza. He also loves politics. While I know jack shit about politics, I do know my fair share about pizza. When a fast food chain pulled a question for the Presidential Debate about whether our candidates prefer sausage or pepperoni on their pizza, it struck up a serious conversation with BR about things he loves. Pizza and his girlfriend. “What does Monique likes on her Pizza?”.

I have created quite a name for myself in my kitchen (except when I’m making stuffed zucchini) and the man can cook but one thing he wanted to know was “if I order my girlfriend pizza, what does she want on it?”.
For as long as I can remember my favorite toppings for my pizza have been sausage, peppers and black olives. Him, Pepperoni. With the Presidential debate on TV, I figured the most appropriate thing to have for dinner was pizza. Pepperoni for him and my beloved peppers and olives.

Normally, I would prefer to make my own dough but let’s be honest, sometimes you just want to have the ready-made stuff. For some sustenance, I used a whole wheat pizza dough.

BR also prefers a thin crust. I fancy myself a deep-dish lover and after seeing LK’s take on Deep-Dish pizza at home, I was inspired to try my own!
BR’s Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza with Smoked Mozzarella
Ingredients
¼ lb whole wheat pizza dough
½ cup sauce of your choice, I used a vodka sauce
¾ cup smoked mozzarella, shredded
¼ cup pepperoni
 
Using a pizza stone as my cooking vessel, I rolled out the pizza dough to roughly a 10 inch circle. When it was thin enough,

I added the sauce leaving a ½ inch crust on the outer edge uncovered. Then I liberally sprinkled BR’s beloved smoked mozzarella on the pizza and covered with pepperoni.

I baked the pizza at 500* for 10 minutes or until the crust was crisp. I sliced it into thin pizza triangles so I could steal a few.
 
For my Pizza, I followed LK’s recipe, which you can find here. But here is what I used:
¼ lb whole wheat pizza dough
½ cup vodka sauce
½ cup part skim mozzarella
1 bell pepper, sliced
A handful of black olives, sliced

I also used a 9 inch cast iron skillet to cook it in.

The result was a thick and crunchy slab of pizza.

We watched the debate. We ate our pizza. And we laughed at all the meme’s on instagram.

BR did the dishes.

Sausage and Pepper Pizza

Tags

pizza, sausage

I live a little over a mile away from a Trader Joes. A short 10 minute bus ride and I’m there. Only, when I need to get groceries, I sit with my cookbooks and just click away on FreshDirect and boom, groceries arrive the next day. It’s the easiest way to plan! And also the best way to stay within my budget. However, there is something to be said about browsing aisles and aisles of neatly arranged grocery stores… its highly addicting. And makes me quite the compulsive shopper.

I hadnt been to Trader Joes in a while and I was feeling the urge to go. So, on Sunday, I got dressed and took a walk… about a mile or so later I was standing in front of Trader Joes.

And I went shopping. I hadnt the slightest idea of what I was getting myself into. I knew I went in with a game plan and left almost doubling what I had intended to spend.

Whoops.

It all started when I walked in. The store was so crowded, as it usually is during the weekend. People flock to those deals. Oh Joe, how you make me dig deep into my pockets for things I didn’t even know I needed.

It was crowded so when I was in someone’s way, I stopped and in front of me would be something really awesome… and I was also committing the cardinal sin: Shopping while hungry. And I look up to see chicken sausage with a sign under that said “Perfect for pizza”.

Okay, Joe. I can make pizza today.

And then I got a bag of whole wheat pizza dough. and Mozzarella. Dammit. And peppers. When I was done shopping, and also picking up 2 packs of Trader Joe brand beer (the hofbrau bock is the cats meow), I walked back home and unpacked the biggest impulse buy of the year.

Chocolate pretzels

Veggie chips

sweet potato fries

oranges

cumquats

Roasted seaweed

And more! But What I was really excited about, was after unpacking my groceries, I made some pretty tasty pizza.

Sausage and Pepper Pizza (makes 10-12 slices)

1 lb whole wheat dough

1 lb sweet italian sausage (sliced into 1/4 inch rounds)

3/4 cup pizza sauce (your favorite marinara sauce will do)

1 cup sliced peppers

2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella

Directions:

Start by preheating your oven at 425*. While the oven is heating, let the pizza dough rest. Allowing the pizza dough to come to room temperature will allow the dough to keep its shape when you stretch it. (if your pizza dough is springy, or shrinks whenever you attempt to stretch it, its not ready).

I  opted to make mine rectangular so I could get more slices out of it.

I parbaked the pizza dough for 7 minutes once it was stretched to my liking on my baking sheet. While the dough was parbaking, I decided to heat up the fully cooked chicken sausages.

I used a grill pan to create those lovely char marks. I set them aside after 10 minutes or so, to allow them to cool without drying out.

When the pizza dough is done, spread the sauce all over the pizza dough making sure to leave about 1/4 of an inch around the border.

Arrange a healthy sprinkle of cheese as the first layer followed by a healthy application of sweet tri color peppers.

By now, the sausage should be rested and sliced. You can arranged them onto the pizza.

Because the pizza is so topping heavy, I add more cheese to make it like GLUE and I don’t have sausages rolling around all over the place.

I baked the pizza at 425 for 18 minutes. The dough bag said 8 minutes but the pizza was far too soggy after 8 minutes. Use your discretion and if you arent sure, take it out when the sausages start to turn brown around the edges, or until the cheese is in all its melty gooey glory. 

I served myself a healthy slice of pizza and set the remaining slices on a cooling rack to cool and prevent the pizza from overcooking.

The slices were pretty heavy… but they tasted great!

I enjoyed my 1 2 3 slices of pizza with the Trader Joes Hofbrau bock.

I really wish I could be mad about my impulse grocery shopping… but I cant. It was a great way to clear my head and in the end, you can never have enough homemade pizza and ice cold beer.

What goes on your pizza? To be honest, if I had some sliced black olives- this pizza would have been worthy of tears.

Piola

Tags

cheap eats, happy hour, pizza, restaurant reviews

Last night, i had the bright idea to venture over to Union Square for a Happy Hour. Little did I know, because i apparently live under a rock, the President was a few doors down having dinner at Gotham Grill. The trains were packed. The streets were blocked off.

Yeah. Only I would suggest a happy hour during this madness!

But The deal was too sweet to pass up and I was more than happy to be a little incovenienced for FREE APPETIZERS.

Yeah. I said that.

So this place, Piola, I have never heard of it until recently and they have some pretty sweet happy hours. Every Wednesday, ladies get a free bottle of wine when they come in to dine. And then there is my favorite, every weekday from 5-7 appetizers are free when you sit at the bar and order a drink

So i got there a little early…. about two hours early. Whoops. But it was okay since my coworkers wanted to celebrate my birthday with me.

I started with a drink. A Caipiroska. Much like a Caipirinha, this beverage is muddled lime and sugar with vodka instead of rum. Or like a mojito… but this was better. It was not too sweet. Was nice and fresh tasting with all the fresh limes and delivered quite a buzz.

The ladies sipped wine and bellinis.

We split a pizza to hold us over until happy hour commenced. Nice thin crust, warm gooey cheese and fresh tomatoes and basil.

we also split some bruschetta.

And for a healthy bite- a steak salad with gorgonzola and walnuts.

After what seemed like a few minutes, it was now 5 pm. So we picked up our things, paid our bill and parked at the bar where we proceeded to…um… stuff our pretty little faces.

At the bar, i ordered their signature drink. Lemon ice, ice cream and Vodka. Its amazing!

The moment we were seated, the apps started to fly out of the kitchen. You dont have a choice in what you get… but its pretty good. I just really wish i didnt have so much food before the free food.

Proscuitto and cheese on a crisp baguette.

with wine! (duh)

A veggie wrap with an aioli spread.

Fancy meat and cheese platter.

Freshly sliced mortadella.

Rigatoni a la vodka.

I had to tap out at 6:45 because there was even more stuff flying out of the kitchen. Pizza. flatbread. more pasta. Good lord.

And the best part?

I asked my sweet bartender, Mariano, for my portion of the check which was the lemon ice beverage. My total for the happy  hour with unlimited food? $6.50.

Six Dollars. and FIFTY Cents.

I just found my new “Im broke, need a drink and a good dinner” spot.

Forcella: la pizza di napoli

Tags

pizza, restaurant reviews

Hey Hey Party People!

What. A. Day! Seriously!

You know when sometimes its just not your day? This morning was totally the morning from Hell. It started when i woke up late for work. Dont you hate when that happens? I actually managed to catch a train and get to the city at a decent time so i could get my coffee (cue hallelujah chorus) and bagel. The staffers at the bux were extra cheery this morning and even greeted me with a “Good Morning Mo!”, it made me smile to know we were on a nickname basis… which reminds me- i need to learn their names. I was walking on my way to work in my zone when suddenly this massive guy charges me, shoves the hell out of me. I almost tumbled backward in my 5 inch heels and my $6 cup of coffee went flying. I was stunned. The guy not only kept walking but left me with a few choice obscentities.

It might have been the first time in a long time that I wanted to cry.

I mean, sure, its just a cup of coffee and I am SO lucky the psycho didnt stab me or something unimaginable but i am sometimes surprised at how mean people can be. I walked my pouty face to my desk with the remains of my breakfast only to find that they gave me the wrong breakfast. I nearly lost it. An officer nearby suggested i go home, get back into bed and start over tomorrow. But, I am not a quitter. And today I have several awesome things going on that I cannot wait to share with you (not today though).

Happy to say that I walked back to starbucks and not only got my breakfast swap rectified, but my little poopsies replaced my fallen coffee.

… Thats how you show TODAY who is boss!

REWIND a few days ago. I found myself in Williamsburg, Brooklyn hungry and slightly broke. My groupon application proved super duper hand when I scrolled through and found this awesome place to eat. Woo HOO!

Forcella is located in what used to be nothing in my old Stomping grounds of Williamsburg Brooklyn ( Oh Brooklyn, how i miss you). Its bright light is like the North Star beckoning patrons from all four corners of the South Side. The inside is noisy and bustling. It seemed to be a great spot to eat. The owner is a 4 time national pizza making champion.

In other words: His pizza is a little more than OK.

Its pretty dark in here and the tables are really close together which I kind of hate. But once you get a whiff inside of the joint, you are pretty much willing to endure anything. I waited for about 20 minutes (and got eaten alive by mosquitos!) and then got seated in a nice little corner of the cozy restaurant.

My dining companion ordered the cheese croquette. I wasnt a fan. But I didnt get to eat the arugula. Winning.

I ordered the eggplant caponatina… or what their version of this was. I thought this was tasty but i was looking for the eggplant caponatina from OTTO with sundried tomatoes, grapes and tomatoes that always whets my appetite. This was not what I was expecting but it was quite nice.

My dining companions heart sank when he ordered sausage and they informed him they didnt carry sausage. He wanted a meaty topping for their coal oven pizza and upon the suggestion of the waiter, ordered the hot salami pizza. Everything here is imported so when you say you want pepperoni- you get hot salami. It looked different but the flavor was all there.

tasty too.

I ordered the deep fried pizza. It wasnt what I was expecting at all. I was thinking the crust was going to be uber crispy but not for it to look like a giant crispy calzone!  The dough was remniscent of a zepole but without the sweet stuff. Instead it was filled with something awesome:

Peep that kiddos! Chunks of Salumi and fresh smoked mozzrella cheese and tomato sauce. All together made for a sensaysh bite. I couldnt finish it all (miracles do happen) and I gave the remainder of it to my bottomless pit of a dinner companion.

I cant wait to come back! On Fridays and Saturdays, they have Burrata! Definitely worth the trek!