August 23, 2012

Mama Mia Pizzeria!


Roasted Tomato & Basil Pizza 

So, I love finding new recipes that are easy and DELICIOUS! Well, this pizza is SUPER delicious and fun! Takes a little time, but not anything difficult, and well worth it. We LOVED it!

STEP 1
Quick and Easy Pizza Dough:

1 package active dry yeast (1 TBS)
1 tsp white sugar
1 cup very warm water

2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 TBS Olive Oil
1 tsp salt



Directions:
   1. Preheat oven to 450*. In medium bowl, dissolve yeast & sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy/foamy (about 10 minutes).
   2. Pour into large bowl (or mixer) stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. In mixer only about 3-5 minutes. Let rest for about 5-7 minutes.
   3. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to pizza stone dusted w/cornmeal (or lightly greased pizza pan).
   4. Gently brush lightly with Olive Oil
   5. Bake about 12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Let stand for a few minutes. Then add desired toppings...


STEP 2: make Pizza

Ingredients:
Shaved Parmesan cheese
Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
1 large green onion
4 garlic cloves
1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
1-2 cups baby arugula
8 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
Fresh Mozzarella pearls
Fresh basil


STEP 3: In bowl toss cherry tomatoes, sliced green onion, 1 garlic clove, vinegar, salt & pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and cook in oven at about 350* for about 10-15 minutes or so. Not too long.
Also, roast other 3 garlic cloves in small skillet w/ little Olive Oil. On medium-high. Careful, this is fast. Just give them a little toast. Then stir with some fresh cut basil in the bowl that used to have the tomatoes.







STEP 4: Time to put goodies on top of pizza.

Spread with marinara sauce, spread on roasted tomatoes, sprinkle garlic & basil mixture
Dot with Mozzarella pearls, sprinkle shaved parmesan cheese, sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese, mix in small amount of the baby arugula
Bake at 350* for about 15 minutes ~ just until cheese is good and melty.

Remove and sprinkle rest of the baby arugula and a little more fresh basil on top.
Serve. DELICIOUS!! This is NOT YOUR NORMAL PIZZA and I'm Not Your Normal Nana! 
Second Option: we used goat cheese instead of the mozzarella pearls. We also added roasted pine nuts with the roasted garlic.
Of course, you can add all kinds of yumminess to this: artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, meats… etc.. ENJOY


3 comments:

  1. You just made me really, really hungry. And if I make this pizza, will I be as cute as you?

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  2. Looks delicious! For those a little less adventurous, Erin and I have found that a lot of stores sell pre-made dough for $1-2. The dough was usually the hardest, most time-consuming part for us, and never seemed to turn out quite as chewy and yummy as in restaurants. So now we can just enjoy putting on yummy toppings:) We'll have to try this one!

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  3. looks awesome...another new thing we tried the other day...cooking the dough and pizza on the charcoal grill...mmmm...gives it a yummy smokey flavor.

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