Pizza

Everybody has a favorite crust. Some like thin, others thick, still others like something in between.
I most enjoy the toppings. Whatever crust you use at home, whether it is your own recipe or a pre-made flatbread, here are some topping combinations that have worked for me.

Sage Roasted Pear, Candied Walnuts, and Asiago: Peel, core, and slice two Bartlett pears. Toss them with a drizzle of olive oil, a 1/4 teaspoon each of sage, salt, and pepper and bake them in a single layer on a sheet pan until the edges start to brown. At the same time that you are doing the pears, coat 1/2 cup of walnuts with a drizzle of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of brown sugar and bake in a single layer until the sugar bubbles for at least 5 minutes. Use a 400 degree oven for both. Nuts take about 6 minutes, pears about 10. Lay the roasted pear slices around your crust so that they are evenly distributed. Scatter the candied walnuts over the bread. Now top with shaved asiago cheese, you know how much you like, and bake until your crust is done and the asiago is golden. This is really good on a thin crust and it also works well on a thicker, more bread-like crust.


Steak and Salad Pizza: Prepare a steak in the way that you like best. At a minimum, use salt, pepper, and garlic. But if you have a favorite marinade, use it. Now slice it very thin. Brush your crust with olive oil and lay the steak pieces over it. Scatter mozzarella cheese over it and bake. While it bakes, prepare a Caesar Salad. When the pizza is done and still hot, heap the salad on top. Now slice and serve. Best to eat it with a fork.

Cheeseburger Pizza: Brown some ground beef, breaking it up kind of small. Mix equal parts ketchup, mustard, and relish. Spread that on the crust. Top with ground beef, chopped red onion, and diced tomatoes. Sprinkle with a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar. Bake until done, cheese is lightly browned, crust golden. Now top with shredded lettuce. Cut into slices and serve.

Chorizo and Roasted Butternut: Slice the chorizo into half moons, slightly thick. Bake them on a sheet pan just long enough to draw off some of the grease. Cut butternut into small dice, season with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast it on a sheet pan until it begins to brown around the edges. Chop 1 cup of jalapenos, pickled is best, but plain fresh will work too. Julienne an onion, chop 3 cloves of garlic, mix them together, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast on a sheet pan until beginning to brown. They can be done on the same pan as the butternut, at the same time. Top your crust with the onions, then the butternut, then sprinkle with the chopped jalapenos and then the chorizo. Doing it in that order seems to give the best coverage. Top with mozzarella and bake until done.

I use a pizza stone at home and set my over to 450. Pizza bakes in 8-10 minutes. You can also use a sheet pan or, if you have something like a par-baked Frescetta, put it right on the rack.

My Pizza Crust
I like a pretty thin crust. This is the recipe I use and I bake it on a pizza stone.

1 +1/2  cup water, 110 degrees
1 envelope instant yeast
3 cups AP flour
1 cup semolina
1T salt
2T honey
2T Olive Oil

Combine the flour, semolina and the salt. Set aside. In the mixer combine the water and honey. Whisk until the honey dissolves then add the yeast. let it sit until foamy. Add the olive oil and the flour mixture. Mix on med-slow speed for 15 minutes. Divide into two balls. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. Shape into 2 pizzas.