Ok. I’ll say it. I have an unhealthy pizza obsession. Like, I could eat pizza for every meal
. I don’t make it from scratch too often, but when I do, I eat the whole thing. (If it’s not all eaten before I get to sit down.) Today’s pizza post was from an Italian dinner night I hosted at my house for my mom’s birthday. (The rest of the dinner will come in different posts for each item, and then I’ll bring them all together in one post- so you’ll have all the recipes at your fingertips for a successful Italian dinner night!) Here’s just a sneak peak at some of the other food fantasies that we had that evening!
And, on to the pizza pie! This Chorizo and wild mushroom pizza was the carnivore pizza for the night. It’s always a struggle for me cooking for my whole family, because they are all vegetarian, and the boyfriend and I are big ol’ meat eaters. (My sister did bring her wonderful friend Sam this time, who also eats meat- so she was able to help us scarf down this glorious pizza pie!)
Here is photo of the pizza before I put the cheese on- for this pizza; I put the toppings underneath. I wanted to snap some photos of the actual toppings before the cheese covered them all up!
This pizza is made with homemade crust, homemade sauce, and fresh shredded cheese! I am a strong believer that fresh ingredients make all the difference!
Just a little “at-home” pizza tip- I always like to turn the broiler on and bubble up the cheese right before I take it out of the oven! I leave the oven door slightly cracked during this so the heat can circulate and doesn’t burn the pizza. I recommend keeping an eye on it as the broiler can heat things up pretty quickly. I’ve been known to burn things under the broiler quite often. . .thanks ADD.
So for this post, I’ll include the crust and sauce recipe. I’m not claiming this crust recipe as my own- I always use the basic crust recipe that came with my kitchen-Aid mixer- any herbs and spices you’ll see are my doing. I’m always an “adder” or goodies. More garlic? “Sure. Throw sommora that shit in there.”
- 1 package active quick dry yeast
- 1 c warm water (105-115 degrees)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3 c flour (2.5 -3.5 cups depending on how your dough looks. I used 3.5 this go around but you should use your judgement!)
- 1 heaping Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 1/2 heaping tablespoon italian seasoning
- 1/2 tbsp garlic salt
- 1 handful chopped fresh basil
- 1. Dissolve yeast in warm water, using a warmed mixing bowl.
- 2. Add salt, olive oil and garlic.
- 3. Add basil, garlic salt, italian seasoning.
- 4. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time beating on speed 2 until dough ball forms.
- 5. Let the dough rise in a greased, covered bowl for about an hour.
- 6. Punch dough down to get out air bubbles.
- 7. Roll out dough ball into desired crust shape.
- 8. (optional) sprinkle corn meal on the bottom of the pan, under the crust. This will prevent the crust from sticking and give it a little crispy crunch. ( I prefer to leave the corn meal out).
- 9. Top with toppings and bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes depending on desired crispiness.
- As mentioned, this recipe uses a kitchen-aid mixer. You can add any herbs and spices or cheese to the crust that you'd like!
- Also- If you like a crispier crust, you can bake the crust without toppings for about 5-6 minutes prior to adding toppings.
So, next comes the sauce. I typically do a blend of my own tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs and then add one can of tomato paste to thicken it up. Just plain tomato paste is. . .well too paste-y.
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes, or small tomato blend
- 4 whole cloves of garlic
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 c fresh basil
- 2- 6 oz cans tomato paste
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Throw in your tomatoes and add a lid to your skillet. This will seal in the heat and essentially "steam" your tomatoes and cook them more quickly.
- Throw in your sugar and stir continuously until sugar is dissolved.
- Add basil and garlic.
- Let mixture cool slightly and transfer to a food processor.
- Blend.
- Here you can either put the tomato paste into the food processor with your tomato sauce, or you can add your sauce back to the skillet and whisk the paste in. (I don't think it makes a difference)
- This sauce is enough for two large pizzas, plus I had a little left over for dipping our crust in!
- 1/2 lb ground chorizo, browned in a skillet
- 8 oz wild mushroom blend (Oyster, Shitake, and Crimini)
- Yellow Banana Peppers- Hot
- Italian seasoning
- 1/4 c fresh basil, julienned
- lotsa and lotsa FRESHLY shredded mozzarella. (maybe 3 cups? that’s a total estimation.) I mean, add cheese to your liking. Duh.
I know pizza is super simple and you might not need a recipe to top it- but heck- I like to look at other pizzas and dishes for inspiration-that’s my hope for this post- pizza-spiration!
Outie 5,000. Kelli