"IN THE KITCHEN~WITH MOM"
p. 32, 33, 34
Ellayne Sapienza
ONION PIZZA
You can make your own pizza dough or buy it ready made from the market. If you buy frozen dough, let it thaw and sit at room temperature for several hours; it will begin to rise in the bag. Remove from bag, punch down and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 13 to 15 inch circle, depending on the size of your pizza stone. Sprinkle some olive oil over the pizza stone and brush it all over the surface. Put the crust on the stone and prick holes all over it with the tines of a fork. Sprinkle some olive oil over the surface of the dough. Let the crust rise on the stone for about an hour, or until it begins to look "puffy".
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Pre-bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes, until it is set and the edge begins to brown. Remove from oven. Spread the sauce and toppings over the crust. Return to oven and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Check the pizza after about 10 minutes; if the bottom is not crisp, carefully slide the pizza off the stone and let it finish cooking directly on the oven rack.
You can also use a peel or a cookie sheet to remove the pre-baked crust from the oven, leaving the stone in the oven so it will stay very hot while you are putting the toppings on the pizza. Then you can slide the pizza from the peel or cookie sheet onto the very hot pizza stone.
If you are making pizza without a stone, pre-bake the crust on a baking sheet, remove from the oven to apply toppings, then slide the pizza from the baking sheet directly on to the oven rack to finish baking. This method will give you a nice, light and crisp pizza crust.
1 pound pizza dough
2 tbs. olive oil, divided
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozarella cheese
TOPPINGS (your choice)
thinly sliced onions fried or broiled eggplant slices
sliced black olives pepperoni
thinly sliced mushrooms sausage
chopped green peppers anchovies
Follow the General Directions above.
at her Birthday Dinner
1 pound pizza dough 1 package frozen spinach
1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 package frozen creamed spinach*
2 tbs. water 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, add the onion. Saute' 4-5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Reduce heat to medium; saute' 10 minutes or until golden brown, adding water 1 tbs. at a time during the last 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Cook and combine the 2 packages of frozen spinach; spread mixture over a pre-baked crust. Top with the caramelized onions and feta cheese. Bake at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until crust is crisp and toppings are thoroughly heated.
*If frozen creamed spinach is not available use the following substitute: Melt 2 tbs. butter or margerine. Add 1 tbs. flour. Cook for a minute, then add 1/2 cup hot milk and cook over medium heat until thickened. Cook two 10 oz. boxes of frozen spinach according to package directions. Add the spinach to the cream sauce and spread the mixture evenly over the pre-baked pizza crust. Proceed with above General Directions.
1 pound pizza dough 3/4 cup feta cheese
1 cup crushed tomatoes with Italian herbs 1 cup mozarella cheese
2 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 oz. fresh spinach, finely chopped 1 can (2.25oz.) sliced black olives
1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
Steam the broccoli until it its tender-crisp. Follow General Directions for preparing a pre-baked pizza crust. Spread the crushed tomatoes and garlic on the pre-baked crust. Top with the spinach and broccoli and then the cheeses and olives. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes at 425 degrees. Check the pizza after about 10 minutes; if the bottom is not crisp, carefully slide the pizza off the stone or baking sheet and finish baking it directly on the oven rack.