Peach Gorgonzola Pizza

I am a big fan of having a well stocked freezer.  This includes frozen berries, to make this cake whenever I want it (and that is often), and enough leftover split pea soup for a 2 people dinner.  One day it will contains cups and cups of homemade chicken stock and this sauce.  One good days, there are balls of homemade pizza dough, although those disappear fast.  Right now there is a rack of ribs that I can’t wait to do up right.  And there was some leftover shredded rotisserie chicken (from this!) that ended up in my tummy using this pizza as a vehicle.  It was a very yummy journey.

I know I’ve been overly enthusiastic about my belief that pizzas don’t need recipes, yet I still now have two cut out and in my big green cookbook.  The first I’ll claim as pure inspiration.  This one I’ll claim as these flavors belong together.  Fresh, sharp, sweet, creamy.  They’d be great in between bread as a sandwich, thrown together with some bread cubes in a make-shift panzanella.  And uber-delicious as they are here, on top of my favorite wheat pizza dough: blistery, fresh and delicious.

Peach Gorgonzola Pizza
Adapted from Cooking Light May 2011

This is something yummy, something simple.  This is something great, especially when you have half the ingredients sitting in your freezer.

1 pizza crust (I suggest this)
Cornmeal, for dusting
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. (heaping) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 c. shredded rotisserie chicken
1/2 c. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 medium peach, thinly sliced
1/4-1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On pizza stone or baking sheet dusted in cornmeal, roll out pizza dough to desired thickness.

Brush olive oil all over crust.  Sprinkle with half of the shredded mozzarella cheese.  Evenly spread out chicken, peaches and onions.  Topped with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.  Bake in 400 degree oven 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and blistery and crust is browned.

Meanwhile, in small sauce pan over medium heat, reduce vinegar util about half is gone and it is a syrup-like consistency, 4-5 minutes.  Use to drizzle over pizza before serving.  **CAREFUL!**  This goes from pretty syrupy glaze to sticky burnt mess quick.  Watch it like a hawk.  This is experience talking...

Wheat Pizza Dough

Back at school, when nothing else looked good in the dining room your last resort was the make your own pizza line.  Freshman year, making your own pizza was all the rage.  But by Junior year we all came to realize that it was clearly only a fall back option, never the way you would make it yourself and that if you choose the wheat crust in a vain attempt to be healthy, you dinner was basically tomatoes and cardboard.  It wasn't good.

After 4 years of cardboard wheat pizza, I am so happy to report that this wheat pizza dough does not taste anything at all like cardboard.  It kinda taste like, well, normal pizza dough.  And even better, I'm in my own kitchen and allowed to actually touch the food and making my own pizza is no longer a last resort.  It's actually exciting.

With such low expectations of wheat pizza dough, this really blew my mine.  I made half a batch (the recipe makes enough dough for two pizzas), but as soon as I have officially moved and have a brand new freezer to stock up, I plan on making pizza for dinner again and freezing the extra dough ball.  And then, I can have make my own pizza any time.  And it'll be good and healthy.

Ben and I topped ours with a homemade tomato sauce (fire roasted diced tomatoes whirled together with some garlic, oregano, basil and thyme), crumbled Italian sausage, green peppers and red onions.  And then pigged out with the whole thing, ending the night with beers and chocolate turtle cake.  It was a damn good dinner while we watched The Social Network.  Except, I didn't really like the movie and am apparently in the minority there.  At least the pizza dough is a keeper.

Wheat Pizza Dough
Adapted from The Haeger NaturalStone Pizza Cookbook

Haeger calls this whole wheat pizza dough.  However, seeing as the majority of the flour used is plain all-purpose, I'm sticking to wheat pizza dough.  I'm one of those let's call a duck a duck kind of people...  This will make enough dough for 2 pizzas.  Halve recipe for one pizza or make the whole thing and have an extra in your freezer!

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/3 c. whole wheat flour
1 package (2 1/2 tsp) rapid rise yeast
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/4 c. warm water (110 deg. F)
2 tsp. olive oil (+ more for oiling bowl)

Grease large bowl lightly with olive oil.  In bowl of food processor, combine flours, yeast, salt and sugar.  Pulse until well combined.  In cup with pour spout, combine water and oil.  With motor running, slowly stream in water/oil mixture.  Pulse food processor until dough comes together in a rough ball.  If dough does not come together, add up to 2 teaspoons more of water until it does.  Pulse food processor often for 25-30 seconds, or turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand.  With floured hands, form dough into a smooth ball and set in prepared bowl, turning it once or twice to coat with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm area 1 1/2- 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Prepare pizza sheet, baking stone, whatever you are using by sprinkling lightly with cornmeal.  Set aside.  Turn risen dough out onto lightly floured surface.  Punch down, knead lightly and form into a long cylinder.  Divide into two equal balls and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Roll out dough to fit your prepared pan and transfer to pan.  Top with sauce, cheese and whatever pizza goodies you want.  Bake in oven 20-25 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is melted and delicious.

If freezing one or both balls, wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze in zipper-lock bag.  Dough will last in freezer for 2 months; to use thaw, at roomer temperature for 3-4 hours.

Summer Veggie Pizza

The funny thing is, on Saturday over a very yummy Mediterranean Focaccia from CPK, Ben and I talked about how silly recipes for pizza can be.  Don't get me wrong here, there are a myriad of good and different pizza dough recipes, 3 alone on my own recipes to try list.  And there are pizza sauce recipes in all colors: red, white and a black bean pizza sauce I hope to find soon.  But once you get past the crust and the sauce, if even any at all, you can't make a recipe for a pizza.  A pizza is whatever you want it to be.  A pizza is whatever food you have lying around in your fridge.  A pizza is a blank canvas, to use an overused expression.  And this one ain't any different.

Of course, that being said, this pizza did come from a recipe.  A recipe I am going to cut out and paste into my big green cookbook, none the less.  But it's not like I'm going back on my whole pizza philosophy.  Because, and here is my bottom line here kiddos, a pizza recipe can inspire.  And 2 ears of sweet corn on a pizza is most definitely inspiration. 

The only measuring cup or spoon I used was for the olive oil, which called for 4 teaspoons to make a very yummy garlic infused oil base for the pizza.  After that, it was anyone's game.  I had bell pepper rings left over in my freezer from my bell pepper salad.  I cut slices from a yellow onion until the pile looked just about right.  I grated the mozzarella until that pile looked just right too.  I did a free sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.  I skipped the asparagus and looking back now, wish I had doubled the amount of corn.  The thing that drew me into this recipe in the first place was definitely the show stealer.  The corn kernels stayed crisp in the oven, so that when you bite into the pizza they are fresh and these great little pops of juicy, sweet corniness. 

So here is my take away.  This pizza is good.  And it doesn't need a recipe (and when I say recipe I guess I should clarify here and say measurements and stuff)  Take whatever summer veggies you have hanging around in your vegetable crisper and slice them up.  But if I were you, I wouldn't forget the corn.

Summer Veggie Pizza

Inspired by the August 2011 Cooking Light

8 oz. store-bought pizza dough
     (why not fresh though?)

4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Yellow Onion, sliced

Bell Peppers, sliced

Fresh Sweet Corn on the Cob
     (please, please don't used canned!)

Cornmeal

Mozzarella Cheese

Salt

Crushed Red Pepper

Basil leaves to garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 500.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat.  Add olive oil and garlic to pan.  Cook 2 minutes or until fragrant, be careful not to brown.  Remove oil from pan and discard garlic.  Add a swirl of oil to pan and add onions and bell peppers.  Saute till soft, about 5 minutes.  Set aside.  Cut corn from cob and add to vegetables.

Lightly flour surface.  Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of cornmeal.  Roll out pizza dough into a 13 inch circle.  Transfer to a baking sheet.  Brush dough with garlic oil.  Top with vegetable mixture.  Cover with shredded cheese, salt, and red pepper. 

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Top with basil, if desired.  Slice and serve!