That's amore

I love pizza more than the average person. It’s got everything that you could ever want in a meal—it looks good, it smells good, and above all, it’s delicious. Whenever someone asks me what my last meal would be, the answer is always the same, “pizza.” Pizza is quite simply the perfect meal.

As someone who loves to cook, pizza has also become one of my favorite things to make.  The pizza dough essentials are almost always in my pantry, and you can top it with absolutely anything—from leftover chicken fajitas, to fried eggs and bacon.

I’ll say it again, pizza is perfection.

I used to get really worked up about making homemade dough. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but there was a time when I would go into pizza parlors and buy premade dough (which is wayyy overpriced) just to go home and load it up with my own toppings. Then I discovered how easy (and cheap!) making my own dough was. Once I mastered the dough, the rest was easy.

The recipe I’m going to share with you happened by accident. The other night my husband was hungry, so I threw a bunch of stuff on top of a flat bread and called it dinner. It came out so yummy, that I made it again—this time using my whole wheat pizza crust recipe.

The easiest crust ever

·      1 packet of yeast

·      ¾ cup of really hot water

·      1 tablespoon of honey

·      1 teaspoon of salt

·      1 glug of olive oil (little more than a tablespoon)

·      2 cups of whole wheat flour (or any flour you prefer) plus extra for kneading

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and let sit until yeast is activated. You will know that yeast is active (it’s alive!) when it looks foamy and has a pungent “bread” smell. Once this happens, mix in flour until a dough ball is formed. Dump the dough ball onto a floured surface and knead for as long as you have patience for, but at least until dough is no longer sticky.  This will most likely require adding more flour.

Depending on the size of the pizza and how thick you like your crust, you can either split the dough in half, or use the whole thing. I prefer a thin, crispy crust, so I usually split it in half. Before you form the dough into a circle, let it rest for about 10 minutes—this makes it easier to work with.

OK, I know what your thinking—this sounds like too many steps and a giant pain in the ass. To be honest, I used to feel the same way. One day I decided to see what happened if I skipped all that “kneading” and “resting.” Guess what, it came out fine. I will say that taking the extra time to knead the dough and let it rest do make it easier to work with. But if these extra steps really drive you crazy, skip them—you are the boss in your kitchen.

Form the dough ball into a circle on a cookie sheet lightly greased with olive oil. Keeping the dough on the cookie sheet, place in a 475 degree oven for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, slide dough off of cookie sheet and directly onto rack and let cook for another 2 minutes. When the time is up, slide the partially cooked crust back onto the cookie sheet and take it out of the oven.

Now for the fun part!

Spicy sausage and fresh herb pizza

·      Partially cooked pizza crust

·      4  ounces of goat cheese

·      3 ounces of gorgonzola cheese

·      3 spicy chicken sausages, cubed or crumbled (pre-cooked)

·      2 caramelized onions

·      Truffle oil

·      Fresh oregano, rosemary, and thyme

Brown chicken sausage and set aside. Caramelize the onions with olive oil, salt, and pepper over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (I used the same pan that I browned the sausage in). When the onions are soft and sweet, use them as the first layer on the pizza. Then follow with sausage, cheeses, and rosemary. Place it the oven for approximately 5 minutes, but keep a close eye to make sure it doesn’t burn. I usually flick on the oven light, and sit Indian style in front of the oven door with a cocktail. It only makes you appreciate that first bite that much more.

When the pizza looks like it’s ready (or when you can’t wait another second to devour it) take it out of the oven.  Drizzle with truffle oil, and sprinkle with oregano, thyme, and cracked black pepper.

Enjoy with the alcoholic beverage of your choice. Tonight, it was a Moscow mule.

And for dessert, lime-coconut spritz cookies, courtesy of F-in A Desserts, who just so happens to be my neighbor (lucky me!). Get the recipe here: http://f-in-a-desserts.blogspot.com/