TIP OF THE DAY: Homemade Pizza

January 7, 2014 at 8:39 am · Filed under Food Holidays, Pasta-Pizza, Recipes

Pizza dough, so much fun to knead. Photo by Mariha Kitchen | IST.

It’s National Pizza Week. If you’re not already making homemade pizza, here’s an incentive to start.

For the easy way, buy a pre-made crust, raw dough (we get ours at Trader Joe’s—delicious!) and add your favorite toppings. It’s healthier if you use a whole wheat crust.

For those who like to bake, here’s how to make your own pizza dough and a championship recipe from chef Bruno DiFabio, a six-time winner of the World Pizza Games / Pizza World Championships.

You may be a pure pepperoni person, or prefer a grilled veggie pizza. The most popular pizza toppings in America, according to one survey, are (in order) pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, sausage, bacon, extra cheese, black olives, green peppers, pineapple and spinach. (What, no anchovies?)

But if you’d like to consider more creative ingredients, including those that you rarely find at a pizza restaurant. You can also use your leftovers. For your consideration:

Proteins

Alternative cheeses: Brie, blue, feta, Gruyère, etc. (pick out something special in our Cheese Glossary)

Bacon in all its forms (types of bacon)—instead of four cheeses, consider four different types of bacon

Chicken, including BBQ or fried

Fried egg (crack the raw egg onto the pizza and let it cook in the oven

Lamb (ground—delicious with feta)

Seafood: clams, crab, scallops, shrimp, tuna

Veggies

Artichokes, avocado

Broccoli rabe, broccolini

Capers

Chiles: fresh, dried

Fresh herbs: basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme

Greens: arugula, radiccchio; fennel (sautéed); chard, kale, mustard greens (including mizuna and tatsoi), spinach (sautéed)

Onions: caramelized, cippolini, leeks (sautéed)

Potatoes: roasted, sautéed, mashed (all delicious with rosemary); sweet potatoes (especially with sage and Gorgonzola)

Tomatoes: fresh, sundried

You can make pretty much anything work.

DESSERT PIZZA
You can also make dessert pizzas with bananas and other fruits, chocolate sauce, Nutella, nuts and raisins, and other ingredients you enjoy. Check out:

Piña Colada Pizza Recipe

PERSONAL FAVORITES

We enjoy making these “fusion” pizzas, incorporating ingredients from other cultures into the iconic Italian food:

Asian: roast pork, scallions, water chestnuts, hoisin sauce

Greek: anchovies, dill, feta, fennel seeds, ground lamb, sliced grape leaves (see the different Mediterranean-inspired recipes below)

Russian: sliced roasted potatoes, smoked salmon and salmon caviar

How creative can you get? This “taco pizza” is topped with ground beef, salsa, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and tortilla chips. From Due Forni | Las Vegas.

MORE RECIPE IDEAS

Andouille Sausage Pizza With Onion Confit

Bacon & Walnut Pizza

BBQ Chicken & Buffalo Chicken Pizza Recipes

Bacon, Chicken & Ham Pizza Recipe

Gorgonzola Pizza With Caramelized Onions or with Pear & Walnuts

Greek Pizza Recipe: kalamata olives, spinach, onions, feta, sundried tomatoes

Middle East Pizza: lamb, Kalamata olives, feta

Potato & Pancetta Pizza, with asparagus, brick cheese, garlic and thyme

THE HISTORY OF PIZZA

How did the crust, tomatoes and mozzarella get together, especially when tomatoes were considered poisonous for their first 200-plus years in Europe?

Check it out!