A QUICK, COOL, SUMMER PIZZA

It’s been too hot here these past few weeks. If I can easily do so in the summer, I bake in my toaster oven for less heat in the kitchen. If I can easily do so at any time, I take shortcuts. Last night’s shortcut was to forget my regular pizza dough and make pizzas on baguette slices. Assembled, under the toaster oven broiler until they browned nicely, and served, they were just right for two.

Almost everyone enjoys pizza. We former New Yorkers lament the near inability to reproduce it here below the Mason-Dixon Line. We lament that the difference is in the sauce, or it’s the crust, or it’s the cheese and toppings. No matter the shortcomings of the local pizza, we still manage to keep all the local Italian restaurants and pizza purveyors in business.

I do favor a thin, crisp crust – one where you can fold the slice lengthwise and just the very tip may droop. My own biggest pet peeve is the sauce. Somehow, most of the locals miss on that unique combination of tomatoes, garlic, and spices.

I usually make my own pizza: sauce and crust. Recently, I’ve worked up the perfect sauce for two. It’s a derivative of one I saw on TV’s “America’s Test Kitchen,” and it suits my New York, New York-born taste buds.

Quick Sauce  for Two

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, very well drained

½ Tbsp. olive oil

½ Tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. minced garlic (or more totaste)

½ tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. salt

Process the drained tomatoes with a hand blender or in a processor until they are still a bit chunky. Use the sauce on top of pizza for two.

PIZZA OR TARTE FOR TWO

     

Unless something new and really tasty comes along, this will probably be my last recipe posting. I have been working on this for over a year. I’m not like America’s Test Kitchen where I could test the recipe changes one right after another. No, I had to space out my research so that Frank wouldn’t become sick and tired of pizza.

I did do a previous post on Margherita Pizza, but that dough was too sticky and too much of a hassle. I've been working on the recipe since then, and this recipe is so much easier. You can use the topping recipe there for a nice Margherita pizza.

Basically, the dough recipe almost equals one sixth of my two-loaf bread recipe. That would amount to two and a half slices in each of the two servings – just the amount of a nice big sandwich – not too much for a dinner for the old folks. It can be made thin and flat, or deep dish.

In years past I’ve made a traditional Tarte aux Moutarde, a French Tomato and Mustard Pie, using prepared pie dough or tortillas. I thought to make it with my new pizza dough, and it was just great.  Then I tried tomato, cheddar, and bacon – delish!

My spaghetti sauce recipe is great but a bit too ‘sweet’ for pizza. I’m tacking on the chunky pizza sauce recipe I developed at the same time I was messing around with the dough recipe.

The Basic Dough:

Start dough around 4 or 4:15 p.m. for dinner around 6.

1/3 cup warm water        ½ tsp. salt               

1 tsp. yeast                     1 Tbsp. oil               

1 tsp. sugar                     1 cup of flour

Mix the first five ingredients then add the flour. Mix until dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Add a bit more flour if dough is too sticky. Turn out onto the counter, flour your hands, and knead it until it becomes silky. Form it into a ball. Let the dough rise for about 20 minutes.

It doesn't look too promising here, but just
dump it out on the counter and begin
kneading this with your hands.
Add a little flour if it gets sticky, and

soon you'll have a little ball of dough
that looks like this. Let it rise for 20 minutes.

For Deep Dish Pizza, spray 8x10 Pyrex dish  

Knead the dough a bit more, then roll it out to fit the bottom of the dish, spreading it a bit up the sides.  Let the dough rise in a warm oven until it is time to preheat.

 At 5:15 or so, remove the dish from the oven, and turn on the oven to 450°

Leave the pizza on top of the stove and wait to top it until the oven is up to temperature.

Then pour on the sauce (see recipe of Chunky Pizza Sauce or use 1 cup of other sauce), top with a cup or more of mozzarella, and pepperoni, etc.

Bake the pizza for 10 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 350° and bake it 10 minutes more.

Out of the oven - crunchy cheese edges 

 Split two ways - delicious!

For Thin Crust Pizza spray 14” Lodge pizza iron or whatever you choose to use. Follow the recipe for the dough. 
Knead the dough a bit more, then roll it out to just fit the iron. Let the dough rise in a warm oven until it is time to preheat. At 5:15 or so, remove the dish from the oven, and turn on the oven to 450°

This is a 14" pizza iron from Lodge -
available at Amazon

For Regular Pizza, use about a cup and a half of sauce, a cup or more of mozzarella, and as much pepperoni or other toppings as you’d like. I didn't take pictures of this pizza, but you know what it should look like. Bake the pizza for 10 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 350° and bake it 10 minutes more.

Now here's the finished Tarte aux Moutarde

For French Tomato and Mustard Tarte, first top the crust with a slathering of Dijon mustard, about 1/3 of a cup. Then lay on 8 ounces of sliced Swiss cheese. 

Top this with a generous sprinkle of shredded fresh or frozen basil, as much or as little as you’d like, and maybe some chopped chives.  

Then add slices of a large, ripe tomato, salt and pepper it, and top off with a sprinkle of olive oil over the tomatoes. Bake as for the Thin Crust Pizza:
10 minutes at 450°, and then 10 minutes at 350°. 

For Bacon, Tomato and Cheese Tarte, first top the crust with 8 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar. Then sprinkle on crumbled cooked bacon from a half pound of regular or thick sliced bacon. Then add slices of a large, ripe tomato, salt and pepper, and top off with a sprinkle of olive oil over the tomatoes. Bake as for the regular Thin Crust Pizza: 10 minutes at 450°, and then 10 minutes at 350°. 

Think up other tarte combos of cheeses, mushrooms, asparagus – be creative. These tarte recipes don’t work too well with the deep dish recipe.

CHUNKY PIZZA SAUCE FOR TWO   

  

I like to add a little interest to our pizza, so I sauté chopped onions for this sauce. This recipe makes five batches of sauce for Deep Dish Pizza for two, or about three batches for Thin Crust Pizza) or about 5 cups.

2 medium onions, minced - sauté  for 15 minutes in 
1 Tbsp. butter - and ¼ cup olive oil

Add 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

      2 Tbsp. tomato paste

      ½ tsp. sugar

      2 tsp. minced garlic

      ½ cup of water

Pinch each of thyme, rosemary, and sage (these my choices – choose some of your own, but not more than a teaspoon in total.)

When sauce is done and off the heat add ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

MARGHARITA PIZZA FOR TWO

NOT MY OWN PIZZA, BUT CLOSE!

I do realize that this hot weather we're having might not seem to be conducive to turning on the oven to bake a pizza. I have been estivating in my nice, cool cave, and baking a pie is surely the better alternative to getting out in the heat and driving to the nearest, good pizzeria.  I Italicize the word 'good' because there are several chain pizzerias between me and the best pizzeria around, and that one is in another state. So do give this one a try. Don't be intimidated by the yeast - it is very forgiving. And don't be concerned by the looks of your pizza - it will be that taste that's important.

Start to prepare this at about 4:30 or 4:45 for 6:oo PM dinner

In bowl mix

½ C warm water - 1 Tblsp yeast* - ½ tsp sugar - ½ tsp salt 

When mixed well add 1 Cup of flour, and mix well.  This will be very, very sticky.

Using an oiled spatula, turn this out on to a floured surface.  Flour your hands and mix a bit more flour into the dough, adding up to ½ Cup more flour. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. 

Scrape up the dough and put it into a well-oiled oven-proof frying pan, or on a small cookie sheet or round cake pan - or what have you? (not Teflon coated!).  Spread the dough out to the sides of the pan using floured fingers.  Let dough sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare topping by sautéing 1 large, chopped or sliced onion in a Tblsp or so of olive oil.  Add a tsp. or so of minced garlic, about ¼ tsp. of dried oregano,
and some salt and pepper.

Slice a very large garden tomato in thin slices. 

After dough rises for 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 450°

Spread the onions over the dough, arrange the sliced tomato over it. Sprinkle on fresh basil leaves (preferred) or dried basil, and then

1 Cup of shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheeses.
Pop the pizza into the oven when the temp reaches 450°

Bake pizza for 25-30 minutes, or until crust is brown and crisp.

Serve it with a green salad.

 * I buy my yeast in bulk, but you can use a single packet of yeast for this recipe.  A packet measures out at just a bit less than a tablespoon.