Pimiento Cheeseburger Bread for the Super Bowl (& how I learned to love football.)

I officially lack the football gene. It certainly wasn't a 'nurture' problem. My entire family loves football. Case in point - my twin nephews helped Lake Travis earn their record breaking 'Five for Five' State Championship this year. Football's always been a part of my life. I grew up in Texas for Gods sake. Houston Oiler games were a part of my childhood.

And while the men from the serious relationships in my life (husband included) were all completely different animals, the one thing they had in common was an almost unhealthy obsession with...football.

Lord knows I've tried to make it work. And tried. But it always ends up the same. I zone out. I start thinking about the pedicure I need or wondering how long that hole's been in the couch or more commonly - slipping into the kitchen to make snacks for those screaming at the TV for yet another play I don't understand.

Come to think of it, maybe football and I have the perfect relationship. Because football = food. And there's nothing I love more in the whole world than an excuse to be in the kitchen coming up with things to feed people. Well look at that... Closure after 34 years. Hooray football!

Pimiento Cheeseburger Bread
* This is a 'bread' in the sense that olive or cheese bread is bread. I.E. it's more like a French Bread Pizza. If serving for a party, cut into 2 inch thick slices. Or if serving as a meal, serve just as you would French Bread Pizza, preferably with a refreshing salad alongside.
* Makes 8 'pizzas' or 32 appetizer slices for a party.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup light mayo
1/4 nonfat Greek yogurt
7 oz shredded lowfat (2%) shredded cheddar
1 (8 oz) block sharp white cheddar, freshly grated
4 oz diced pimiento, drained
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
several dashes worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1 lb lean ground beef
2 large French Bread baguettes

How To:
Preheat oven to 375.

Brown the ground beef in a nonstick skillet just as you would for tacos, seasoning with salt and pepper as you cook. You want the beef cooked through but not over cooked (crispy) as it's going to be put in the oven later. Remove from the heat and transfer to a tray lined with paper towels to drain. Set aside and let cool.

Meanwhile start with the pimiento cheese. In a large bowl, combine the mayo, yogurt, cheeses, pimiento, mustard, cayenne, garlic powder, worcestershire, and a pinch salt and pepper. Once well blended, add in the cooled ground beef mixing well.

Slice the baguettes in half then open them up lengthwise. Spread each quarter with the pimiento cheese mixture (lay it on thick!)
Transfer to 2 baking sheets lined with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup) and sprayed with nonstick spray.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until the filling is bubbling and molten and the tops have just begin to brown a little. Let cool slightly before serving or slicing into smaller pieces to serve as party food.

Croque Madame Pizza with Spinach and Prosciutto

All the loveliness of a croque madam sandwich only better. Because it's pizza y'all.

If you've never had a croque madam, let me tell you what you're missing. Take the best ham and cheese sandwich ever assembled, smother it in a gooey, cheesy beschemal sauce, then broil it until the top is perfectly golden, yet molten and bubbling underneath THEN top the whole thing off with a perfectly fried egg so that when you cut into it, the golden yolk dribbles down over the whole thing, uniting the creamy cheese, salty ham, and slightly sweet bread as one celestial being.

Croque Madames are the single reason you can drink until 7 in the morning in Cannes, then get up at noon and do it all over again. The key is to get one from the Gutter Bar (actually a Croque Monsieur, sans egg) right before you pass out.

Anyway, this pizza captures all of the love and lust of a great croque in pizza form. Instead of slaving over a beschemal sauce on the stove, a similar flavor and texture is achieved through combining goat cheese, parmesan and sour cream (or creme fraiche) together as a spread in addition to fresh chopped spinach which turns it a whimsical, Emerald Isle color.

Of course this pizza would be delicious even without the egg and prosciutto, but if you're going to go to France for the evening, why not live a little?

Ingredients:
1 round homemade or store bought fresh pizza dough
1 cup (packed) finely chopped fresh spinach
4 oz goat cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
lots of fresh grated nutmeg (scant 1/4 teaspoon)
1/3 cup parmesan, plus extra for garnish
3 tablespoons sour cream (or ricotta or creme fraiche)
pinch red pepper flakes
black pepper

olive oil, for drizzling over cheese spread
2 eggs, set out for 10 minutes
4-6 slices of prosciutto, or as much as you like

How To:
Divide the dough in half (you don't have to - but it looks cuter when each pizza gets its own egg in the center versus 2 eggs on 1 larger pizza.)

Roll each pizza out to your desired thickness and transfer to an aluminum lined, non stick sprayed baking sheet (2 if necessary.)

Preheat oven to 425.

In a medium bowl, combine the chopped spinach, goat cheese, salt, lemon zest, nutmeg, parmesan, sour cream, and peppers until well blended. You can do this earlier in the day if you like and keep the mixture covered in the fridge until you're ready to assemble.

Spread the mixture out onto your prepared dough, either with a butter knife or using your fingers - whatever works for you. Try to get it as evenly across the dough as possible but don't worry if it clumps up in places as long as some of it is anointing the entire dough.

Bake at 425 for 5-6 minutes, JUST until the edge of the crust begins to set (whiten) but not yet becoming golden or crispy. Remove the pizzas and whop up the heat to broil (500). meanwhile, working quickly but carefully, crack an egg right over the center of each, then carefully (slowly so you don't sling the egg off) but immediately return to the oven now set on broil on a high shelf. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the edges are golden and the egg has 'set' (is no longer a wobbly mess when you lightly shake the pan. It's okay for the yoke still to be a little runny - in fact that's the goal - but you want the whites cooked and the crust and cheese to be nice and golden.

Remove and immediately cover with a bit more parmesan cheese and little strips of prosciutto torn up with your fingers - as much as you like.

Let sit another minute to finish setting the yolk, then slice and serve. Voila!

Hummus Pizza with Kalamata, Feta and Basil

I made this a few weeks ago when Kris was out of town. That's about the only time I can get away with making a pizza covered in hummus. But that doesn't stop me from fantasizing about it. Night after night.

After night.

Hummus Pizza with Kalamata, Feta and Basil

Ingredients:
1 fresh pizza dough crust, rolled thin to about a 12x14 inch diameter
Small handful cornmeal or grits, optional
10 oz store bought hummus (I prefer Sonny & Joe's, found at Whole Foods) mixed with zest of 1 lemon
3 zuchinni cut into 1/4 inch dice (don't leave this out! The sweetness against the salty feta and kalamata MAKES it!)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup feta cheese
3 tablespoons roughly chopped kalamata olives (seeds removed)
Couple handfuls fresh basil

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 then grease a large rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Add the diced zuchinni, drizzle with just enough oil to coat, season with salt and pepper and and roast at 375 for 35 min. Set aside while you prepare the rest.

Kick up the heat to 450 or 500, depending on what your instructions are for your particular pizza dough. Transfer the dough to a greased cookie sheet (I like to sprinkle some grits or cornmeal on the sheet before adding the dough onto it for texture and easier removal) and bake until the crust is just golden and beginning to brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and spread with the hummus/lemon zest mixture. Sprinkle the roasted zuchinni evenly over the top, then the oregano, feta and kalamata. Finish with fresh basil, cut and serve (add salt/pepper if desired.) Slice and serve.

Homemade Margarita Pizza, So Easy An Adwoman Can Do It.

So I work a lot. Have I told you that? Probably (complaining comes naturally to creative types kinda like breathing or going pee.)

Anyway sometimes the thought of cooking stresses me out almost as much as the idea of blogging about cooking (btw this isn't a guilt trip lovelies - just a confession. Fellow bloggers feel me on this, right?)

And sometimes because of aforementioned work schedule I have to resort to making something so simple it seems dumb to even blog about it. Like this pizza. I mean at this point the margarita pizza is practically a cliche of itself. I wouldn't be surprised if you could order one at McDonald's. They're the culinary version of flip flops or hair scrunchies. But I'll be honest. Even a subpar margarita (pizza) ain't bad.

But every now and then you have a really good one and it kind of changes your whole view on life. Reminds you that simple is brilliant. That something as basic as dough, cheese and tomatoes can be so much more than dough, cheese and tomatoes. Especially when the dough is homemade, the cheese is of stellar quality, and the tomatoes are still warm from the summer sun. Oh and boxwood basil doesn't hurt either - little green leaves scattered like confetti over a sea of milky white mozzarella.

Honest to God this pizza makes me want to move to a farm and grow my own wheat, tomatoes and basil. Hell - even milk my own cows. But then again, I do enjoy a good mani/pedi now and then... And bathing. And shaving my armpits. Okay day job - I'll keep you. Along with this recipe.

Margarita Pizza:
*The key to this pizza is making the dough a day or a few days ahead when you have the time, then letting it sit in your fridge to be at the ready when you need it. Or skip making your own dough and use store bought. No one's going to call the cops.
*This dough often turns out a little 'wet' from all the olive oil. If so it's totally fixable, just use plenty of flour on your board and rolling pin when rolling out. This way it will bake up crispy and not soggy.

Pizza Dough:
1/2 of a recipe of Pioneer Woman's pizza dough (follows):

3 large clean mixing bowls (one of which can be your stand mixer bowl if you have one)
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra flour for rolling out
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water.
2. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, gently stir in the yeast/water mixture.
5. And drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture. Mix until the dough forms a ball. (You can also mix by hand until it comes together.)
6. Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl and turn the dough over in it to coat it in the oil.
7. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel (I used paper towels) and set in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours. After the dough has risen, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days (it freezes well too) or proceed to the next step if making right away.
8. To prepare the pizza, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
9. Divide the dough in half. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray then sprinkle with cornmeal or quick cooking grits.
10. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough (coating the pin and counter with flour to keep from sticking) - the thinner the better and place on the prepared sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, then brush evenly over with a pastry brush (or spread with the back of a spoon being careful not to put too much on to make soggy)
11. Put the desired toppings (listed below) over the dough scattering them evenly - the tomatoes first, then the cheese, and a bit of sea salt and pepper and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown - holding the basil leaves until AFTER the pizza is baked, scattering over the top along with more olive oil if desired.

Pizza Toppings:
1-2 balls fresh, best quality mozzarella sliced thinly (pressed dry with a paper towel if overly wet)
2 medium heirloom or vine ripened tomatoes, the freshest you can find, sliced into thin/medium slices and gently squeezed to get rid of excess moisture to keep your dough from getting soggy
Olive oil for brushing over dough and drizzling over baked pizza, optional
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Red pepper flakes, optional
2 big handfuls fresh boxwood or regular basil, for topping after baking

Sweet Sausage and Caramelized Shallot Pizza

In my Martha Stewart fantasies, I serve this with a crisp salad for a well rounded meal. But I spare the salad the humiliation knowing that it would just sit there on the sidelines, neglected and bored, like Kim Kardashian at a Reggie Bush game.

After all, stomach space is too scarce to fill up with boring lettuce when the smell of sausage is near. Instead I put this pizza out with lots of ice cold beer and carefully step out of the way of the stampede...after stealing the best pieces for myself, of course.

Sweet Sausage and Caramelized Shallot Pizza

Ingredients:
1/2 of the recipe for The Pioneer Woman's Pizza Dough

2 teaspoons or so olive oil, plus more for drizzling over pizza dough
7-8 jawbreaker sized shallots, peeled and sliced fairly thin
Pinch sea or kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper
4 sweet Italian sausage links, removed from skin and broken up with fingers or wooden spoon
Healthy pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon dried English mustard
1/2 cup vermouth or dry white wine
4-5 tablespoons ricotta cheese, broken up with your fingers or two spoons and scattered evenly over the crust
olive oil
1 cup of fresh mozzarella chunks, broken up from a ball with your fingers
1/3 cup (or more) shredded parmesan cheese
Sea salt, for sprinkling over top of pizza (if you're a salt freak) and more pepper
Couple handfuls of fresh oregano leaves, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Add the olive oil to a large rimmed nonstick skillet. Put the heat on medium and add the shallots, seasoning with salt and pepper (depending on the size of your shallots, you might need more oil so use your best judgement.) Cook, stirring occasionally until soft and beginning to caramelize - about 7 minutes. Add in the sausage, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon into smaller bits. Season with the nutmeg and English mustard and cook for about 10-12 minutes until no longer raw (but not until the sausage starts to dry out and crisp up.) Add in the white wine or vermouth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until the liquid has evaporated (will take a couple minutes.) Once the pan is mostly dry again, kill the heat and put it to the side to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray it with nonstick spray, then sprinkle over a couple of tablespoons of either cornmeal or semolina flour, trying to scatter it evenly by tipping the pan from side to side.

Take your cold dough and begin to carefully stretch it out with your fingers. Once it's begun to obey you, lay the dough on the prepared sheet pushing it out gently with your finger tips so that it gets as thin and wide as possible (taking up as much of the pan as possible) without getting too many holes in it. This will seem impossible at first, but with time and patience, you'll get there. It probably won't take up the entire surface area of the pan but pretty close.

Drizzle the dough lightly with olive oil and sprinkle ever so lightly with sea salt or kosher salt (omit the salt if you are one of those people who finds things too salty - unfortunately I'm not one of those people.) Repeat with pepper.

Scatter the ricotta cheese over the dough, distributing as evenly as possible and using your fingers if necessary to break up the clumps. Repeat with the fresh mozzarella, filling in the gaps. Now add the sausage/shallot mixture again spreading as evenly as possible. Sprinkle over the parmesan and bake for 15 minutes or just until the edges are beginning to turn golden and the cheese is nice and melted and also beginning to get nice and tan in places.

Remove and sprinkle immediately with plenty of fresh oregano (this MAKES it - I tell you.) Carefully use the foil to lift the pizza onto a cutting board and let it rest for a couple minutes before slicing.

Oh Pioneer Woman - please forgive me.

Remember how I told you I followed the recipes to a "T" for the homemade pizza dough smackdown for the sake of keeping things fair and square? Well I did...up until the baking part for the Pioneer Woman's dough.

For some reason I felt possessed to cook Ree's on a pizza stone versus the baking sheet like she advises in her book. I don't know why I did this. Actually I do know why. I was suffering from a bad case of over confidence since Rebecca's dough had slipped off the peel so easily like an Ambien-infused supermodel. Over confidence does not belong in the kitchen. It can cause house fires, personal injury, and epic spousal eruptions (once after I cut my finger slicing fresh mozzarella I looked at my husband and screamed 'F@*k! I HATE cooking!!' The poor guy hadn't done anything but breathe yet he fell victim to my wrath.)

So there I was the other night assembling a pizza which had rolled out easily enough right onto the peel. Only when I went to move it, there was trouble. That pizza wasn't going anywhere. I put it in the fridge for a few minutes thinking this would help. It did but not much. At this point I should have realized this was bad-idea.com and used the baking sheet. But that would have made too much sense so instead I messily transferred it onto a slip of parchment paper scattered with cornmeal. This will do it, I thought, and even if it doesn't I can just put the parchment right onto the stone. After all parchment is meant for baking. Right?

Sure enough, I tried slipping it off the parchment and onto the stone to no avail. That pizza was like an old school breast implant - it wasn't going anywhere without surgery. Moving onto my backup plan (patting myself on the back while doing so) I put the whole kit and kaboodle onto the preheated stone and shut the door.

It took about two seconds for the smoke to begin billowing around inside the oven. It seemed like it took me no less than 45 years to lunge for my oven mitts and rip the door back open to retrieve this inferno-in-waiting. Since it literally had been in there for mere seconds I thought I could use my spatula to get it off the parchment safely onto a baking sheet. Nope. That pizza had already devotedly welded itself onto the paper.

Any normal person would have chucked the whole thing into the garbage but I was out of cheese and I've told you before how I feel about going to my local grocery store (I've actually been screamed at by one of the checkers for asking if the raspberries were on sale. She also threw a pencil across the register at me but that's another story) so I wasn't about to give up now.

I picked it up like it was a wet cat and flipped it over onto the baking sheet. In the process it kind of fell over on itself in a goopy mess - the majority of it thankfully parting ways from the paper. I almost started to cry seeing the carefully hand sliced salami and fresh mozzarella recklessly piled within the gooey mess. And then I realized something. It kind of looked like a calzone (actually more like a pizza cobbler - or even like a half-developed alien embryo...just see above picture.) But if I told Kris I had intended to make a calzone he just might buy it...

But he was onto me.

"What is that?" he asked (rudely I might add) when I pulled it from the oven.

"A calzone..." I said as if it was the most obvious given on earth like rain or grass or babies.

He looked anything but psyched as he tried the first bite. But he ate it then another and another. And so did I. In fact we couldn't stop eating it and as we did, I couldn't help but think something that made just about negative sense. This dough is better than Rebecca's! Even cooked incorrectly and flung around and reshaped and cooked again it had that complex, yeasty flavor I had been looking for. It was delicious. Addictive, even.

Despite all the odds - Ree won the pizza smackdown!

I will say that her dough isn't as easy to work with as Rebecca's - it's wetter and will stick so you can't have it out of the fridge for too long before you're ready to bake it (nor can you use hers on a pizza stone) but if you age it for a couple of days like she says to it's hard to beat. I want some right now.

Well done Pioneer Woman! You wrangled the hell out of that pizza dough!

The Pioneer Woman's Pizza Dough

1 teaspoon or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water.
2. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, gently stir in the yeast/water mixture.
5. And drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture. Mix until the dough forms a ball. (You can also mix by hand until it comes together.)
6. Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl and turn the dough over in it to coat it in the oil.
7. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel (I used paper towels) and set in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours. After the dough has risen, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days (it freezes well too) or proceed to the next step if making right away.
8. To prepare the pizza, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
9. Divide the dough in half. Lightly drizzle olive oil on a pizza pan or rimmed baking sheet.
10. Using your hands, stretch the dough to the desired shape, pressing the dough into the pan with your fingers. The thinner the better. The surface of the dough should be lumpy from finger marks (Ree says this holds the toppings better this way.)
11. Pay the desired toppings over the dough and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown.
12. Again If not using all the dough right away, you can freeze it for up to 6 months, thawing in the fridge again before using

Cilantro, Shrimp, and Goat Cheese Pizza with Rebecca Rather's Crust

Rebecca Rather of the Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe in Fredericksburg, TX is dubbed 'The Pastry Queen' because of her delicious pies, cakes, and cookies. But the funny thing is when I eat at her restaurant, it's the savory items that stick with me. Her chicken salad with field greens and balsamic dressing tastes so much more than the sum of its parts, I feel obligated to rename it something with more oomph (she uses homemade mayo for the chicken salad which is simultaneously lighter and more decadent than other versions.)

But today is all about pizza - the first report back to you all on the pizza smack down challenge between Rebecca and Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman.) With Rebecca's dough, I chose to make a cilantro, shrimp and goat cheese pizza and was not disappointed. Although I mentioned in the last post that Rebecca's dough isn't as simple to make as Ree's (more ingredients), the payoff is that it's incredibly reliable and easy to work with.

It rolls easily, not getting too mushy or sticky no matter how long it's on the counter, and slides easily off the peel onto the preheated pizza stone. I would learn later that this is not a given with every dough. In fact Ree's cannot in my experience be cooked on a pizza stone at a high temp (and in fact she doesn't advise you to do so - it's too loosy goosy.)

Rebecca's cooked up at 450 in about 10-12 minutes with a perfectly crispy, thin crust that was still strong enough to support most anything you put on top of it. Was hers as complex in flavor as I had hoped given the semolina and honey? To be honest - no. When I make it again I'm going to 'age' it in the refrigerator for a couple of days and see what this does to it. I have a feeling it will be the bull's eye.

But as for a really good, wonderfully textured and reliable pizza dough that wont' leave half the crust stuck to the inside of your oven after flinging it in with the peel - you can't beat Rebecca's. She is after all, The Pastry Queen.

Rebecca Rather's Pizza Dough
(from the book The Pastry Queen)
*Requires a standing mixer or a handheld mixer and a sturdy large bowl.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (110 to 115 F)
2 (1 oz) packages active dry yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing on crusts
2 teaspoons honey
4 to 5 cups flour
3 tablespoons semolina flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I omitted them)
1/4 cup cornmeal or grits

Instructions:
Combine the lukewarm water, yeast, olive oil, and honey in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 3 cups of the all purpose flour, the semolina flour, and salt. Mix on low speed for about a minute or so until all is just combined. With the machine running (start on low and as it gets thicker you may need to kick up the power to keep from straining your machine) add 1 cup of the all purpose flour to make a soft dough. Mix the dough on low speed for about 5 minutes longer until smooth. At this point, the dough will still be quite sticky and useless, falling over on itself. Therefore, keep adding more flour, about 1/4 cup at a time with the motor running. The dough will start to look like viable dough and hold its shape but then become wet and fall apart again at which point you just add in more flour and keep watching. Finally it will hold and keep its shape, at which point you'll also notice it breeding little pea-sized clumps that stick to the sides of the bowl. This is the signal that your dough is ready to go so stop adding flour.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and kneed until smooth and elastic, about 10 to 15 turns using the heel of your palms. Place in a large bowl brushed liberally with olive oil. Cover with a damp cloth or several damp paper towels, cover and let rest at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes (no need to hunt down that illusive 'warm place' in your house!)

Check on the dough which should have doubled by now and look nice and puffed and smooth. If you're not convinced, give it some more time to think about life and other things and check it again a little later.

Turn the dough back out onto a floured surface and use a pastry cutter or knife to divide the dough into quarters. Roll each piece into a ball then place the balls on a baking sheet or tray, cover with a damp towel, and let rest another 10 to 15 minutes longer.

At this point, you can roll out to bake off right away or place in plastic bags and refrigerate for up to 3 days. I'm also trying freezing the dough so I'll report back later on how this works out.

Cilantro, Shrimp, and Goat Cheese Pizza
* Ideally you'd use a pizza stone for this which also requires a pizza 'peel' that lets you slip the dough onto the stone. If you don't have these tools, and/or if the idea of pizza flinging scares you, just bake the pizza on a greased baking sheet sprinkled lightly with cornmeal or grits. You might not get quite as crispy a crust but you'll avoid the panic of realizing your afternoon spent making dough was all for not as you try to clean up wayward dough from the inside of your oven - and this is worth it's weight in gold.

Ingredients:
1/4 (one ball) of Rebecca's pizza dough, rolled out onto a floured board or counter top into about an 8x8 inch diameter
additional flour, for rolling

3 oz goat cheese
8 thin slices fresh part skim mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno, deseeded and deveined
fresh cracked pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 jalapeño, (deseeded - optional) minced
1 green onion, minced
Zest of a small lemon
Good pinch (or two) sea salt
Pinch pepper
1 teaspoon or so olive oil
1/4 cup cornmeal or grits, for sprinkling on baking sheet or stone and peel

16 shelled fresh shrimp, with tails on preferably fresh and not previously frozen marinated for ten minutes in:

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
good couple cracks black pepper
2 large garlic cloves cut into large chunks
2 bay leaves

After ten minutes, pluck from the marinade shaking vigorously and grill on a hot, oiled grill for about 2-3 minutes per side, just until they've turned opaque and slightly pink.

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 450 and place a pizza stone inside to let heat through for at least 30 minutes.

When ready, brush the rolled out crust with olive oil (use a pastry brush dipped in olive oil and use a lighter hand - you don't want to drown the dough but just lightly glaze it with the oil.)

Sprinkle your pizza peel with cornmeal or grits, then place the rolled pizza dough on top. You can now assemble your pizza (if using a baking sheet go ahead and transfer the dough to the oiled sheet sprinkled with cornmeal or grits and then assemble right on the sheet.) Place the slices of mozzarella evenly around the dough, leaving a good 3/4 inch edge free all the way around. Crumble the goat cheese into small chunks with your fingers and place in any empty spaces around the mozzarella, trying to distribute it as evenly as possible. Sprinkle evenly with the tablespoon of minced jalapeno then with fresh cracked pepper then open the oven and carefully but quickly 'fling' the pizza onto the preheated stone, trying to get it evenly onto the stone and not over the sides (I close my eyes and pray as I do this but you do whatever works for you.)

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are becoming golden brown and the cheese has melted nicely and begun to bubble and brown in places. Meanwhile, blend the cilantro, jalepeno, green onion, lemon zest, salt, pepper and olive oil up with a fork in a small bowl. As soon as the pizza comes out, sprinkle evenly with the cilantro mixture then top with the cut up shrimp. You can hit the whole thing with another light drizzle of olive oil and teensy pinch of sea salt, if desired. Cut into wedges and serve.

Homemade Pizza Dough Smack Down

For years I've wanted to make homemade pizza dough. I'd come across a recipe, run out and buy all of the ingredients only to return home, re-read the recipe and get cold feet.

So many steps. Measure. Mix. Let rise. Punch down. Kneed. Let rest. Kneed again.

And what was with storing the dough in a warm place to let it rise? I mean - where is this 'warm place' in one's home? Near the gateway to hell in the basement?

Not to mention the time commitment - a whole afternoon spent pampering a helpless lump so it can become dinner IF all the steps go accordingly? Nope.

Besides I was an early Giada adopter and if she never felt the need to make her own dough then why the hell should I? Well here's why - I finally did and it may be the most rewarding thing I've done all year. Seriously. It's like gestating, delivering, and raising the perfect child in less than 4 hours. And you can eat it.

I'll tell you what finally motivated me. I'm about to have to part ways with my fabulous (rented) Gaggenau oven and I knew my chances of nailing the perfect crust would be greatly increased by using it. That thing is insane. I don't plug products on this 'ole blog of mine but I would try to sell one of those to an armless man. Seriously - it's amazing.

So whose recipes did I try for the cruel and ruthless smack down? Two from some of my favorite southern gals - Rebecca Rather of Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe in Fredericksburg, TX and Ree Drummond of the famed blog and book The Pioneer Woman. And for once in my life I followed the recipes to a 'T' so I could report the results accurately. I even followed Ree's advice of letting the dough sit in the fridge for a few days as she claims it tastes even better that way.

I have to say both recipes were pretty easy to make, coming from someone who doesn't bake much and is dough-phobic. Ree's has a blessedly simple ingredient list (too simple? we shall see...) while Rebecca's has the advantage of being able to dump everything into the mixer and press a button. The downer is of course, you have to own a mixer (Ree says you can mix hers by hand and I have no reason to doubt her.) Ree's was also fairly idiot-proof. You slowly add the yeast/water mixture to the flour mixture with the mixer on low, and when it forms a solid mass around the dough hook, you're ready to turn it out into the oiled bowl.

Rebecca's took a little more guesswork, as her measurements vary (an additional 1-2 cups of flour, depending.) Here's what happened when I made hers. The dough would gather around the hook and form a mass at which point I thought I was done. But then it would kind of loosen and fall apart again and I would have to sprinkle in more flour so that it formed a cohesive shape again. I did this a few times until the shape finally held and began to breed little dough ball babies - little clumps about the size of an impressive booger. Instinctively I felt this meant to stop adding dough so I did. And though this wasn't in her instructions it will be in mine.

We tried Rebecca's dough last night and I have to say it was delicious. Maybe not as complex as I thought it would be given the addition of honey and semolina flour, but a perfect, crispy texture that could still hold up under two cheeses and several fat pieces of grilled shrimp.

Ree's is in my fridge and I'll report back to you later in the week with the results and both recipes. Will that time in the fridge work something magical on her dough?

Stay tuned...

PS - I should mention the fact that I found myself talking to the dough while making it. I might have even sang to it. I don't know if this aided its development or not but wanted to be completely honest with you for the sake of science.

Mozza - Los Angeles, CA

Last night we ate at the Mario Batali/Nancy Silverton/Joe Bastianich restaurant Mozza. Foodie fantasy fulfilled. Amen. Hallelujah. Praise Jesus. And cheese. And bread. And sausage. Definitely sausage.

We went to the Pizzeria not the Osteria and therefore missed out on the Mozzarella Bar (all their cheese is made in house!) But what we lacked in plates of lactose-rich concoctions, we made up for in Nancy Silverton's ethereal pizza crust.

We were in the mood for meat and went whole hog. I got the fennel sausage pizza (their sausage is also made in house, yet another reason for the endless hype behind this place) and all I can say is I walked out of there on a sausage high. It was beyond words. It was salty. Sweet. Fennel-y. Lightly crispy on the outside and delicate on the inside.

Kris, not to be outdone on the meat front, got the pizza with bacon, salami, sausage, and guanciale (cured hog jowl - don't knock it till you try it.)


This pizza comes with a delicate layer of tomato sauce while the fennel sausage is a 'white' pizza (cheese only and no tomato sauce.) And before you go thinking this might get boring, think again. The ingenious twist to this particular pie was the addition of caramelized red onion, sliced so thinly and cooked in such a way that you don't even recognize it the first couple of bites.

The second surprise was thinly sliced caramelized scallions that literally made the sausage shine, much like how David Lee Roth's leather pants made the music video 'Jump' the masterpiece it is. You can't separate them from one another. Don't even try. It's the same with the scallions and sausage. Food history in the making. Go ahead and jump.

I have to admit I was almost scared to try Mozza. It was so built up - there was almost no way it could meet the expectations I had in my head. But it did.

And then some.

Pizzeria Mozza
641 N Highland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Visit the website here.


Wall of herbs at the entrance.

Refrigerator Pizza (Roasted Red Pepper, Arugula, Feta, and whatever else you have on hand)

I don't need to insult your intelligence with a recipe here. It is what the title implies. If you work the hours I do, do yourself a favor and keep a good brand of prepared (precooked) pizza dough in your fridge as well as some reliable cheeses and toppings. I always have roasted red bell peppers, olives, feta, goat cheese, and parmesan in mine so that even in the most dire circumstances, I can eat well. Ideally I'll have a good lettuce or herb on hand too but they can't be relied upon to stay fresh after a string of late nights like jarred veggies can.

There is no cooking necessary here - just mindless assembly line prepping (all I can manage when work takes its toll.) Preheat the oven to 375. Scatter some roasted veggies, cheese, and any leftover meat you might have (I was lucky with this particular pizza, having the leftover filet mignon on hand from Valentine's Day) over the prepared crust, bake for 15 minutes or just until the cheese is becoming golden, remove and drizzle with a light flourish of olive oil. Scatter over some sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. If you have any greens on hand, such as basil or arugula, they'd make a nice final addition.

Cut into wedges if you can muster the energy, and by all means, open a bottle of wine to go with it.

Butternut Squash, Gorgonzola, and Bacon Pizza

It's the run up to the big day and I'm frantically making my grocery lists and checking my spice cabinet for what's missing. In the meantime I have banned us from eating poultry (we're roasting a big, fresh turkey this year) so that the day will be all the more special. That did not stop me, however, from having Shake Shack for lunch today...

But I digress. As part of our non-poultry pre-Thanksgiving diet, I was racking my brain for what to fix for dinner last night. This lovely, decadent, lusty pizza was the answer. It would have been a bell ringer on its own but what truly sent it soaring into the eternal ever after of great pizzas was the balsamic glaze drizzled over the top. Just the right amount of sweetness to tame the salty bacon and gorgonzola.

Making a balsamic reduction at home so that it mimics those $100 bottles of aged vinegars is as easy as they say on TV (thanks Giada.) However, that did not stop me from failing in my first three attempts and even ruining the bottom of one pan. You simply can't walk away from it. You'll want to. It's like watching slugs mate for the first 10 minutes or so, with nothing much happening but a steady number of bubbles dancing lazily in the pan. But just when you've given up and turn your back, those bubbles will suddenly get smaller and more fierce, multiplying like evil rabbits into tiny little pin sized bubbles. And if you're not at the ready to stir like a maniac and/or take it off the heat, well it's burnt vinegar time:( A stinky, epic mess.

So trust me if you attempt this, tether your wrist to the pan and glue your eyeballs to it.


Butternut Squash, Gorgonzola, and Bacon Pizza
* Serves 4 as a main dish - 6 as an appetizer portion.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cubed, peeled butternut squash (about 1/2 inch chunks)
4 slices bacon

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon
2 large sweet onions, sliced thinly into rings
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
good bit of fresh cracked pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
good grating fresh nutmeg

1/4 cup Gorgonzola (you can add more if you like but remember how potent it is!)

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, brought to a boil in a thick rimmed pot and boiled for 15 minutes, or until bubbles become small, foamy and vicious at which point you remove right away and stir vigorously so that it doesn't burn - mixture will thicken more as it cools

Instructions:
* This is a recipe that you will cook everything simultaneously - the onions simmering away on the stovetop while the bacon and squash cook in the oven.

Preheat your oven to 400. Scatter your butternut squash onto a large greased baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive or veg oil over, tossing to coat.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning over with a spatula midway, until golden edged and cooked through. (During this time you will also cook your bacon - laying the strips onto a small rimmed sheet pan and cooking for 15 minutes or until lightly crisped and cooked through. Remove it and let cool before crumbling into bits. Set aside.)

As soon as you get your squash in the oven, place 2 tablespoons oil into a dutch oven and put over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, seasoning with salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of sugar. Lower the heat slightly and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrunken and caramelized - about 40 minutes. Stir in the nutmeg and dried thyme.

You can now assemble your pizza. Take your prepared pizza crust and scatter over the gorgonzola, onions, squash, and bacon. Bake for 12-15 minutes until everything is warmed through and your crust is cooked to your liking.

Remove and drizzle with the balsamic glaze.

Cheddar Caprese Pizza

Wow. This recipe kind of falls into the 'too easy to write down' category, but if you want to make it more challenging - make your own damned dough!

Cheddar Caprese Pizza
Serves two gluttonous or very hungry people.
* Special tool required: a pizza peel, or as I call it a pizza 'flipper'

Ingredients:
1 store bought, pre or parbaked pizza dough, about 12"x12"
2 ripe on the vine tomatoes, cut into slivers, deseeded and juiced by gently running your thumb against the interior, then diced
pinch of kosher or sea salt
cracked pepper
1/2 cup ricotta cheese, plus 2 tablespoons
1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese, preferably Grafton or highest quality available
pinch kosher salt (OMIT IF YOU'RE SALT SENSITIVE - THE CHEDDAR WILL BE ENOUGH)
pinch fresh cracked pepper
big handful of fresh basil leaves
Olive oil, for drizzling

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 on convection setting, or 425.

Have two small/medium (cereal bowls) ready. In one, place the diced tomatoes and stir in salt and pepper. Set aside. In the other bowl, mix the ricotta and cheddar cheese with a fork, stir in the salt and additional good crack of pepper and set aside.

Once your oven has preheated, use your pizza peel to carefully slide the dough directly onto the oven rack. Heat through for 5 minutes, JUST until the edges and/or top are becoming golden. Remove (carefully with the peel) setting onto a counter lined with Pam sprayed aluminum foil. Quickly spread the ricotta/cheddar mixture over the center, leaving a 2 inch border clean around the edges (sadly I've found the best way to do this is with my fingers - though a more ladylike way would be with two forks to drop and spread across the hot dough.) Sprinkle the chopped tomatoes over (discarding collected juice in the bottom of the bowl.) Drizzle lightly with olive oil in a zig zag over the top and return to the oven for 8-12 minutes, until the cheese around the edges has begun to bubble and brown. Remove, top with hand torn basil leaves and let rest a couple of minutes before slicing.