Bacon Tomato & Arugula Pizza

Who doesn’t love bacon?  Crispy, salty, rich bacon?  And what better way to have a BLT than on a pizza??

This recipe is from Cooking Light, October 2011.

Substitutions made, noted below.

Bacon, Tomato and Arugula Pizza

1 lb refrigerated fresh pizza dough
cooking spray
5 applewood-smoked bacon slices
2 c grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise – I used 1 cup
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tblsp yellow cornmeal
1/2 c lower-soduim marinara sauce
3/4 c shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 c baby arugula
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil – I used grape seed oil
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar – I used balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. – I recently read a tip about baking homemade pizzas.  Put your baking sheet or pizza stone into the oven as it is preheating.  This will help to bake the crust evenly and avoid a soggy center. 

Place dough in a bowl coasted with cooking spray; let dough stand, covered, for 15 minutes.

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon; crumble.  Add tomatoes and pepper to drippings in pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal; roll dough into a 12-inch circle on prepared baking sheet.  Spread sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border.  Top with tomatoes and bacon.  Sprinkle cheese over top.  Bake at 450 on bottom oven rack for 17 minutes or until crust is golden.  Combine arugula and remaining ingredients; top pizza with arugula mixture.

After a long day at work for husband, this was the perfect dinner, well after he picked off the tomatoes and gave them to me.  😉

Pepperoni Deep-Dish Pizza

There are times in my life when I question if I can read.  This recipe is one of those times.

I’ve been keeping up with my weekly menu planning, purchasing groceries based on said menu plan and doing really well.  I read over this recipe and missed one little detail  24 hours.  The dough needs to rest and rise in the fridge for 24 hours.  No biggie, right?

I waited a couple of days to catch up and take the time to make the dough, let it sit for 24 hours, and then I was ready to make some pizza…  BUT

The 14×11 rectangle the dough was supposed to be rolled out to?  More of a 14 inch wide blob (pictorial evidence below).

I also missed how much pizza sauce was needed.  I had about half the amount needed.  What’s the fix?  A can of tomatoes blended down with salt, pepper, basil, garlic and onion powder thrown in; then mix in the pizza sauce I had on hand.

And I messed up the order of how everything was supposed to be layered.  What’s a girl to do?

This recipe is from Cooking Light, May 2010.

Substitutions made, noted below.

1 c warm water (100 to 110 degrees) divided
12 oz bread flour (about 2.5 cups)
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)
4 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Cooking Spray
1 1/4 c (5 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 1/2 c Basic Pizza Sauce – I used a combo of Trader Joes pizza sauce and some blended tomoatoes and spices
2 oz pepperoni slices
2 tblsp grated Parmiganio-Reggiano cheese

Pour 3/4c warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached.  Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.  Add flour to 3/4c water; mix until combined.  Cover and let stand 20 minutes.  Combine remaining 1/4 cup water and yeast in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly.  Add yeast mixture, oil, and salt to flour mixture; mix 5 minutes or until a soft dough forms.  Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; cover surface of dough with plastic wrap lightly coated with cooking spray.  Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Remove dough from refrigerator.  Let stand, covered, 1 hour or until dough come to room temperature.  Punch dough down.  Roll dough out to a 14×11-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.  Press dough into bottom and partially up sides of a 13×9-inch metal baking pan coated with cooking spray.  Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap.

Place a baking sheet in over on bottom rack.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Remove the plastic wrap – the magazine left out this little detail….  Arrange 3/4 c mozzarella evenly over dough; top with pizza sauce, pepperoni, Parm-Reg and remaining 1/2 c mozzarella.  Place pan on baking sheet in oven; bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes or until crust is golden.  Cut pizza into 6 rectangles.

Husband and I lived in the Chicago area for a couple months before moving to Nashville, but it was long enough to fall in love with a good deep dish pizza.  So this recipe both excited and worried me.  Would it live up to our deep dish memories?  I’m happy to report this is a great fill in to rely on until we can get back to Giordano’s.  Just remember – make the dough 24 hours in advance…

Chicken & Herb White Pizza

I made this pizza twice.  Because it’s that good?  Partially.  Mostly because I’m easily distracted and didn’t take a single picture the first time I made it.  The second time?  Totally forgot the onions.

This recipe is from Cooking Light, October 2011.

Substitutions made, noted below.

1 lb regridgerated fresh pizza dough – I used the whole wheat dough from Trader Joes
cooking spray
1 tblsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tblsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 c 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 c grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese – I used the Parm/Reggiano blend from Trader Joes
1 tblsp yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 c shredded rotisserie chicken breast
1/4 c diced red onion – I used sweet white onion (the first time)
1 tblsp chopped fresh oregano – I used dried
1 tblsp chopped fresh chives – I used dried basil
1 tblsp chopped fresh parsley – I used dried

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  – I read a tip recently.  Heat your pizza stone/pan in the oven for approx 10 min.  This will help cook the center of the pizza, so you don’t wind up with a doughy center.  Totally works!!

Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray; let dough stand, covered for 15 minutes.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add flour and pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Cook 3 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.

Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal; roll dough into a 12-inch circle on prepared baking sheet.  (I rolled my dough out on a pastry mat and transferred to my pizza stone.)  Spread white sauce over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border.  Top with chicken and onion.  Bake at 450 degrees on bottom oven rack for 17 minutes or until crust is golden.  Sprinkle with herbs.  (I just read that.  Herbs on after it baked? ooops…)

We ate this pizza twice, both times were wonderful.  The sauce is rich and cheesy, and the onions and herbs add a good bite.  I added cheese to the pizza before it went in the oven, because who doesn’t love a little extra cheese on a pizza?