Tag Archives: pizza

Sausage, Fennel, and Ricotta Pizza

I’ve been on a little bit of a pizza binge lately.  Whether it’s greasy takeout pizza, frozen pizza or homemade pizza, I’m all about it.  Earlier this year, I was in the habit of coming home on Fridays after work, throwing a frozen pizza in the oven, popping open a beer or two and settling in to watch Grimm with the lights off.  Yes, it’s sad, I don’t go out on Fridays.  By the time work is over for the week, I’m exhausted and look forward to a Friday night at home.  Well, now that Grimm starts again tonight, I’m right back into old habits except this time, I’m challenging myself to make a different pizza each week instead of those inexpensive frozen pizzas I’m used to having (no matter how much I love them!). This Sausage, Fennel, and Ricotta Pizza was no disappointment.

Refrigerated pizza crust is topped with browned turkey sausage, thin fennel slices, and dollops of creamy garlic-laced ricotta. Red pepper flakes and fennel seeds are scattered over the whole pie before it is baked until golden and crispy. This pizza uses fennel 3-ways: in the sausage, fresh from the bulb and the seeds. I have decided I’m obsessed with fennel. I’ve used fennel before in soups and other recipes but this pizza really stands out to me as a way to really celebrate fennel’s unique flavor. If you haven’t used a fresh fennel before, this is a great way to try it.  The slices get soft when baking and the flavor mellows out perfectly. Of course, if you really aren’t into fennel bulb, you can leave it out: the fennel seeds provide perfect flavor alone.  Pizza and beer sounds like the perfect way to spend a Friday night to me.

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The ingredients:

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Preheat oven to 500° (keep pizza stone or baking sheet in oven as it preheats). Let pizza dough stand at room temperature, covered, while oven preheats. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casing from sausage. Add sausage to pan; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Add fennel bulb; cook 4 minutes or until tender.

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Roll pizza dough into a 16-inch oval on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle cornmeal over pizza stone or pizza pan; place dough on pizza stone or pan. Brush dough evenly with oil. Sprinkle sausage mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border.

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Combine ricotta and garlic in a small bowl; top pizza with teaspoonfuls of ricotta mixture.

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Sprinkle red onion and remaining ingredients evenly over pizza.

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Bake at 500° for 11 minutes or until golden. Cut into 8 slices.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Red onion

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light magazine

Peach and Gorgonzola Chicken Pizza

Sometimes I forget that I actually like blue cheese.  Or at least some blue cheese.  Ever since I made Pear Chutney Bruschetta with Pecans and Gorgonzola so long ago, I’ve become much more likely to make a dish that calls for blue cheese.  Before, I would substitute feta which isn’t even close to the same flavor.  But even though I’ve come a long way, I still eat ranch with my buffalo wings and substitute gorgonzola for real blue cheese.  A tiger can’t change it’s stripes.  This Peach and Gorgonzola Chicken Pizza is a good way for someone to baby step their way into the world of blue cheese.

Prebaked pizza crust is topped with sliced fresh peaches, crumbled gorgonzola cheese, shredded chicken, and mozzarella cheese.  After baking, a reduction of balsamic vinegar is drizzled over the top to add yet another bold taste which enhances the whole pie.  The sweetness of the peaches, the bite of the gorgonzola, and the tang of the balsamic vinegar all make for a perfect marriage of unique pizza flavors. With nary a tomato in sight, this isn’t your typical pizza.  But it’s ease and amazing combination of flavors makes for a quick week night dinner that’s perfect for a warm summer night.

If you like this, also check out Apple, Ricotta Cheese, and Pecan Pizza.

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The ingredients:

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Place pizza crust on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil evenly over crust.

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Top evenly with 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, chicken, Gorgonzola cheese, and peach slices.

DSC04544 Top with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 11 minutes or until crust browns.

DSC04545 Place vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 5 minutes).

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Drizzle balsamic reduction evenly over pizza.

DSC04547 Cut pizza into 8 wedges.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light magazine

Summer Grilled Vegetable Pizza

I was hungry for pizza the other night but I’m not a big take-out pizza person.  I love take-out pizza, but I never order it unless I have someone else to eat it with me.  Otherwise, I’ll end up eating the whole greasy, cheesy, decadent pie and I don’t have enough willpower to not do that.  So, since I’m on a bit of a veggie kick this week, I decided to make one of the many pizza recipes that I’ve collected.  This Summer Grilled Vegetable Pizza is a perfectly light pizza that uses up the last of the zucchini and squash in my fridge.

Zucchini, summer squash and red pepper are grilled until soft and browned and placed over a store-bought pizza crust layered with marinara sauce.  Fresh mozzarella cheese and red pepper flake are a dotted over the veggies before the whole pie is baked on a pizza stone until golden brown (or slightly darker brown, in my case).  Don’t have a pizza stone?  Just use a pizza pan or cookie sheet.  The veggies are crisp-tender while the mozzarella cheese is salty and creamy and the red pepper flake adds a punch of heat here and there.  Use your favorite marinara, pasta sauce, pizza sauce, or fresh tomatoes as your base here.  Play with any veggies you like to get a lesser-fat pizza that won’t leave you feeling too guilty.  You won’t even miss the fact that it’s not take-out pizza.

The ingredients:

Arrange all the vegetables in a single layer on a large cutting board or baking sheet and brush both sides with olive oil.  Arrange vegetables on a grill rack preheated to medium-high heat and coated with cooking spray.  Grill for 3 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender and grill marks appear.  Remove from grill.  Coarsely chop bell pepper.

Sprinkle cornmeal over a pizza stone which has been preheated in a  500°F oven.  Carefully place dough on pizza stone and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the partially baked crust from oven.

Spread sauce over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border.  Arrange the vegetables over dough, and sprinkle evenly with salt and crushed red pepper.

Top evenly with cheese.  Bake at 500°F for an additional 12 minutes or until the crust and cheese are browned.

Cut into 6 slices and top with fresh basil (if desired).

Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Red onion

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

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