Many people who were not raised in a wine drinking family decide they want to start drinking wine in their adult years, both because it adds a lovely flavor to meals and because of the health benefits. How do you get started with healthy wine drinking? First off, it would be impossible for me (or any other 3rd party) to tell you what type of wine YOU are likely to enjoy, flavor wise. We all have different taste buds! Maybe you have a sweet tooth and would love the light, White Zinfandel variety. Learn more.
Strengthen your homemade pasta dough by substituting one half cup or less of semolina flour in place of an equal amount of all-purpose flour. If using a processor to mix the dough, it will not need as much kneading as when it is mixed by hand. If the pasta becomes sticky at any point while working with the dough, dust it lightly with flour. Also, dust the equipment you are working with, such as the rolling pin or the rollers in the pasta machine, to prevent the dough from sticking. Learn more.
Classic-Crust Pizza Dough
http://www.pizzaware.com/pizzadough1.htm
This recipe will make enough pizza dough for two, 12" deluxe pizzas.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups - Warm Water (110° -115° F)
2 Tbsp. - Sugar
1 - 1/4 oz. Packet or 2 1/4 tsp. - Active Dry Yeast, (Fresh, not out-dated)
1 1/2 Tsp. - Salt
2 Tbsp. - Olive Oil
4 Cups - White, All Purpose Flour
instructions:
Pour the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and package of yeast. Stir the mixture slowly until yeast and sugar are dissolved. Let sit to allow the mixture to "mature" for about ten minutes or so. The mixture will begin to react; clouding and forming a foamy "head" on the surface of the mixture.
Add the salt and olive oil and stir again to combine and dissolve the ingredients. Add 1 cup of flour and whisk in until dissolved. Add the second cup of flour and whisk it in. Add the 3rd cup of flour and combine. By now the dough mixture should be fairly thick. Add the last cup of flour and, with your hands, begin to combine and knead the dough.
Remove the dough ball to a tabletop to knead it. You may need to add a dusting of flour from time to time to reduce the stickiness of the dough. Be patient, folding the dough ball in half and then quarters, over and over again for about 8 to 10 minutes, (or about 100 "cycles".) Kneading by hand is laborious, but very important. Better to over-knead than under-knead. You'll know you've done well when the ball no longer sticks to your hands. It will become a smoothly-textured ball slightly larger than a large grapefruit.
Coat the dough ball with a thin layer of olive oil, and place it in the bottom of a large mixing bowl which has also been coated on the inside with olive oil. Stretch a piece of kitchen film over the top of the bowl and set it in a warm place such an as un-lit oven, (ambient temperature of 70°F to 80°F). Allow the dough to rise, undisturbed, for 60 to 75 minutes. The dough will have grown to at least twice its original size.
Take the dough out of the bowl and cut in half with a knife. You now have two pizza dough balls, enough to make two (2) 12" deluxe pizzas. Take each raw dough portion and hand-mold them into balls. Press each doughball flat to squeeze and release any air trapped inside. Form the portions back into balls, smoothing the outer surface and tucking each ball "into itself" from underneath, (like folding a sock into itself), before storing or going on with the next step.
If you wish to store the dough, by either freezing or refrigeration, you can place the dough balls in zip-lock bags. Squirt a little olive oil into each of the bags to keep the balls moist and pliable and to ease removal when ready for use. If you choose to freeze or refrigerate: the dough balls may continue to rise until they are substantially cooled down or frozen, which is OK as long as they don't break out of their bags. If they do, mold them back down into balls and re-bag them.
If you choose to continue with making the pizzas now, here's how. Some dough experts like to "proof" their dough balls at this point. They can be set in a bowl or plastic tray, covered, to "rest" for an additional 15 or 20 minutes if you wish. Some recipes call for up to an additional hour of rising. For practical purposes, pizza dough does not have to be put through a complete second rise cycle.
Traditional New York Pizzeria Dough & Sauce Recipe
www.pizzaware.com/newyorkpizza.htm
This recipe was created in Venice, Italy, and has been served by The Mini Italia, New York
Pizzeria since 1956.
Ingredients:
Dough Ingredients:
1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening
1 tablespoon corn meal
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 package yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour or unbleached white flour
Sauce Ingredients & Prep:
Combine the following ingredients in a sauce pan and cook into a smooth sauce, on medium heat, stirring regularly. Then, refrigerate or cool to room temperature before applying to the pizza.
2 cans (14.5 oz.) Roma or Furmano's Whole Peeled Tomatoes*
1 can (14.5 oz.) Roma or Furmano's Pizza Sauce*
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
1/2 teaspoon California Garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne black pepper
Cheese & Toppings:
2-3 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Your favorite toppings
instructions:
Dough Preparation
In a large bowl, mix water, milk, brown sugar, salt and shortening with an electric mixer on a low speed for about 1 minute.
Add corn meal, olive oil and yeast, and continue mixing it for one minute. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
Add the remaining flour and mix it with your hands.
Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough about 8 to 10 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball and place it in a covered bowl at an ambient temperature of 70°F-85°F. Let it rest about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Push down the dough and make a 12" to 14" circle with your hands or a rolling pin, if you prefer. See more specific instructions for Panning the Pizza Dough in our "How To Make Pizza" section.
Rub the olive oil on the baking sheet and place the pizza dough on it, let it rest for another 45 minutes.
Assembly & Baking
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Brush the olive oil in the area of the pizza dough on the center, but not brush on the outer ring of the dough.
Spread the pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and your favorite toppings on the dough.
Place the pizza into the oven on the lowest rack, reduce your oven temperature to 375°F, and bake about 8 to 10 minutes, or, until the crust has browned and the toppings are bubbly.
Healthy Pizza Recipes
Michael Haydon
Healthy pizza recipes are easily available even if you use the traditional ingredients contained in most recipes. But there is much more to consider. In my view pizza is a complete meal and a great source of healthy nutrition for children and adults alike.
There are no nutrition problems when eating pizza but you must follow some simple guidelines. It is no secret that overeating is the real underlying issue not the pizza itself. In fact most pizza recipes contain great sources of all food groups which nutritionists recommend to us for a healthy diet.
Here are some simple guidelines to follow when choosing your pizza recipe.
Use fresh ingredients especially herbs and spices.
Prepare your own sauces from fresh ingredients especially vegetables and herbs, like tomato, eggplant, basil and onions.
Use the best quality olive oil where it is called for.
Use cheese sparingly. Don’t fall into the trap of using too much cheese as this contributes most to the fat content of your pizza. Be restrained! Let the other ingredients and delicious flavours come through.
Remember to have a balanced approach when constructing your pizza. This means making sure that the cheese doesn’t drown out the other ingredients. There is nothing better than tasting the fresh basil, the sumptuous tomato and the delicious eggplant.
There are a few secrets of the trade in making your own pizza; once you know them, it is not hard to make your own and it takes very little time. In fact, after you make it a few times you'll wonder why you made such a big deal out of it.
I have put together a collection of delicious pizza recipes over the years which have given me great joy. I am not overweight mainly because I eat pizza in moderation and use the best combination of delicious fresh and innovative ingredients.
I have learned that you can use seasonal ingredients of almost any kind to create new pizza recipes every year. Would you believe that my kids enjoy fruit pizza for dessert? Well, it’s true. I have used pizza recipes to introduce new tastes to my children. When they were reluctant to try Lima beans for example, it was a revelation to me that just putting a few on a pizza was a great way to let them taste something new and learn to enjoy it. Naturally I used some complementary ingredients to enhance the flavour but it sure worked.
Get some great recipes from http://www.pizzacookbook.com Plus learn some trade secrets that will turn you into a pizza guru. |
Creating Your Own Pizza
by Audrey Roth
My kids have both always loved pizza. We discovered some great easy pizza recipes over the years. It can get very costly to keep ordering pizza from the local take out places. So, we began making our own pizzas and today, 20 years later, my kids still love the homemade pizza over the take out pizza.
There are several ideas for crusts. We have used bagels as the crust. We’ve used large bagels, small bagels, onion bagels, jalapeno bagels, cheese bagels and even egg bagels. We cut them in half, add sauce, add cheese and then add any toppings we want.
We have also used english muffins for the crust of the pizza. We like the pizza crunchy, so we always toast the english muffins before adding the sauce. As above, we add sauce, and then we add cheese and any other toppings we want. We buy pineapple chunks, black chopped olives and even use leftover cubed chicken pieces.
We have also used refrigerated biscuits as our crust. Just unroll them and flatten them out on a cookie sheet. I bake them so the dough is not raw then add your sauce and toppings and then put them under the boiler. These make wonderful mini pizzas with a very light tasting crust.
We also have used different sauces on our pizzas. We use pizza sauce, alfredo sauce and barbeque sauce. A restaurant chain here in California is famous for their barbeque chicken pizza. We can make that also. Instead of pizza sauce, we put barbeque sauce on the english muffin or the bagel, then add the cheese and chicken cubes.
If you love vegetables, you can add cut up onions, cut up bell peppers, sliced zucchini or any other vegetable your family enjoys.
You can also add meats. Sliced pepperoni is often a kids’ favorite. You can also brown hamburger meat to add to your pizza. If I use hamburger meat, I let it marinate for a little while in the pizza sauce so that the meat has flavor.
We’ve had a lot of fun trying different cheeses and different toppings on our pizzas. Ask the kids what they want and let them help with the creation.
Add a salad and you have a great inexpensive meal.
Bon Appetite!!
Audrey’s mom always entertained when she was growing up. Audrey learned to prepare for large groups and has often entertained 15-30 people in her home at a time. You can find more great recipes at http://www.recipe-barn.com |
Pizza Pizzas
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Show: Good Eats
Episode: Flat is Beautiful
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt*
1 tablespoon pure olive oil
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups bread flour (for bread machines)
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons olive oil
Olive oil, for the pizza crust
Flour, for dusting the pizza peel
Toppings:
1 1/2 ounces pizza sauce
1/2 teaspoon each chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, for example
A combination of 3 grated cheeses such as mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and provolone
Place the sugar, salt, olive oil, water, 1 cup of flour, yeast, and remaining cup of flour into a standing mixer's work bowl. Using the paddle attachment, start the mixer on low and mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball. Lube the hook attachment with cooking spray. Attach the hook to the mixer and knead for 15 minutes on medium speed.
Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc. Stretch the dough until thin. Hold it up to the light and look to see if the baker's windowpane, or taut membrane, has formed. If the dough tears before it forms, knead the dough for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Roll the pizza dough into a smooth ball on the countertop. Place into a stainless steel or glass bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.
Place the pizza stone or tile onto the bottom of a cold oven and turn the oven to its highest temperature, about 500 degrees F. If the oven has coils on the oven floor, place the tile onto the lowest rack of the oven. Split the pizza dough into 2 equal parts using a knife or a dough scraper. Flatten into a disk onto the countertop and then fold the dough into a ball.
Wet hands barely with water and rub them onto the countertop to dampen the surface. Roll the dough on the surface until it tightens. Cover one ball with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes.
Repeat the steps with the other piece of dough. If not baking the remaining pizza immediately, spray the inside of a ziptop bag with cooking spray and place the dough ball into the bag. Refrigerate for up to 6 days.
Sprinkle the flour onto the peel and place the dough onto the peel. Using your hands, form a lip around the edges of the pizza. Stretch the dough into a round disc, rotating after each stretch. Toss the dough in the air if you dare. Shake the pizza on the peel to be sure that it will slide onto the pizza stone or tile. (Dress and bake the pizza immediately for a crisp crust or rest the dough for 30 minutes if you want a chewy texture.)
Brush the rim of the pizza with olive oil. Spread the pizza sauce evenly onto the pizza. Sprinkle the herbs onto the pizza and top with the cheese.
Slide the pizza onto the tile and bake for 7 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. Rest for 3 minutes before slicing.
*This recipe's been on the web for some time now and although most of the reactions have been darned positive, some of you have commented that the dough was way too salty. At first we chalked this up to personal preference; some folks are just not as sensitive as others to this basic flavor. And of course salty toppings would definitley change the dynamic. Still, we didn't want to leave it at that. We went back to the lab and found that the flake size of kosher salt differs quite a bit from brand to brand. This could easily result in a too salty crust. So unless you've had success with the recipe in the past, we suggest you cut the salt by one teaspoon, from a tablespoon to two teaspoons. So that the yeast doesn't go crazy, you should also cut back on the sugar by half a teaspoon. Thanks, AB
PIZZA MARINARA
A variation of this recipe is made by adding 4 to 6 anchovy fillets to the topping. In Rome, it is called pizza alla napoletana. In Naples, where all pizza is alla napoletana, it is called alla romana.
1 garlic clove
all-purpose flour for dusting
Pizza Dough for one 9-inch pizza
1/2 cup Pizza Sauce
a pinch dried oregano, crumbled
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
At least 45 minutes before baking pizza, put a pizza stone or 4 to 6 unglazed "quarry" tiles arranged close together on oven rack in lowest position in oven and preheat oven to highest setting (500°F-550°F).
Thinly slice garlic. On a lightly floured surface pat out dough evenly with your fingers, keeping hands flat and lifting and turning dough over several times, into a 9-inch round. (Do not handle dough more than necessary. If dough is sticky, dust it lightly with flour.)
Dust a baker's peel or rimless baking sheet with flour and carefully transfer dough to it. Jerk peel or baking sheet once or twice and, if dough is sticking, lift dough and sprinkle flour underneath it, reshaping dough if necessary. Working quickly, top dough with sauce, spreading with back of a spoon to within 1/2 inch of edge. Scatter garlic and oregano over sauce and drizzle with oil.
Line up far edge of peel or baking sheet with far edge of stone or tiles and tilt peel or baking sheet, jerking it gently to start pizza moving. Once edge of pizza touches stone or tiles, carefully pull back peel or baking sheet, completely transferring pizza to stone or tiles (do not move pizza). Bake pizza 6 to 7 minutes, or until dough is crisp and browned, and transfer with a metal spatula to a cutting board.
Cut pizza into wedges and serve immediately.
PIZZA RUSTICA
Neapolitan in origin, this make-ahead savory pie is delicious either warm or at room temperature.
For Pizza Rustica
2 pounds Swiss chard, washed well, stems removed and sliced thin, and leaves chopped separately
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large eggs, beaten lightly
a 15- to 16-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese
4 large red bell peppers (about 1 1/2 pounds), roasted and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 recipe pizza rustica pastry dough
1/4 pound Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
6 ounces provolone cheese, cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 1 cup)
an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg with 2 tablespoons milk
PIZZA RUSTICA PASTRY DOUGH
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
4 large eggs, beaten lightly
Make Pizza Rustica:
In a large heavy saucepan cook chard stems in oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add chard leaves with water clinging to them and cook, covered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until stems are tender, about 8 minutes. Drain chard well in a colander and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
In a large bowl combine well eggs and ricotta. In a bowl combine well roasted peppers and garlic paste.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
On a lightly floured surface roll out two thirds pastry dough 1/8 thick into a round about 18 inches in diameter. Fit dough into a 9-inch springform pan and trim edge, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Into shell layer evenly half chard, half ricotta mixture, all roasted pepper mixture, half Parmesan, all prosciutto, remaining ricotta mixture, remaining chard,and remaining Parmesan.
On a lightly floured surface roll out remaining dough 1/8 inch thick into a round about 11 inches in diameter. Brush edge of shell in pan with some egg wash and fit dough on top of filling. Trim top crust even with bottom crust and crimp edges together decoratively. Cut four 3-inch-long vents in top crust and brush top crust with some remaining egg wash.
Bake pizza rustica in middle of oven 1 1/2 hours, or until top crust is deep golden, and cool completely in pan on a rack. Pizza rustica may be made 2 days ahead and chilled in pan, covered.
Serve pizza rustica warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.
To Roast Peppers:
Using a long-handled fork, char peppers over an open flame or on a rack set over an electric burner, turning them, until skins are blackened, 4 to 6 minutes. (Or broil peppers on rack of a broiler pan under a preheated broiler about 2 inches from heat, turning them every 5 minutes, 15 to 20 minutes, or until skins are blistered and charred.) Transfer peppers to a bowl and let stand, covered, until cool enough to handle. Keeping peppers whole, peel them, starting at blossom end. Cut off pepper tops and discard seeds and ribs. Roast peppers can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
To make Pastry Dough:
In a bowl with a pastry blender or in a food processor mix or pulse together flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and blend or pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add eggs and toss or pulse until eggs are incorporated and a dough is formed. Form dough into a disk and chill, wrapped in wax paper, 1 hour. Dough may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.) Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.
Serves 6.
Gourmet
PIZZA ARIZONA
Complement this meatless supper with a chopped romaine and sliced avocado salad, followed by orange sorbet with nut cookies for dessert.
click photo to enlarge
2 teaspoons yellow cornmeal
1 10-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough
1 1/2 cups purchased chipotle salsa
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican-style four-cheese mix or pizza cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Sprinkle cornmeal on baking sheet. Unroll dough onto sheet, forming 10x15-inch rectangle.
Mix salsa, oil, and chili powder in small bowl. Toss cheese and cilantro in medium bowl. Spoon salsa mixture over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle with cheese mixture. Bake pizza until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbling, about 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.
Makes 2 servings.
Bon Appétit
PIZZA WITH GARLIC AND OLIVE OIL
1 large garlic clove
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
a small pinch dried hot red pepper flakes
coarse salt to taste
all-purpose flour for dusting
Pizza Dough for one 9-inch pizza
At least 45 minutes before baking pizza, put a pizza stone or 4 to 6 unglazed "quarry" tiles arranged close together on oven rack in lowest position in oven and preheat oven to highest setting (500°-550°F).
Finely chop garlic and in a small bowl combine with oil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and coarse salt.
On a lightly floured surface pat out dough evenly with your fingers, keeping hands flat and lifting and turning dough over several times, into a 9-inch round. (Do not handle dough more than necessary. If dough is sticky, dust it lightly with flour.)
Dust a baker's peel or rimless baking sheet with flour and carefully transfer dough to it. Jerk peel or baking sheet once or twice and, if dough is sticking, lift dough and sprinkle flour underneath it, reshaping dough if necessary. Working quickly, top dough with oil mixture, spreading with back of a spoon to within 1/2 inch of edge.
Line up far edge of peel or baking sheet with far edge of stone or tiles and tilt peel or baking sheet, jerking it gently to start pizza moving. Once edge of pizza touches stone or tiles, carefully pull back peel or baking sheet, completely transferring pizza to stone or tiles (do not move pizza). Bake pizza 6 to 7 minutes, or until dough is crisp and browned, and transfer with a metal spatula to a cutting board.
Cut pizza into wedges and serve immediately.
Makes on 9-inch pizza.
Gourmet
January 1998
PIZZA BIANCA
This pizza is made with no toppings other than oil and salt and should be served as a snack. It's not really a cracker, but it's crisper than focaccia.
Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min
1 teaspoon hot water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb fresh or thawed frozen pizza dough (not from a tube)
All-purpose flour for dusting
Preheat oven to 500°F.
Whisk together hot water and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt until most of salt is dissolved, then whisk in 1 tablespoon oil.
Coat dough lightly with flour, then stretch with floured hands on a floured surface into a 12- by 8-inch rectangle. Transfer dough to an oiled 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan, stretching dough to cover bottom of pan. Dimple dough by pressing your fingertips all over, then brush with oil mixture.
Bake pizza in pan on bottom rack of oven until golden brown on top and bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pizza to a rack, then brush with remaining tablespoon oil and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Serve warm, torn into pieces.
Makes 4 servings (1 very thin 12- by 8-inch pizza).
Gourmet
March 2003
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