Incredible Pizza Recipes

[emilycat]

I know we've had several threads in the past about what people put on their pizzas, but I'm asking for your favorite pizza recipes I don't know, sometimes following an innovative pizza recipe seems so much more satisfying than just making up my own, and I've been on a massive pizza kick lately.
Anyway, I'm dying here for the August issue, because I hear there are some scrumptious-sounding pizzas in there, but for the time-being, humor me -- which ones have bowled you over in the past, CL or no?

Just for kicks, here are my faves (I'll just apologize in advance for butchering the titles :) ):
Cilantro Pesto and Portobello Pizza
Valerie's Eggplant Pizza
Lox and Mascarpone Pizza with Capers
Asparagus and Goat Cheese Pizza (Epicurious)
Red Salad Pizza with Gouda (Epicurious)

[BlueMoose]

Emily...

I also love the Cilantro Pesto Pizza! I've made it several times already.

The Red Pepper Pesto pizza was great, too. At least I remember that I loved the pesto part. I can't remember if I liked the toppings that CL had on it. But I'm actually planning on making the pesto later today!

Chrisi :cool:

[SandyM]

Sorry, I haven't tried this one yet, but I will. A friend sent it to me from Bon Appetit, and I'm dying to try it. It sounds fabulous......with some minor adjustments, of course.


PESTO PIZZA WITH CRABMEAT AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS

1 10-ounce purchased fully baked thin pizza crust
2/3 cup purchased pesto
8 ounces crabmeat
1 6- to 6-1/2-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained, sliced
1/2 cup Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives, halved, pitted
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place crust on baking sheet. Spread with pesto, leaving 1/2-inch plain border. Top evenly with crabmeat, artichokes, olives, and crushed red pepper. Heat oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes; arrange pepper slices on pizza. Sprinkle cheese over. Bake pizza until crust is brown and crisp on bottom and topping is heated through, about 15 minutes. Transfer pizza to work surface; cut into wedges.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

[mightyh]

I like the malaysian chicken pizza from CL Complete.... I know you're not a chicken eater, but maybe you could sub shrimp or veggies. It's a spicy peanutty sauce that makes the recipe.

[mightyh]

This one's on our menu for this week....

Shiitake Mushroom and Gorgonzola Pizza

1/2 recipe pizza dough
Cooking spray
1 Tb. cornmeal
1 tsp. olive oil
11/2 c. thinly sliced button mushrooms
11/3 c. thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 c. vertically sliced red onion
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
3 Tb. low fat sour cream
1/2 c. (3 oz) crumbled grogonzola or other blue cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Roll the dough into a 12 inch circle on a lightly foured surface. Place the dough on a 12 inch pizza pan or baking sheet coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp the edges of the dough with your fingers to form a rim.
3. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion; saute for 5 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 3 minutes or until the onion is very tender. Stir in the salt and pepper.
4. Spread the sour cream over pizza crust, leaving a 1 inch border. Top with mushroom mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cut into 8 wedges. Yield: 4 servings.

Cal 296; Fat 8.7g; Protein 10.3g; Carb 44.4g; Fiber 2.7g; Chol 16mg; Iron 3.1mg; Sodium 382mg; Calc 118mg.

[greysangel]

I love the malaysian chicken pizza!!! YUMMM.

I also like the BBQ chicken pizza that's on the website (recipe finder)...gulf shrimp would work great with this one as well!

JeAnne

[DmOrtega]

Favorite toppings on our pizza are : either sliced tomatoes or red pizza sauce, marinated artichokes, canadian bacon, basil & mozzeralla. mmmmmmm..... how about that grilled?

[SusieO]

Have you tried the Mushroom and Smoked Cheese pizza (at least I think that's what it's called) in Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home? It's really divine.

[emilycat]

Thanks so much, y'all! These look so awesome -- I will definitely have to try the BBQ and Malaysian ones (with shrimp, of course :) )
And Sandy, that artichoke-crab one looks like heaven on Earth! That one's next.

Have you tried the Mushroom and Smoked Cheese pizza (at least I think that's what it's called) in Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home?

Hee hee -- I totally have that cookbook, and I didn't even know that recipe was in there! Thanks for the heads up; it sounds great!

[csmcnamara]

I'm not sure of the exact name of the recipe but it is in CL Complete. It's the pizza with Carmelized Onions, Feta and Olives. I usually make it with a Ceasar Salad. This pizza doesn't do well as leftovers though.

[gertdog]

This is a current favorite combination of toppings at our house. Credit for the inspiration goes to my dissertation advisor. Nice flavors and very nice to look at.

We brush the unbaked crust with olive oil and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. On top of the crust we layer thinly sliced ripe tomato and thinly sliced yellow pepper rings. Some very thin rings of red onion. Then we dot the pizza with pitted calamata olive halves and lay on some thinly sliced aged provolone (lots of "thinly sliced" stuff here). Bake. When the pizza comes out of the oven, we drizzle it with basil puree (basically pesto minus the cheese and nuts). Delicious!

We made this recently for guests and put the cheese on the pizza first so that you could see the colorful toppings... very pretty! We've also skipped the basil puree and just scattered thinly sliced (again!) basil leaves on the pizza when it comes out of the oven.

[lindrusso]

Hi Emily,

Here's one of my favorites. It's from Martha Stewart (May '95), but don't let that stop you from trying it ;) .

Red Onion and Fontina Pizza

2 1/2 tablespoons butter
6 medium (about 3 1/2 pound red onions , sliced 1/4" thick
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup madeira (or sherry)
6 ounces Fontina cheese, grated

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions begin to soften, about 15 minutes.

2. Reduce heat to low and add sugar and thyme. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft and caramelized, about 1 1/4 hours.

3. Add Madeira; cook until liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Raise heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set onions aside in a small bowl.

4. This recipe was written for a 10x15-inch crust. I find that 1 1/2 large red onions is fine for a 12-inch pizza.

YUM!

[valeriek]

I second JeAnne's mention of the BBQ chicken pizza (i'm thinking it is the one with smoked gouda). It is excellent. I also enjoy CL's tomato and fresh basil pizza. I will be making that one this weekend (now that it is time to harvest my basil!). Yummy.

[Nirak]

Here is my latest pizza creation. I was reading Ruth Reichl's second book at the time (Comfort Me With Apples) and it inspired me:

Make your favorite pizza dough recipe

After it rises, knead in fresh rosemary, thyme, and garlic

Cook shrimp over medium heat in skillet until cooked through (cooks Illustrated recommends a slower cooking time and I think it keeps the shrimp from drying out.) I sprinkled them with Penzy's Sunny Spain

Roll out seasoned dough. brush with olive oil. Top with shrimp and cover the whole thing with freshly grated parmesean cheese.

DH and I ate the whole thing. It was yummy.

[Anne]

We like chopped green onion, tomatoe, kalamata olives, garlic, thyme, cukes, feta, and shrimp on a homemade, whole wheat crust. Mix the herbs and veges with just a bit of olive oil and lemon juice, let marinate for a few minutes and spread on the crust. Its sort of like a Greek salad with shrimp on a pizza crust.

[mah]

here is a unique pizza...my family use to own a pizza shop and he was always trying out different combinations.

spread a pizza crust (homemade or otherwise) with yellow mustard, top with drained sauerkraut, sprinklke with shredded cheese of your choice (i have used mozzarella, cheddar and/or swiss)...sprinkle with fennel seed and/or carraway seeds...if you like mustard, you will like this pizza...you could also add some sausage too...

[Cathy]

Hi Mah, your pizza sounds like it has a reuben influence. How unusual. Will definitely have to give this one a try.

[kwormann]

One of my favorites is to pile it with caramelized onions and gorgonzola cheese. Maybe a touch of olive oil for a base. Sorry, no recipe since I made it up, but I like it best on a whole wheat crust!

[BlueMoose]

MMMMMMM.....sauerkraut on pizza is good!

[emilycat]

Once again, I just wanted to thank you all for all these awesome-looking recipes and ideas! There's not a single one on here that I don't think I'll try. :)
Mah, you must have read previous posts of mine -- I've mentioned a couple of times that one of my all-time favorite meals was in a Munich bier garten -- a monstrous Bavarian pretzel, accompanied by bowls of mustard and sauerkraut.
Definitely two of my favorite condiments. :D

[goldilocks]

Could someone please post the cilantro pesto pizza? thanks!

[ama47369]

I think this is it. :)

Cilantro Pesto Pizza Topped With Portobellos and Red Onion
Extra-virgin olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and fresh cilantro make the pesto that tops this simple-to-make pizza. To save time, use refrigerated pizza crust.
Crust:
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water (100 degrees to 110 degrees)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Cooking spray
2 teaspoons yellow cornmeal
Pesto:
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pizza:
4 1/2 cups coarsely chopped portobello mushrooms (about 10 ounces)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
1. To prepare crust, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a large bowl, and let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Add 1 1/4 cups flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).
2. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees), free from drafts, for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)
3. Punch the dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface. Place dough on a 12-inch pizza pan or baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim. Cover and let rise 10 minutes or until puffy.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
5. To prepare pesto, place cilantro and next 5 ingredients (cilantro through 1/2 teaspoon salt) in a food processor, and process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
6. To prepare the pizza, heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms; cook 5 minutes or until moisture evaporates, stirring constantly. Add the vinegar, and cook until liquid evaporates. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spoon the mushroom mixture onto pizza crust. Drop pesto by teaspoonfuls onto pizza crust. Top with onion, and sprinkle with fontina. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 wedge).

CALORIES 233 (30 percent from fat); FAT 7.7g (sat 3.3g, mono 2.5g, poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 10.1g; CARB 31.8g; FIBER 3.3g; CHOL 17mg; IRON 3.8mg; SODIUM 354mg; CALC 133mg

[browneye]

One of my favorite toppings for pizza has become Smoked Portabello Mushrooms and Roasted Red Peppers The smoked mushrooms were actually an accident initially! But, after I tasted them, I decided they were to die for on pizza. All that you do is throw whole Portabellos on the bbq at low heat, sprinkle with wood chips to smoke them. It only takes about 10 minutes, max. Then slice, add to pizza. I think the best one I did was with the smoked mushrooms, roasted red bells, provolone and a dash of feta cheese. I do believe I made a red sauce for this one. But I have done it many ways.

[AZLorena]

We are very much on a low fat/no fat kick at my house. My husband and I love pizza. Our favorite is made with grilled eggplant, peppers, and zucchini that we marinated in balsamic vinegar marinade.

We use a low fat prepared pizza crust from the local grocery store, a red pizza sauce, the grilled veggie mixture, fat-free mozarella, and sometimes a little asiago cheese on top.

We usually make extra of the veggies because we like to have it around. I have discovered that pita rounds make a good quick, snack pizza crust.

[HedyL]

last time i made pizza i used fresh mozzarella (not too low fat, i know), precooked chicken sausage, onions and peppers. the fresh mozzarella made it just heavenly!!

[emilycat]

Gertdog,

Thank you so much for your delicious inspiration! I made your "recipe" last night, and it was excellent! So pretty, and a lovely combination of flavors. I have some excellent tomatoes right now, so I imagine their wonderful flavor contributed quite a bit; I used orange pepper instead of yellow (what I had on hand), and a homemade whole wheat pizza crust. I also chopped up one olive and sprinkled it all over my personal-sized pizza, and used 3-year aged Gouda. The basil-olive oil puree (well, mine was kinda chunky, but that's okay) was such a nice touch. Anyway, it was wonderful. Even BF, who had me make him a more "traditional" pizza, tasted mine and admitted that it was very good. :D

[gertdog]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I think the aged gouda sounds wonderful... I will have to try that soon. We have some aging gouda in the fridge (been in there for months) but I suspect it's not quite the same thing... :)

[RunnerKim]

I have 2 pizzas to review - normally we only do one type but I ran short of ingredients and improvised for the 2nd pizza.

The first was the Leeks, Wild Mushroom and Brie pizza from the Weber Booklet of Grilled Pizzas - or some such title. Someone on this BB mentioned it and it's a great little booklet. The pizza was wonderful - rich, deep flavors. I used shiitakes I'd gotten at the farmer's market. I think this would make great appetizer pizzas. Basically you chop up the mushrooms and leeks and saute them in a little butter until soft. Spread a little olive oil on the crust, grill for a couple of minutes, flip and top the mushroom/leek mixture and slices of brie and grill another 5 minutes.

We decided to pile all the mushroom/leek mixture on 1 pizza instead of having it be skimpy on two. My husband ran back in the house and pulled out of the fridge the left-over chicken and roasted cherry tomatoes from the Chicken and Brie Sandwich with Roasted Tomatoes (cover June 01). I'd run out of brie unfortunately and used mozzerella instead. He forgot to bring out the left-over dijon-mayo dressing so we didn't put that on either. It was wonderful - I just love those cherry tomatoes in balsamic vinegar. Made a great pizza. We didn't have leftovers of that one, I imagine it would not keep very well because the tomatoes have a lot of liquid and I'd think the crust would get soggy. In the future if I'm planning for this pizza I might try spreading the dijon-mayo dressing on as the sauce and perhaps topping with spinach after its come off the grill - kind of an "open faced sandwich." However, I was very pleased with just the roasted cherry tomatoes, chicken and mozz.

Kim