Pizza Sides

[Mandy]

I need some ideas. Next weekend we are having some friends over, I was thinking of making a bunch of pizzas. But I'm not sure what else to serve. I always like to have a lot of options when we have friends over. I was thinking of making a salad, and maybe CL's Asiago Cheese Dip, maybe some pesto. I need some help thinking of ideas of what else I could serve, and what I could make for dessert. And if I'm not asking too much...what are everyone's favorite pizza toppings? Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[MrsReber]

I recently had friends over and made a pizza. I put a little sauce, mozzerella and romano cheese, red onion, green and red peppers, chopped seeded plum tomatoes, and marinated artichoke hearts- oh, and PLENTY of fresh basil leaves. I also served CL's spinach artichoke dip and CL's black bean taco salad. My husband picked up some shrimp as well and we just pigged out all night! It was a rather informal gathering, not a "sit-down" meal. We also ate ooey gooey brownies for dessert. My friend's husband, who claims to not like artichokes, really liked the pizza.

As for my favorite toppings, we usually just do veggie pizzas. I like to play with the cheeses. I found that the sharp provolone is very good on pizza and I like to drop teaspoons of ricotta on top when I have some on hand.

Another idea for a side salad is the creamy caesar salad from the April issue.

I like to offer people a variety of things, too, since not everybody likes the same things. We had some leftovers, but that's never a problem!

[This message has been edited by MrsReber (edited 09-13-2000).]

[Gail]

Mmmm... Caesar salad and pizza. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Yum. Or a simple salad of romaine, lots of fresh sliced mushrooms and a little dusting of parmesan with a vinegar/oil based dressing of some sort.

My feeling is that if you're doing a variety of different toppings, I wouldn't go hog wild on sides since you'll be covering a wide scope of ingredients on the pizzas. Plus, pizzas are filling! (I mean you could do a dip or two with veggies, if you're into fried stuff maybe zucchini or mushrooms, little meatballs with dipping sauce.) As for me, I'd push a great big salad of some sort.

Favorite pizza toppings? If I'm doing a deep-dish, I like spinach, tomato and garlic (with or without broccoli). For thin crusts, I like pesto, a little mozzarella, a little parmesan (no tomato or sauce on that one.) And with all due respect for CL, years ago Eating Well did a feature on pizza with all sorts of wonderful toppings. My heart belongs to the caramelized onion and olive pizza on a rosemary-spiked dough which I really love. (No tomato on that one, either)
Oops! Almost forgot eggplant and mushroom as another good topping.


[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 09-13-2000).]

[Wendy w]

Hi Mandy,

I love to top pizza with some olive oil, a little crumbled goat cheese, unmarinated artichoke hearts and capers - simple, and very good. I got this idea from the California Pizza Kitchen. Unfortunately, they don't make this pizza any more, but I can!

I also like to use varying combinations of the items below. It depends on what I have around or what I'm in the mood for.

I also tend to use only vegetables on pizza. Pesto, tomato sauce, feta cheese, provolone, mozzarella, unmarinated artichoke hearts, roma tomatoes, good olives (Greek or Kalamata), steamed broccoli and or zucchini, mushrooms, red onion, red, yellow and green pepper rings. mmmmm! Enjoy!

[mightyh]

One of my friends has us over for pizza parties fairly often and they're always a big hit... Sometimes she makes homemade dough and other times just uses mini Boboli crusts. Everyone tops his own and she has the standard fare, plus some unusual stuff--try cooked turkey italian sausage, bacon bits, pineapple and ham, pine nuts, spinach, or feta cheese.

She usually serves two large salads--one Italian and one caesar--and some breadsticks, something simple for dessert. It's one of my favorite parties to attend.

[cookie cookerson]

did any of you ever have the ceasar salad pizza that the olive garden used to serve? it was a white pizza with ceasar salad dumped on top and it was excellent. i tried the pizza bianca from some CL spring issue last night and it was a good start, but does anyone else have a closer approximation?

[Danielle]

Gail, the caramelized onion and olive pizza with rosemary crust sounds so yummy. Would you mind posting the recipe? I just love onions on pizza! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Beth]

Gail, I'll second that request. I have a hard time thinking of pizza without tomatoes, but that's a combo of things I love. Thanks.

[Jeanne G]

I saw only one person mention pine nuts and I think they're wonderful on pizza. I do all veggies too and one thing I haven't seen anyone post was black beans. They're really good on pizza and I combine them with goat cheese, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts. Now for the "wierd" one...has anyone ever tried Potato Pizza? This I was originally introduced to by a nearby restaurant(but my version I'm sure is lower in fat). You take regular crust, top with mashed potatoes (I make mine with light cream cheese and light sour cream and garlic) then top with reduced fat cheddar and cooked turkey bacon. Or sub broccoli for the turkey bacon. It sounds wierd maybe and it is filling (lots of carbs) but it is really wonderful. Mandy, I forgot to tell you that the restaurant in Cinti I'm referring to is Indigo in Hyde Park. Ever been there?

[This message has been edited by Jeanne G (edited 09-13-2000).]

[RunnerKim]

Pizza, my favorite topic!

I think a salad would be all you'd need as a side dish. Instead focus on a variety of pizzas.

It helps me when "designing" a pizza to think of a theme vs. favorite ingredients. You can go to CA pizza kitchen's website for some inspriation in this area. Think of different sauce options - olive oil, Dijon mustard, tomato sauce, salsa, BBQ sauce, peanut-soy sauce, black or refried beans etc.

Jeanne - I agree! - black beans are fabulous on pizza. I made my parents a black bean-chicken fajita pizza that convinced my Mom to stop getting delivery and to at the very least buy boboli crusts and make their own.

For dessert - if you want to keep with the pizza theme - the tropical fruit pizza that was part of the lemon curd article was yummy (May I think?).

Kim

[karen w]

I can't agree more with all of the above suggestions. I also usually keep my pizzas vegetarian, but on a rare occasion make a taco pizza from CL from an issue earlier this year(?month) which is very good. Also they did a tasty one with roasted potatoes and feta too this past year. When I make my own concoctions I'm partial to carmelized onions too. You can make these ahead of time also which is convenient if your entertaining and don't want to be in the kitchen all night. I often add roasted or grilled veggies including eggplant, broccoli, mushrooms, artichokes, red peppers, and of course fresh basil(or sometimes pesto) and cheeses(cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan etc...)

As a side I would stick to a big salad. If you want more you can make breadsticks from pizza dough (or buy them) and serve with some marinara or pizza sauce.

For dessert perhaps some fresh fruit and biscotti or cannoli to keep the Italian theme. I hope the dinner is a success. Let us know.

[andreajackson]

I have to tell you one of my favorite pizza's is BBQ Chicken! At first I wasn't sure if I would like it or not but after I had it, I was sold! As for a side I would say the traditional breadsticks are my fav!

[Gail]

As requested, here's the pizza recipe. This was a great issue of the now-defunct magazine, way back in 1992, wherein they published several variations on pizza doughs and multiple toppings. It was suggested that you make 8 small pizzas with the dough, one with each of the seven topping variations (I guess they figured the last one was plain!) included in the article. Since I noticed elsewhere on the board someone was looking for recipes for chanterelles, I've posted a recipe for a Wild Mushroom and Sage topping under that topic.

Say one thing for this bulletin board: it's really honed my typing skills!

FRENCH ONION PIZZA (in their book, Eating Well's Recipe Rescue Cookbook, it's called Carmelized Onion Pizza)

Rosemary and black olives added to the dough give these pizzas an earthy flavor, while the onions add sweetness. Cut into small wedges, they make delicious appetizers

1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups sliced onions (2 medium)
1 Recipe pizza dough (a quick version is included below)
cornmeal for dusting pizza peel
3/4 cup Kalamata or Gaeta olives, pitted and chopped (about 1/4 pound) (I used plain ol' pitted black olives)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella (1/4 pound)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and very tender. Let cool.

Place a pizza stone, baking tiles or inverted baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F or the highest setting. Add olives and rosemary to pizza dough and knead on a lightly floured surface until they are mixed in. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Working with 2 pieces at a time, form dough into rounds and place on a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel or an inverted baking sheet,using enough cornmeal so that the dough slides easily. Stretch or roll a second round of dough and place beside the first.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over each pizza round and arrange 2 tablespoons of the reserved onions over the top. Season with pepper.

Carefully slide the pizzas onto the heated pizza stone, baking tiles or baking sheet and bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms are crisp and browned. Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.

327 CALORIES PER SERVING; 12 G PROTEIN, 9 G FAT, 53 G CARBOHYDRATE; 693 MG SODIUM: 8 MG CHOLESTEROL.


QUICK RISING DOUGH

Rapid-Rise is a strain of yeast that does not need to be dissolved separately in liquid and requires a 10-minute resting time instead of the traditional 1 to 2 hour rise. If you have a large-capacity food processor, you can use it to cut down on kneading time.

4 - 4 1/4 cups all-purpose white flour
2 packages Rapid-rise yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons olive oil

In a large mixing bowl, stir together 3 cups flour, yeast, salt and sugar. In a small saucepan, combine 1 3/4 cups water and oil. Heat until hot to the touch, 125 to 130 degrees F. (I simply used the hottest tap water I had and let it cool a tad.) With a wooden spoon, gradually stir the oil and water mixture into the flour mixture. Bgeat until well-mixed. Gradually add enough of the remainingflour to make a firm dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. (Takes me 8 minutes.) Cover with plastic and let rest for 10 minutes.

Alternatively, in a large-capacity food processor, combine 4 cups flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Heat 1 1/2 cups water and oil to 125 to 130 degrees F. With the motor running, gradually pour the hot liquid through the feed tube. Process, adding up to 2 tablespoons cold water until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, cover with plastic and let rest for 10 minutes. (The dough can be made ahead, punched down, enclosed in a large plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature before using.) (This method also works fine with KitchenAid mixer.)

Makes 8 6-inch crusts.

244 CALORIES PER CRUST; 7 G PROTEIN, 2 G FAT,49 G CARBOHYDRATE; 534 SODIUM; O MG CHOLESTEROL.


[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 09-13-2000).]