Heirloom Pizza

 It's time to sit back and relax with a pizza.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday.  We were out of town and had such a relaxing time that it was almost impossible to come back and get in the groove again!  So much so that I haven't felt like cooking.  Do you ever get that way?

So we've been eating super simple things like sandwiches, some salads, and then I decided to make us a pizza.  There's something comforting about pizza.  Just chillin' and eating pizza watching Modern Family on the TV.  

The question that may pop up is how do you make a homemade pizza on a weeknight?  Yeast dough isn't the most "speedy" item to make.  So what I usually do is to make a batch of my the BEST pizza dough ever, on the weekend.  This recipe makes 2 crusts, so we cook one and freeze the other for later.  So when you want pizza on a weeknight you just need to thaw the dough that day and there you go...fresh pizza dough.

If you don't want to hassle with that then you can pick up pizza dough at most grocery stores these days.  Just make sure to let it sit out for a good 45 min to come to room temp so the dough doesn't keep springing back on you when you roll it out.

The rest is simple.  Fresh heirloom tomatoes, a smidge of sauce (store bought or homemade) and some excellent fresh mozerella cheese.  The heirloom tomatoes lend a freshness to pizza that you will just adore.  Simple, good food.  I always say that good ingredients equals good flavor!

Enjoy!

Heirloom Pizza

1 portion of pizza dough (my recipe or store bought)
1/4 c pizza sauce 
2-3 different colored Heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
5-6 slices of fresh Mozerrella

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roll pizza dough out to your desired thickness and then place on a prepared pizza pan, either using cooking spray, or a light cover of cornmeal.  

Top with a thin layer of sauce, the tomatoes, and cheese.  Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown, and toppings are bubbly.

New York Style Sausage and Mushroom Pizza

Pizza has to been one of America's favorite foods.

It's so versatile that every region has their own version, both with the crust and the toppings!  Some examples are NY Style, Chicago Deep Dish, Detroit Sicilian Square and California Style.

Experimenting with different crusts and toppings is a lot of fun to do.   I remember visiting New York and there were two things I had to eat.  Junior's Cheesecake, and NY Style pizza.  We accomplished both!  The cheesecake was outstanding, but the pizza....AWESOME.  Something I will never forget.  The ambiance of the pizza place, and the flavor of the pizza itself.  Memories that are burned in my brain.

So let's re-create a NY Style pizza.  Most important is the crust.  You have to have a nice crust that is both crispy and chewy.  I used my Best Pizza Dough Ever as the crust and it was perfect.  Next, choosing the toppings.  I chose the same topping we had in NY.  Sausage and Mushroom.  Wonderful Italian sausage is cooked and crumbled, and placed alongside the cooked mushrooms on the pizza.  A little sauce, and some fresh mozzarella and the ingredients are set.

The result turned out really good.  The crust isn't exactly like that of NY, but will never be without their water which lends a flavor we can't get here.  But, it is a great variation!

New York Style Sausage and Mushroom Pizza

makes 1 12" pizza

Pizza dough (my Favorite Pizza Dough)
Pizza Sauce (your favorite or here's mine)
1/4 lb. cremini or button mushrooms, sliced 
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 lb. sweet or hot Italian pork sausages, casings removed 
All-purpose flour and cornmeal for dusting
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced 

Place a large pizza stone on the oven rack, and preheat an oven to 450°F, allowing at least 20 minutes for the oven to preheat fully. 

In a large frying pan, heat 1 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they give off their juices and are browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the sausages to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking them up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. Set aside.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball.  Reserve one ball for another use.  Roll, pat and stretch the dough into a round about 12 inches in diameter.  Dust a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet generously with cornmeal.  Transfer the dough to the peel.  Spread with the sauce, leaving a 3/4-inch border uncovered. Top with half of the mozzarella, and the mushroom mixture. 

Slide the pizza off the peel onto the hot stone. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Using a wide spatula or a rimless baking sheet, remove the baked pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Cut and serve.