Part III of "I'll make a pizza on anything" - Tortilla pizza

Tortilla Pizza aka so you're short on time and quality ingredients.


I would like to preface this by saying that sometimes you go into a thing with such low expectations that you come out with a bar of gold; this is one of those occasions.

My good lord this was a good pizza - albeit not a very filling one. I started with some of my classic homemade sauce (recipe to divulged in future blogs), and then topped it with some mozzarella, pepperoni, onion, and some freshly browned sausage (when using sausage, try to take the time to use raw, and then lightly brown it up before topping your pizza, don't drain it too much unless you're counting calories, the grease is the flavor!!).

I then preheated the oven to 400 F, and placed this puppy on the preheated stone, and proceeded to cook it for 6-minutes. After it was done I allowed it a minimal amount of time to cool and didn't even bother cutting it, I just folded it like a taco, and went to town.

Maybe next time I will be tackling the wonderful world of French Bread Pizzas!!!
What do you make your "pizza in a hurry" with?

Creative Sauces: Vol. 1

Bechamel Sauce with Cheese

This thick version of bechamel is a recipe I found on About.com. It's made with evaporated milk and contains cheese, and is just one variation of this popular sauce used with meats and vegetables. It isn't hard to make, and doesn't take long, but it has to be stirred the entire time.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cans of evaporated milk (14.5 ounce cans)
8 tablespoons of cornstarch (or cornflour)
4 cups of water
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup of grated kefalotyri cheese (or pecorino)
1 tablespoon of butter-flavored vegetable shortening or butter
1 teaspoon of salt
pinch of grated nutmeg

PREPARATION:
In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Once it boils, dissolve the cornstarch in one can of evaporated milk, and add to the water, stirring briskly with a wire whisk. Lower the heat to medium and add the second can of milk, the salt, and shortening or butter.

Continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. Add the beaten eggs and nutmeg, whisking very quickly (so the eggs don't cook) until well blended. Remove from the heat, stir in the cheese, mix well and set aside, covered, until ready to use.
Yield: enough for one complete 11 x 14 x 3 pan of moussaka or pastitsio (about 7 cups).

Storage & Reheating
Béchamel can be refrigerated for one day (not more). It can be reheated using a double boiler (stirring constantly) or in the microwave, covered, vented, on medium power. Microwave time depends on the amount to be reheated and the microwave's wattage, so check every couple of minutes.

I made it to 13. Sinful Sunday at Stoneground

Wow, so I thought I would eat more, but afterwards I had planned on eating less. I made it to lucky 13 - but that number doesn't include all of the pizza I ate off of my fiance's plate, an amount that I'm sure would've pushed the final count over the 20 slice mark.

But we're not here to brag... no indeed. We are here to discuss the quality of both pizza, and the cost as compared to the pizza.

Now what I'm talking about here is called "Sinful Sunday" and its an all you can eat pizza event that happens every Sunday at Stoneground (400 south 235 east, SLC, UT). What you get are unlimited salad and slices of totally random pizza for $12 (it used to be $9.95), drinks are extra.

I have got to say that I enjoyed it with a few exceptions:
1) The pizza cooks were thinking in terms of Chicken all night long - as will be evidenced by my slice descriptions.
2) Not much by way of "traditional" fare that came our way.
3) It totally matters where you sit.
4) You should speak up if you have a request.

The System:
You take a seat and relax, enjoy a salad and some drink and company; they will bring a multitude of pizzas by your table for you to accept or decline. Cool way to run a buffet - it keeps the hogs outta the way, and you see marginally lest wasted food.

Lets list the pizza's that came by my table and what I thought of them:
1) Chicken pesto - It was OK - I don't care much for their pesto. NOT-WORTHY!
2) Chicken and Goat Cheese - I liked this one, the goat cheese wasn't too overwhelming and the sauce brought it all together. WORTHY!
3) Sausage and Black Olive - Although I don't care for black olives, the sausage was good and perhaps this slice will get a better rating due to the fact that it was the first "traditional fare" we saw. WORTHY!
4) Veggie with Pesto - Again, I don't like their pesto (dry), but with all of the veggies, it was delicious! WORTHY!
5) Hawaiian - Well... good pineapple, but not so good ham, it made the sauce taste odd. NOT-WORTHY!
6) Hawaiian with Jalapeno - Even the jalapeno couldn't save this one. (note: try a jalapeno and pineapple pizza sometime, very good) NOT-WORTHY!
7) Chipotle BBQ Chicken - This was the best slice of the night. Perfect BBQ sauce, not too tangy, not too spicy, not too sweet. DELICIOUS!!!
8) Meatball with Red Onion on a vegetable tomato base sauce - The sauce was crazy weird; I'm not sure whether I liked the sauce 100% or not, but it was good. WORTHY!
9) Chicken Jalapeno and Red Onion on a White Cheese sauce (bechamel cheese sauce) - This one was totally awesome - the sauce was to die for. Great mix of Jalapeno on that pie! DELICIOUS!!!
10) Chicken and Artichoke Hearts - M'eh, it was a little bland, the artichokes weren't very special - nothing to write home about. NOT-WORTHY!
11) Pepperoni Sausage on a BBQ base sauce - This was totally awesome as well - whats the deal with their non-traditional sauces being so much better than their regular fares?!?!? I would eat this twice on Sunday. DELICIOUS!!!
12) Kalamata Olive and Veggies - I don't like olives so I skipped this one. The wifey said it was good though so it gets a: WORTHY! rating.
13) Fresh Mozzarella Roasted Garlic Tomato and Basil - Excellent take on the margarita pie. I found it to be the best roasted garlic I've had in quite sometime. Do it up when you're there. DELICIOUS!!!
14) Meatball Mushroom and Sweet Peppers - I didn't care much for the sweet peppers (I may have been too full at this point) but the meatballs were good. WORTHY!

It should be noted that a second and a third Hawaiian pizza came by our table that night, which we declined. Also, we didn't see a single regular Pepperoni pizza come by us all night - we were there for 1.5 hours or so - although we did see a plain cheese come by as we were getting up to leave.

Another disappointing note: the "server" wasn't very on it - he seemed like he was in a "up all night partying" phase - which I can understand as it was a Sunday and all, but come on dude, we asked you for water 10 times and you kept bringing us Cokes and Arnold Palmers!

In the end I look forward to doing this again, but I will have to wait until I work this new found weight in my belly off.

ADIOS!
[this ends "sinful sunday" at Stoneground on 400 south and 235 east.]

Alternate Pizza Universe! Vol. I

Hello and good day!
The following pizza recipes were taken from a fellow blogger, "FatFree Vegan Kitchen" - blog.fatfreevegan.com - they are healthier altneratives to the normal styles of pizza. I will be trying them, I may even alter them a little. We'll be doing some experimentation! Be sure to check out her blog that contains a plethora of recipes that are designed to be delicious, fat free, and vegan!

First at bat:

Personal Polenta Pizza
Go to the source!

3 cups water
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
generous grating of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon each basil and oregano
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)

about 1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1/2 small red onion, sliced
about 8 mushrooms, sliced
3-4 ounces vegan sausage, cooked (or gluten-free alternative)
sliced black olives (optional)
2-3 cloves garlic

Preheat the oven to 425. Oil two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.

Put the water, cornmeal, salt, and seasonings into a large microwavable casserole dish or 1-quart measure. Cook at full power for 4 minutes. Stir well and cook again at high power for 2 more minutes. Stir again and cook at high power for another 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave, stir in the optional oil, and beat with a spoon until completely smooth.

[Non-microwave option: Cook in a medium-sized pot on low, stirring frequently, until very thick.]

Spread the polenta evenly in the bottom of the two pans. (If you have any leftover, save it for another use--or make another small pizza.) Place the pans in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.

While the crust is cooking, prepare your toppings and sauce. I used a simple tomato paste-based sauce (3 tbsp. paste, 2 tbsp water, garlic, oregano, basil to taste) because I wanted something thick and not watery. Your favorite spaghetti sauce can be used. Sauté the vegetables lightly in a non-stick pan until onion begins to soften.

After 12 minutes, take the crusts out of the oven and invert them onto a large baking sheet, side by side. They should fall right out of the pan with the parchment paper stuck to them. Peel away the parchment. Spread each crust with pizza sauce (don't use too much or they will be soggy) and top with veggies and vegan sausage. Sprinkle with chopped garlic.

Return to the oven for about 10 minutes, until toppings look done. Lift off the baking sheet carefully using a large spatula and your hand--they are not sturdy like regular pizza, so be careful not to let your toppings slide off. Cut into 4ths and serve.

Alternate Pizzas from Alternate Universes

Welcome again! As a reminder.... the following pizza recipes were taken from a fellow blogger, "FatFree Vegan Kitchen" - blog.fatfreevegan.com - they are healthier altneratives to the normal styles of pizza. I will be trying them, I may even alter them a little. We'll be doing some experimentation! Be sure to check out her blog that contains a plethora of recipes that are designed to be delicious, fat free, and vegan!
Next up at bat!

Potato Pizzas
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/09/potato-pizzas.html

1 large baking potato per person
pizza sauce (recipe below)
your choice of toppings (I used onion, bell pepper, zucchini, calamata olives, green olives, and mushrooms)
fresh basil
soy parmesan

Pizza Sauce (makes enough for 2 servings/potatoes):

1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 can diced tomatoes (I used Italian style)
1/8 tsp. fennel seed
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Start with potatoes that are at least 1-1/2 inches thick in the middle. Scrub each potato well. Cut into three slices, making the outer two a little wider than the middle one. Take the two outer slices and trim a little bit off the bottom (rounded side) in order to make them lie flat.

Place them on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes, until cooked throughout. (I was just making one serving, so I did this in the toaster oven with excellent results.)

While the potatoes are cooking, make the pizza sauce: Sauté the onion in a non-stick saucepan until it becomes translucent. Add the garlic and sauté one minute more. Pour about 1/3 of the can of tomatoes into the saucepan. Using a blender or hand blender, puree the remaining tomatoes and add them to the pan. (I do this right in the can with a hand blender.) Add the remaining sauce ingredients, and simmer on low until the potatoes are ready.

When the potatoes are done, take them out of the oven, spread each one with sauce, and top with your choice of toppings. (I made one with zucchini-calamata olives-red bell pepper, another with mushrooms-green olives-onions, and another with everything.) Put them back into the oven and bake for 15-20 more minutes, until the toppings are done to your taste.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with lots of fresh basil and soy parmesan, if desired. Careful, they will be hot! But once they're cooled, you can pick them up like regular pizza:


1 large baking potato per person
pizza sauce (recipe below)
your choice of toppings (I used onion, bell pepper, zucchini, calamata olives, green olives, and mushrooms)
fresh basil
soy parmesan

Pizza Sauce (makes enough for 2 servings/potatoes):

1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 can diced tomatoes (I used Italian style)
1/8 tsp. fennel seed
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Start with potatoes that are at least 1-1/2 inches thick in the middle. Scrub each potato well. Cut into three slices, making the outer two a little wider than the middle one. Take the two outer slices and trim a little bit off the bottom (rounded side) in order to make them lie flat.

Place them on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes, until cooked throughout. (I was just making one serving, so I did this in the toaster oven with excellent results.)

While the potatoes are cooking, make the pizza sauce: Sauté the onion in a non-stick saucepan until it becomes translucent. Add the garlic and sauté one minute more. Pour about 1/3 of the can of tomatoes into the saucepan. Using a blender or hand blender, puree the remaining tomatoes and add them to the pan. (I do this right in the can with a hand blender.) Add the remaining sauce ingredients, and simmer on low until the potatoes are ready.

When the potatoes are done, take them out of the oven, spread each one with sauce, and top with your choice of toppings. (I made one with zucchini-calamata olives-red bell pepper, another with mushrooms-green olives-onions, and another with everything.) Put them back into the oven and bake for 15-20 more minutes, until the toppings are done to your taste.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with lots of fresh basil and soy parmesan, if desired. Careful, they will be hot! But once they're cooled, you can pick them up like regular pizza: