Clean Out The Cheese Drawer Pizza

Still can't get enough homemade pizza... I'm tellin ya I guarantee I could open up your fridge and find something to throw on a pizza.  Now I will admit we eat an uncanny amount of cheese around here so that might explain why I had quite the buffet of cheese.  There was not enough of one kind to use for a recipe so I decided to throw it all on a pizza and see what happens.  And what do you know, another one I can't live without.  The tanginess of so many different cheeses with a crispy crust and robust (yeah, that's right... i said it... robust) tomato sauce is the bomb.

So anyway, sorry for no real recipe here, but I made this basic pizza dough and added a layer of tomato sauce, then mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan and topped it off with grated gruyere and salt and pepper.

Here is the other pizza below. 

Pesto Pizza with Feta & Tomatoes

This right here makes me very happy I discovered homemade pizza.  I looked in the fridge and saw a few leftovers here and a few leftovers there.... and voila, the creation of this pizza.  I didn't buy a darn thing.  I had half a block of feta, half a bag of grape tomatoes, some leftover toasted pine nuts and some pesto in the freezer.  Sadly, I had no crust in the freezer or this would have been a cinch.  But after making up a batch, the pizza only took about 10 minutes.  So enough about me, let's talk about you... go look in that fridge of yours... come on, there is got to be something you could throw on a pizza.

From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Pesto Pizza with Feta & Tomatoes
Recipe Notes
As I mentioned before, this was all leftovers and I just took stuff out of the fridge and started throwing it on.  I tried to estimate about how much of each ingredient I used, but you will be able to judge that based on what kind of pizza you like... whether you like a lot of cheese or a little, just a bite of tomato or a ton... you get the point.
Ingredients
1 recipe of basic pizza dough, or store bought
3/4 cup pesto
3/4 cup feta
3/4 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half longways
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
Step by Step

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Heavily flour a clean surface.

3.  Roll out pizza dough on floured surface into a rectangular shape that will fit a baking sheet.

4.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.  Transfer pizza dough to parchment paper.

5.  Spread a thin layer of pesto on entire crust.

6.  Sprinkle with an even layer of feta cheese.

7.  Top with halved tomatoes and pine nuts.

8.  Bake for 15 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling.

Artichoke, Arugula & Prosciutto Pizza

I lied... I said I was done with pizzas for awhile, but I just couldn't let them go.  With a few random ingredients in my fridge, this pizza was created.  When there is a little of this and a little of that, a warm crispy, chewy crust is just what they need.  This pizza was created because I happened to have all of these ingredients on hand except for the prosciutto.  So I had the deli department give me just a few slices of prosciutto and dinner was done.  And I have to say I have now really (no, really this time) found my favorite pizza.  I am sure you are a bit over hearing that since I seem to announce that every week, but this is it! This is really it! The best homemade pizza I could ever imagine!  It might have something to do with the fact that artichoke hearts are one of my favorite foods so to pair those with the salty prosciutto, fresh pesto, peppery arugula, fresh lemon, and hearty mushrooms was just one of the best things that has ever happen to me.

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Artichoke, Arugula & Prosciutto Pizza

Ingredients

1 ball of pizza dough (store bought of homemade)

3 tablespoons fresh pesto

2 cups mozzarella cheese

5 artichoke hearts (one can), quartered

5 white button mushrooms, sliced thinly

1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

1 1/2 cups arugula leaves

1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Step by Step

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Heavily flour a clean surface.

3.  Roll out pizza dough on floured surface into a rectangular shape that will fit a baking sheet.

4.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.  Transfer pizza dough to parchment paper.

5.  Spread a thin layer of pesto on entire crust.

6.  Top with mozzarella cheese.

7.  Top evenly with artichoke hearts, prosciutto and mushrooms.

8.  Top with parmesan cheese.

9.  Heavily pepper pizza and lightly salt.

10.  Bake for 15 minutes.

11.  While pizza is baking, toss arugula with lemon juice.

12.  Remove pizza when the edges are brown and the cheese is bubbling.

13.  Top with arugula and cut into slices.

14.  Serve hot.

Canadian Bacon & Black Olive Pizza

Have I convinced you to make a pizza yet?  You are either loving all of the endless combinations of pizzas you can make or you are so over it and wish I would get over it too. But I had to share just one more amazing combination.  I never thought of my brother and I as the gourmet types growing up, but I sometimes think I should reconsider that notion when I think back on the fact that canadian bacon and black olive pizza was our favorite to order on those special nights when we had a babysitter.  Sure our other 5 to 10 year old peers were in love with cheese or pepperoni, but among the very few things my brother and I agreed on growing up, this yummy pizza was among them.  So with my new found love of pizza at home, I decided to take a stab at it and it was perfect, and for me, nostalgic.  I also got quite excited when Mr. Hungy said this is his favorite pizza to date and he has become quite the honest critic.  Once again, this pizza was thrown together in minutes on a busy Monday night.  If this combination does not look like your favorite, I hope at least I have convinced you by now that you should try any of your favorite ingredients on this crust and have scrumptious homemade pizza any night of the week.  
From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Canadian Bacon & Black Olive Pizza

Recipe Notes

I have not listed amounts of the ingredients below.  I think each ingredient can be left up to personal taste.  Some like alot of cheese and a little sauce... some like a lot of canadian bacon and black olives... i think you get the point.  

Ingredients

1 ball of pizza dough (click here for recipe or use store bought)

Marinara sauce

Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Black Olives, sliced in half vertically.

Canadian Bacon, sliced into triangles

salt and pepper

Step by Step

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Sprinkle a clean surface with flour.  Roll out pizza dough into a rectangular shape that will fit a baking sheet.

3.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.  Transfer pizza dough onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper. 

4.  Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce over dough.

5.  Sprinkle cheese over entire pizza to make a thin layer.

6.  Top with canadian bacon and black olives. 

7.  Bake for 15 minutes until crust is crispy and brown.  

Ham & Swiss Pizza

Should I change the name of this site to “The Little Kitchen Pizzeria… and the Occasional Cookie”?  I seem to be stuck in a rut… well, I don’t consider it a rut at all, but it seems like the Little Kitchen has become a broken record of pizzas and friends in the kitchen (which have been some of my favorite cooking times).  I am more than okay with this and I hope you are too.  But don’t worry, I will spin out of my pizza making frenzy eventually and continue to broaden my horizons.  

For now, I must share two new great pizzas that I discovered with my friend Mary.  I like to think I was ahead of the curve on this pizza thing because just this month, every magazine I have read (Real Simple, In Style, Food Everday, etc.) has a whole section on making pizza at home.  I guess I should say Bon Appetit was really the one ahead of the game because their May issue with Giada’s pizza is what started me down this wonderful road.  I have continued to use the same crust, but I have tried all these new toppings and these two pizzas came from Real Simple this month.  I thought both of them were delightful and the tomato olive pizza was a fresh alternative with no cheese (even though I have to say the slices of brie we added to half the pizza were my favorite part).  Most of these articles I have been reading about pizzas have all used store bought dough.  If my homemade dough is what is keeping you from trying pizzas, you should definitely start with store bought dough and find one you like…. Too bad I’m already partial to the homemade kind...Enjoy!
Ham & Swiss Pizza
Adapted from Real Simple, October 2009
Ingredients
flour, for rolling out pizza dough
1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, cut into very thin slices and separated
12 sprigs fresh thyme
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1/2 cup swiss or gruyere cheese (2 ounces)
Step by Step
1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.  Sprinkle a clean surface with flour.  Roll our pizza dough into a rectangular shape that will fit a baking sheet.
3.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.  Transfer pizza dough onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper. 
4.  Lightly brush with dough with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5.  In a medium bowl, toss shallots, thyme, remaining olive oil and a 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. 
6.  Top the dough with ham, cheese and shallot mixture.  
7.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until crust is crispy and browned. 

Tomato, Olive & Scallion Pizza

Tomato, Olive & Scallion Pizza

Adapted from Real Simple, October 2009

Recipe Notes

We added thin slices of brie to half of this pizza just to try it out.  (Honestly, I was having a hard time trusting we could make a tasty pizza without any cheese).  The slices of brie paired perfectly with the olives and tomatoes, but it turns out this pizza was delicious without the cheese as well.

Ingredients

1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen

2 beefsteak tomatoes (about 1 pound), thinly sliced

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

2 tablespoon olive oil

kosher salt

black pepper

brie, thinly sliced (optional)

• Step by Step
• 1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• 2.  Sprinkle a clean surface with flour.  Roll our pizza dough into a rectangular shape that will fit a baking sheet.
  
  3.  Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.  Transfer pizza dough onto baking sheet covered with parchment paper. 
  
  4.  Top the dough with the tomatoes, scallions and olives.  If using slices of brie, add on top of tomatoes.  Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Top with a 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
  
  5.  Bake until crust is crisp and edges are browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
  

Chicken Pesto Pizza

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered wonderful homemade pizza crust, and already I am seeing my work pay off.  When I first made pizza dough, I doubled the recipe and froze the dough.  Two weeks later, I am able to throw together a homemade pizza in just minutes, and might I add it is delicious! This chicken pesto pizza is especially great when you have leftover chicken breast.  I had grilled up some chicken for dinner last night, and cooked an extra breast for dinner tonight. This pizza is great any night of the week and the leftovers are even better.  Enjoy!

Chicken Pesto Pizza
Recipe Notes
Any seasoned grilled chicken will work great.  If making the chicken just for the pizza, season with salt, pepper and garlic salt before grilling.  Feel free to try whatever cheese you have on hand as well.
Ingredients
Homemade pizza dough (click here for recipe)
1/2 cup basil pesto
1 grilled chicken breast, sliced thinly
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1-2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
Step by Step
1.  Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into the shape of your cookie sheet.  Place crust on a piece of parchment paper and place on pan.
2.  Spread a thin layer of pest on entire crust, leaving a 1/2 inch around the edge with no pesto.
3.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese.
4.  Sprinkle monterey jack cheese to cover all of the pesto.
5.  Place slices of chicken breast on top.  Sprinkle with a bit more parmesan cheese.
6.  Generously salt and pepper the entire pizza.
7.  Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until crust is crispy and brown.
8.  Cut into rectangular pieces and serve.

Homemade Pizza with Mushrooms & Pancetta

So how many of you were wondering if I really just left that dough plain? Sorry I left you hanging, but here is the final product of my homemade pizza endeavor.  This is the rest of the pizza recipe I had from Giada de Laurentis and I can barely put into words how delicious it is.  Chewy in the middle, crunchy on the outside crust... 3 different melted cheeses... topped with salty bites of pancetta... yum!  I set out to determine if going through all the trouble of making homemade pizza was worth it and my conclusion is a resounding yes! The options are endless and this combination is a great start.  Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza with Mushrooms & Pancetta

Adapted from Giada de Laurentis in Bon Appetit
Recipe Notes
For those of you unfamiliar with pancetta, it is Italian style bacon.  Regular bacon does not really work as a substitute for this recipe, but I do have a hint on how to get great pancetta without having to buy a ton.  Most every grocery store carries it in the deli and you can ask for two thick slices (about 1/2 an inch each), which is enough for this recipe.   Also, fontina cheese can be a tad on the expensive side, but a small piece will give you enough for two pizzas.  If you have to use less than the recipe calls for, just add more parmesan and mozzarella.  This recipe makes enough for two cookie sheet size pizzas so feel free to half the recipe and freeze the other half of the dough for another night.
Ingredients
1/2 cup purchased marinara sauce
1 cup coarsely grated Fontina cheese
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup coarsely grated mozzarella cheese
2 ounces crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 ounces thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon), coarsely chopped
Step by Step
1.  Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
3.  Divide dough in half.  Roll out one half on lightly floured surface to 13 1/2 by 8 1/2 inch rectangle.
4.  Transfer to one baking sheet.  Repeat with second half.
5.  Spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce over each pizza, leaving 1/2 inch border.  Sprinkle cheese over, then mushrooms and pancetta.  Sprinkle with salt and generous amount of pepper.
6.  Bake pizzas until brown on bottom and cheese is melter, about 15 minutes.  Cut each pizza crosswise into rectangles.