Fun Friday Week Two: Pizza!

Last week, we celebrated the end of the work week with an easy and economical Mexican Skillet Dinner perfect for a laid-back Friday night. Celebrate this weekend with another all-time favorite—PIZZA. Ditch the delivery service; whip up a whole-wheat crust (you will not believe how easy this is), crack open a bottle of wine and kick your feet up while the dough rises.
It’s a great way to do a quick fridge clean out of all those bits and pieces you have accumulated over the week, too!

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Ingredients
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c unbleached all purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
½ tsp granulated sugar
¾ c hot water (120 degrees)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Combine flours, yeast, salt and sugar in food processor, pulse to mix. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the motor running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture starts to form a ball. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour.


Continue processing for one minute to knead the dough.

Transfer the dough to a bowl coated with cooking spray, cover with a kitchen towel, move to a warm place and let rise for one hour. Note: if you want to speed up the process you can use the Rapid Rise Yeast and cut the rise time in half.
Roll out the dough to fit a 15-inch pizza pan dusted with cornmeal. 

At this point it is up to you and your creativity for toppings and sauce. Yay! I used:

• 8 oz. can pizza sauce
• 1 c mushrooms, sliced
• ½ red bell pepper, diced
• ½ sliced onion
• 10 or so Trader Joe’s turkey meatballs, sliced
• 6 oz. fresh mozzarella
• Freshly grated Parmesan

Bake 10 minutes in 425-degree oven.
Add freshly grated Parmesan if desired, and continue baking another 5 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.


When wine pairing, for traditional spicy pizza, try a red Zinfandel or Shiraz. If you are going veggie or white pizza, think cool and crisp like a Sauvignon Blanc.
We’ve probably all ordered enough pizzas to know what we like, but here are just a few fun ideas.

• Substitute BBQ sauce for the tomato sauce, dice up some leftover chicken breast, add sliced red onion and finish with some Monterey Jack.
• No pizza sauce? Use spaghetti sauce instead.
• No spaghetti sauce? Simply brush with olive oil and savor the nutty flavor of the whole-wheat crust.
• Go veggie and throw together whatever is handy. Sliced zucchini pinch-hit for pepperoni, add sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and finish with Farmers’ cheese for a change.
• For something completely different, try this combination: caramelized onions, sautéed pear slices and Gorgonzola cheese. Served sans sauce this makes a great adult appetizer if entertaining.

Check back next week for a quick and easy take on a favorite Chinese appetizer. —Karen