Home Made Pizza.

[ainjel]

Last night we had pizza. As homemade as we could get and it tasted so great! In fact we made two pizzas since I like different toppings than my boyfriend. My boyfriend made the crusts ( I'm not allowed to share that recipe ) and I made up the Pizza Sauce. Shredded all the cheese for each pizza and got all the toppings cut up. Black olives for me and we just use the precut hormel pepperoni. My boyfriend had pepperoni again, mushrooms, italian sausage and onions.

We also have a nice pizza stone and use corn meal before rolling the dough out on the pizza stone. When each pizza is done we always put garlic butter on the crust and often use extra dough to make breadsticks and will put that same garlic butter on the breadsticks.

Mmm, it tasted good for breakfast again this morning. : )

[aeiou]

I'm always envious of someone who makes their own pizza crust from scratch. It seems I never have time to make my own pizza crust. My homemade pizza usually consists of buying a fresh pizza and putting my own additional toppings on the pizza with some fresh grated cheese and baking it in the oven.

[aeiou]

One thing I forgot to mention is that I use the Hormel Turkey Pepperoni instead of the regular Hormel Pepperoni. I like that it has less fat and creates less grease on top of the cooked pizza. Unfortunately my local grocery store is usually out of it when I want to get some for my pizza.

[ainjel]

I tried the Turkey Pepperoni for that very reason but I found I just didn't like it as much. I think it's great though that Hormel has made it available.

[aeiou]

You're right it does not taste as good as the regular Hormel pepperoni but with all the other items on the pizza we really don't notice the difference. One of our favorite pizza is a Hawaiian pizza, which is Canadian bacon and pineapple. Have you ever tried that pizza?

[ainjel]

I'm a pretty picky eater. I've gotten better in the last few years but I'm still pretty reluctant to new things. I've never been a fan of Canadian Bacon because it tastes too much like ham. And in fact, pepperoni tastes too much like ham some days and I end up picking it off. When I'm pregnant I can't even eat pepperoni because every once in a while I'll bite into a piece that's too ham tasting. I've never tried pineapple on pizza. I do like the flavor of pineapple in general but I don't like the way its texture is. My favorite juice is pineapple orange-banana. My boyfriend on the other hand, loves Hawaiian pizza and while he hasn't made it at home, he does order it from time to time.

[Mama Mangia]

I don't know if I am doing this right - but I would like to share one of my homemade pizza recipes with everyone:





PIZZA CRUST

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Pinch sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt



Dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Proof 5 minutes. Pour into mixer bowl. Gradually mix in 2 cups flour and salt using paddle attachment. Change to dough hook. Incorporate remaining flour and mix 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic and let rise 1-1/2 hours, or until doubled in size. A longer, slower rising time will make a more flavorful crust. Punch dough down. Form into a ball and refrigerate until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before using.



PIZZA SAUCE

I usually double the amounts using two large 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes, and freeze in 1/2-cup plastic containers so I have it ready for pizza. This sauce freezes excellent and if made a day ahead and refrigerated - it gives the flavors a chance to meld!!


4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (or to taste)
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning (or to taste)
1 teaspoons oregano (optional)
1 tablespoon marjoram
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
4-5 cups crushed tomatoes (can use tomato sauce in place of crushed tomatoes or use a combination of both if desired - I use a good brand name of crushed tomatoes that are not watery or 1 can puree and 1 can tomatoes)
2 teaspoons salt, to taste
Pinch sugar
Black pepper


1. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil; saute the onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes until soft but not brown.
2. Add in the tomato paste and Italian seasonings, stir and cook 1 minute.
3. Add in the remaining ingredients; cook and simmer on low heat for half an hour, stirring occasionally, adding more salt if needed (after the half hour - adjust seasonings to taste)


NOTE: Chop the onion and garlic VERY fine.


I prefer a grated cheese mix of whole milk mozzarella, provolone, a little Asiago and some Pecorino Romano; thin sliced pepperoni and sometimes fried homemade Italian sausage and sliced mushrooms. When I leave out the sausage and mushrooms - then it?s anchovies!!!! (I love anchovies!)

[spiceplace]

I've never been a fan of Canadian Bacon because it tastes too much like ham.

I've always thought Canadian Bacon was an American creation and is ham. I worked for a few months with a couple people from Alberta about 10 years ago. They were with a large Canadian meatpacking firm, and laughed at the term Canadian Bacon.

[Mama Mangia]

I like to make a big batch of meatballs, then I cool them in the fridge and freeze them for use later. This is just a basic recipe:

I've got between 10 and 12 pounds of chuck to grind, a large fresh bunch of parsley (minced), several cloves of garlic (finely minced), kosher salt and fresh black pepper, a dozen of so of eggs, and fresh made bread crumbs (from day old crusty Italian bread), fresh grated Pecorino Romano - two large skillets with olive oil and sliced garlic to fry them in.

As they cook, remove to platter to drain and cool; refrigerate over night; store in freezer in plastic bags (label and date of course).

I can then use as many or few as I want for any type of a meal or even sub/hoagie sandwiches. They can go into the crockpot with sauce or gravy. When I make homemade sauce I can just drop them in.

You can make various sizes and use smaller ones for hoagies, subs, etc. Even make them ahead for appetizers (crockpot use).

Scrape up the bottom of the skillets and make a great-flavored gravy! Strain and refrigerate. The next day transfer to freezer containers (label and date of course) and use at your convenience (and you can remove any fat that has formed). Also freeze homemade spaghetti sauce the same way. I like to freeze sauces in quart jars (when I am too lazy to can it!) for a meal or in portions for subs/hoagies.

[aeiou]

Welcom Mama Mangia, thanks for sharing your pizza and meatball recipes with us. I prefer to have a mix of cheese on my pizza as well it gives it a better taste. Another cheese I like is Gyuere. I usually keep a block of that on hand and substitute it in recipes that call for Cheddar cheese. It melts well like Cheddar cheese.