The Cultural Dish: Pizza Pizza Pizza! Three Delicious Variations

This week for the Comfort Food Feast, FN Dish had us make one of the ultimate comfort foods that everyone loves - Pizza! Pizza is just one of those meals, that no matter how old you are, you could always eat with a smile on your face! There is just something about pizza that brings back childhood memories of weekends with friends, sleepovers, and summer. Ah the finer days of life!

Pizza is also extremely easy to make, and thank God too, because ever since we got our pizza stone, my hubby has been requesting it every weekend! I may have to cut him off for a few weeks... The beautiful thing about pizza though (aside from it's taste, smell, texture, and, well, everything else), is that you can be as creative as you want to be! In the mood for something simple? Then just use tomato sauce and cheese as your toppings. In the mood for something more elaborate? Then try different meats and veggies as your toppings. The opportunities are endless when it comes to pizza!

Since you can never have too much pizza, and you can never have too many varieties of pizza, I made three different variations. Hopefully these three variations will make you hungry and inspire you to try some of your own experimentation...

Pizza Three Ways!

Ingredients

For the Dough (enough for 2 large or 3 small pizzas):
-3 1/2 to 4 cups flour (Please Note: I use whole wheat bread flour, but in general, if you use all-purpose flour versus bread flour, just know that the texture and taste will be different.)
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 teaspoon sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 packet rapid rise yeast
-1 1/2 cups warm water

Directions:
Start with 3 cups of your flour, and add to a bowl with the salt. Set aside.

In another small bowl, pour in the olive oil, sugar, and yeast, and then pour in the water. Stir just a couple of times to mix in the sugar and yeast, but then let it stand for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid becomes frothy and foams from the yeast.

Once the liquid foams a little, pour it into the flour and mix. At this point, I usually just take off my rings and dig in with my hands. Slowly add more flour a little at a time if needed.

Turn the dough out on a floured surface and continue kneading for about 5-10 minutes, or until the dough because smooth. Lightly grease a bowl and place the dough in the greased bowl. Cover with a dry towel and let sit in a warm, dry, place for an hour. I sometimes put the bowl under the oven light if I am in a rush!

This is the dough prior to be kneaded...

...And after being kneaded

After an hour, the dough should have risen and doubled in size. Turn the dough out on a clean and lightly floured surface. Literally punch down the dough and knead again for a minute. Divide the dough in half (if making 2 pizzas) or in thirds (if making 3 smaller pizzas) and place the dough halves in separate greased bowls. Cover the bowls again with a towel and let rise for about another 45 minutes to an hour.

Once the dough has risen again, you can plastic wrap it and refrigerate it for later use, or roll it out to use right away.

If using right away, make sure to preheat your oven to 475 degrees F, and let the pizza stone sit in the oven while it is preheating. If you do not have a pizza stone, you can also use a regular baking pan.

Pizza Margherita

Pizza Margherita Topping:
-1 recipe of your favorite tomato sauce
-About a 1/2 cup of Mozzarella cheese, sliced
-Fresh basil

Directions:
Roll out your pizza dough to about 12 to 13 inches. Lightly drizzle just a little olive oil on the dough and spoon some of your tomato sauce onto the dough, making sure to leave about a 1 inch border for the crust. Once the sauce has been spread out on the dough, top with slices of mozzarella cheese and some fresh basil (use as much or as little as you like).

Slide onto your pizza stone in the oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes. In order to slide the pizza in, I use parchment paper and leave it underneath the pizza so it can be easily moved in and out of the oven.

White Pizza

White Pizza Topping:
-1 cup ricotta cheese
-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Basil and oregano to taste
-Olive oil
-Fresh parsley for sprinkling on top

Directions:
In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and a little basil and oregano. Set aside.

On your rolled out pizza dough, lightly drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle with garlic. Spoon out the ricotta cheese mixture onto the dough, leaving about a 1 inch border for the crust. Evenly spread out the mixture and then top with the shredded mozzarella. Finish the topping off by sprinkling some fresh parsley on top.

Slide onto your pizza stone and bake for 10-12 minutes. In order to slide the pizza in, I use parchment paper and leave it underneath the pizza so it can be easily moved in and out of the oven.

Caramelized Onion & Sausage Pizza

Caramelized Onion and Sausage Pizza Topping:
-1 pound ground sausage
-1 16oz package of mushrooms (optional - my hubs is obsessed with mushrooms so I always use them)
-2 onions, peeled and sliced
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 tablespoon butter
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Gorgonzola cheese for sprinkling
-Freshly chopped basil for sprinkling

Directions:
Melt the butter and olive oil in a skillet and add the onions. Cook the onions until they begin to caramelize (turn brown and golden) - about 20 minutes. Once the onions are done, add in the sausage, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking for a few more minutes until the sausage has cooked.

Remove the meat mixture from the stove and spook out evenly onto a prepared pizza dough. Make sure to leave about a 1 inch border for the crust. Sprinkle the Gorgonzola cheese and basil on top.

Slide your pizza into the oven on the pizza stone and bake for 10-12 minutes. In order to slide the pizza in, I use parchment paper and leave it underneath the pizza so it can be easily moved in and out of the oven.