White Pizza with Sausage, Spinach and Ricotta

Posted on January 31, 2013 by TheLittleGSP

Crumbled Sausage, Spinach and Ricotta Cheese… yes! When Matt suggested that we try these toppings on our latest batch of Trader Joe’s pizza crust I enthusiastically agreed and, after enjoying the end result last night, I don’t know why we never tried this delicious combination before!

White Pizza with Sausage, Spinach and Ricotta_c

For Christmas Matt gave me My Pizza by Jim Lahey and, although I haven’t actually made any of the recipes yet (I’m holding out for a pizza stone and peel first!), the cooking method that we used for this recipe was definitely inspired by the book. I usually cook pizza at 425°F but, after reading Jim Lahey’s chapter on cooking dough, we decided to try something radically different and instead broiled the pizzas in a preheated 500°F oven. The resulting pies had a whole new level of caramelization and wonderful crispiness that I’ve never before experienced in a home-cooked pizza. Yum!

White Pizza with Sausage, Spinach and Ricotta

You will need…
2 Sweet Italian Sausages
Olive Oil
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
2-3 handfuls Baby Spinach
1 package fresh Pizza Dough (as usual, I used Trader Joe’s dough)
Flour, for dusting pizza dough
Approx. 1/4 cup coarsely chopped Yellow Onion (optional)
12 oz. Ricotta Cheese
3-4 cups Shredded Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Ready to go in the oven!

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 500°F. Remove the sausage from the casings and press into the bottom of a preheated skillet over medium-high heat. Allow it to cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes and then use a metal spatula to stir the sausage and separate it into crumbled bits. When the sausage is completely cooked through (and, ideally, getting a little crispy on the edges!), transfer to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

Return the skillet to the stove over medium heat and, if needed, add about a tablespoon of olive oil (there might already be enough fat in the skillet from the sausages). Add the minced garlic and allow it to cook in the oil until it is fragrant and just turning golden brown. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the spinach. Use tongs to toss and stir the spinach until it is wilted then remove from heat.

On a flour-dusted surface, halve the pizza dough and stretch each piece into a generous individual-sized pie. (Mine usually each end up being about 6” by 10” which fits well on my rectangular pan.) Place the crusts on a non-stick or lightly oiled pan (or use a pizza stone, if you have one!).

White Pizza broiling in the oven.

Spread about half of the ricotta cheese onto the two pizza crusts with the back of a spoon, leaving a 1” margin around the edges. Sprinkle on some chopped onions if you want (Matt didn’t want any but I tried them and they were great!) and top with the shredded Mozzarella. Next, evenly distribute the cooked sausage over the pizzas and add the wilted spinach and garlic. Drop the remaining ricotta onto the pizza in spoonfuls and finish off the pizzas with freshly grated Parmesan.

Just before putting the pizzas in the preheated oven, switch the oven to “Broil” and cook the pizzas on the top rack for approximately 10 minutes. Check on the pizzas frequently (it’s OK to open the door) to make sure that they are not burning. The pizzas are done when the cheese is turning golden brown and the crust is just starting to brown on the edges.

White Pizza with Sausage, Spinach and Ricotta 2_c

Summer T.B.M. Pizza with Corn Relish

Posted on July 18, 2012 by TheLittleGSP

Last weekend as I was paging through this month’s volume of Martha Stewart Living I came across a delicious-sounding recipe for Grilled Pizza with Cheesy Corn, Fresh Tomatoes, and Basil. I was already planning on making pizza for dinner on Sunday and happened to have some extra frozen corn, garlic, and Parmesan, so I decided to mix up my standard Tomato-Basil-Mozzarella pizza and make this recipe instead.

Since I made this on short notice I had to improvise a bit. I didn’t have any fresh corn so I used frozen corn which I rinsed and drained before blending into the relish. Although I’m sure corn freshly sliced off the cob would have been even better, I thought that the corn was pretty tasty. I also cheated by baking the pizza in the oven rather than grilling it because it was waaaay to hot out to stand over a grill (we’ve been having a major heat wave here on the east coast) ! All in all I thought the pizzas were quite yummy. Thanks, Martha Stewart!

Summer Tomato-Basil-Mozzarella Pizza with Corn Relish (from Martha Stewart Living)

You will need…
15 oz. store-bought Pizza Dough (I used Trader Joe’s dough, of course!)
1 1/3 cups Corn Kernels (from two ears of corn or just measured out if using frozen)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1-2 medium Garlic Cloves
4 tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
Salt, to taste
2 Tomatoes, thinly sliced (I used small plum-sized “on the vine” tomatoes)
4-6 oz. Mozzarella, thinly sliced (this worked out to 12 of TJ’s small marinated mozzarella balls)
1/2 cup Basil Leaves

Directions:
Make the corn relish by combining the corn, Parmesan, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender and blend well. Stretch the pizza dough into two pizzas and place them on a greased baking pan. (For best taste let the dough sit at room temperature for 1 hour beforehand.) Season the dough with a few pinches of coarse salt, then bake in a 425° preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove from oven, flip the dough, then top with the corn relish (spread it on with a spoon), tomatoes, and mozzarella. Bake the pizzas for another 6 minutes until the mozzarella has melted. Top with the basil leaves and enjoy!

Herbed Pizza with Spinach and Feta

Posted on May 22, 2012 by TheLittleGSP

We made these delicious pizzas for dinner a few weeks ago just when the spinach in our garden was at its peak. I picked about 3 cups of baby spinach leaves (almost wiping out the whole crop but that’s ok… I was making room for pepper plants and basil!) and rinsed and dried them well before using them in this recipe. Fresh spinach leaves from the garden are juicy and bright green – very different from the bagged stuff you buy in the store! I’ll definitely be planting more spinach when the weather cools off in the Fall so we can continue to enjoy this delicious leafy green.

Herbed Pizza with Spinach and Feta

View the recipe

Another Delicious Pizza!

Posted on April 24, 2012 by TheLittleGSP

Mmm… is there anything better than homemade pizza fresh out of the oven? Pizza is easy to make, the toppings are fun to experiment with, and the results are tasty and rewarding. For me, the one problem with pizza is that I only like to use Trader Joe’s fresh pizza dough which means that I can only make pizza once or twice a month after we visit TJ’s. We used to live within walking distance of a Trader Joe’s but now a 20 minute drive (and bad rush hour traffic!) separates us from my favorite dough. I have tried the pizza dough from Whole Foods and, although it isn’t bad, it simply can’t compare with the crispy, chewy flavor of the dough from Joe’s.

So, as you might have guessed, we stopped by Trader Joe’s over the weekend and I picked up a bag of dough. We already had some hot Italian turkey sausage and basil so I decided to make a Sausage Tomato Basil Mozzarella (TBM) pizza for dinner last night.

A note about the cheese… TJ’s was sold out of the marinated mozzarella balls that I typically buy so I tried their Ciliegine mozzarella which is billed as stringier, softer, and more authentic. More authentic it may be but it also was much more watery and seemed to melt into nothingness on these pizzas. Next time I’ll hold out for the good mozzarella!

Turkey Sausage T.B.M. Pizza

You will need…
2 Turkey Sausages (we used Shady Brook Farms Hot Italian Turkey Sausage)
1 12 oz. can Diced Tomatoes with Italian Herbs
1 package Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough
Pepper, Parmesan Cheese and Garlic Powder to taste
Approx. 10 Mozzarella Balls (I highly recommend Trader Joe’s Marinated Mozzarella Balls, but for this recipe I used TJ’s Ciliegine Mozzarella Balls)
10-20 Basil Leaves, cut into strips

Directions:
Crumble and brown the turkey sausage in a large frying pan or wok. When the sausage is nicely browned, remove it from heat and set aside. Drain the diced tomatoes slightly and then saute over medium heat for 10-15 minutes to reduce. If you want a smoother tomato base, use a potato masher to slightly crush the tomato chunks. Meanwhile, stretch out your pizza dough into two rectangular pies on a large cookie sheet (see my Homemade TBM Pizza for instructions on how to do this).

Spoon and spread the reduced diced tomatoes evenly onto the two pizza pies. Sprinkle the browned sausage over the pizza and top with ground black pepper, Parmesan, and garlic powder. Next, distribute the mozzarella balls evenly over the pizza. I like to use a pair of kitchen shears to cut each mozzarella ball into several pieces — this helps to cover the pizza evenly without using an entire container of cheese!

Bake pizzas in a preheated 350° oven for 12 minutes. Remove the pizzas from the oven and top with your sliced basil. Enjoy!

More Pizza: Tomato, Goat Cheese and Pesto Pizza!

Posted on February 15, 2012 by TheLittleGSP

Tonight I experimented with pizza dough that I picked up at Whole Foods over the weekend. The Whole Foods dough was good but we found it to be much breadier and chewier than Trader Joe’s dough. Next time I make this I’ll probably go back to TJs!

Tomato, Goat Cheese, and Pesto Pizza
(makes two generous individual-sized pizzas)

You will need…
1 package of fresh pizza dough (Trader Joe’s preferred!)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 oz. herbed goat cheese
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
15 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes, drained
Pinch of dried thyme
6 heaping tablespoons of pesto
2 teaspoons (approx.) grated parmesan/romano cheese
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil

Ready to go in the oven

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425° and allow the pizza dough to sit out at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. In a frying pan, heat up approx. 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil and sauté the minced garlic until just browning. Remove the garlic from the pan with a spoon and place in a small bowl. Add the herbed goat cheese to the minced garlic and mix well.

Add the sliced shallots to the frying pan and sauté until they start to soften. Add the (drained) whole peeled tomatoes and cut them into small pieces (quarters or smaller). Stir to combine then let the tomato mixture simmer at medium heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme, salt and pepper to the tomato mixture and remove from heat.

Remove the pizza dough from the bag and split it into two balls. If you want, you can lightly dust your hands and/or work surface with flour when working with the dough if you want to but it’s not a necessity. Flatten one of the dough balls between your palms and then start to slowly stretch the dough out by squeezing the outside edges evenly. When you get the dough stretched out the size and shape that you like, place it onto a cookie sheet. Repeat the stretching procedure with the other dough ball.

Scoop two heaping spoonfuls of pesto onto each pizza and spread the pesto out with the back of the spoon. Next, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese (about 1 teaspoon per pizza, or more if you want!) over the pesto topping. Lightly salt and pepper the pizzas. Spoon the tomato mixture onto each pizza and distribute evenly. Spoon (or use your fingers) the goat cheese/garlic mixture evenly onto each pizza.

Cook the pizzas in an oven at 425° for 12-15 minutes. The pizzas are ready when the crust is starting to brown. Enjoy!

Pizza with Pesto, Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, & Mozzarella

Posted on February 9, 2012 by TheLittleGSP

Individual-sized pizzas are one of my favorite things to make. I always use Trader Joe’s fresh pizza dough as my base and then I have fun experimenting with different toppings. You can take just about any ingredients that you’d put together on a sandwich or pasta dish and put them on a pizza for a delicious dinner. I’m sure that I’ll end up writing about some of the interesting combinations but for today I’m going to describe how to make a pizza featuring the classic combo of tomato, basil, and mozzarella.

Pizza with Pesto, Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, and Mozzarella
(makes two generous individual-sized pizzas)

You will need…
1 package of Trader Joe’s fresh pizza dough (a bag with a ball of dough in it, not the pre-cooked stuff)
4 heaping tablespoons of pesto
2 teaspoons (approx.) Grated Parmesan/Romano Cheese
15 oz. can of Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes, drained (or normal tomatoes if you prefer)
12 Marinaded Mozzarella Balls (also from TJ’s; each ball is approx. 1″ in diameter)
Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper to Taste

All ready to go into the oven

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425°. Allow the pizza dough to sit out at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. After it has warmed up, remove the pizza dough from the bag and split it into two balls. If you want, you can lightly dust your hands and/or work surface with flour when working with the dough if you want to but it’s not a necessity. Flatten one of the dough balls between your palms and then start to slowly stretch the dough out by squeezing the outside edges evenly. Wehn you get the dough stretched out the size and shape that you like, place it onto a cookie sheet. My cookie sheet has a non-stick surface so I don’t grease it at all — you may need to lightly grease a pan that doesn’t have a non-stick surface. Repeat the stretching procedure with the other dough ball.

Hurray! The hard part is over and now you get the fun of putting toppings on your pizzas. Scoop two heaping spoonfuls of pesto onto each pizza and spread the pesto out with the back of the spoon. Next, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese (about 1 teaspoon per pizza, or more if you want!) over the pesto topping. Spoon the drained tomatoes onto each pizza and spread them out. Slice up the 12 mozzarella balls and divide evenly between the pizzas. Lightly dust the top of the pizza with garlic powder and add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the pizzas in an oven at 425° for 12-15 minutes. The pizzas are ready when the cheese has melted and the crust is starting to brown. Enjoy!