Mini English Muffin Pizzas

Printable version

When it comes to a party, pizza is king. Whether it be a work party, school party, frat party or church party – pizza will always satisfy the crowd.

Super Bowl Sunday is not only a big day for football parties but more than likely the biggest day of the year for pizza parties. Domino’s Pizza will increase sales by nearly 80% over a typical Sunday and sell more than 11 million slices on the day of the big game. If you were to string those pizza slices end to end it would stretch the length of more than 21,000 football fields. Pizza restaurants in general will typically double their normal business on Super Bowl Sunday.

For this recipe, I take English muffins and top them with sauce, cheese and mini pepperoni to create a personal snack pizza for an easy pizza party treat.

The key here is to use the English muffins as the crust, any number of toppings can be featured to make custom pizzas. The muffin provides a quick alternative to pizza dough and a variety of toppings should help please all the different tastes that come from a room full of people attending a party.

BEHIND THIS BITE

Mini English Muffin Pizzas

This was really a simple snack to make and perfect for kids. It's a great treat for Moms and Dads to bust out when hosting a slumber party. Just put out a few toppings to choose from and each kid can have there own custom pie in just a few minutes.

I can’t wait to try this with my niece and nephews. They always want to help me cook but rarely do I have something for them to get involved in because most of the elements of cooking involve fire and knifes. Not here though, custom English muffin pizzas are easy and as kid friendly as food gets.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Mini English Muffin Pizzas

Makes 12 mini pizzas; 25 minutes
6 English muffins, split
1/2 C Pizza sauce
2 C Mozzarella cheese
5 oz Mini pepperoni

Assemble and bake
Preheat oven to 425°
Separate English muffins, on each half layer pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, mini pepperoni and a little more cheese. Place on sheet pan and bake until cheese is melted and edges of muffins are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Breakfast Meat Lovers Pizza

Printable version

The aroma of breakfast cooking was my Saturday morning alarm clock growing up, and to this day I love a big morning feast to start a long road trip or a busy Saturday. Most days I eat little or no breakfast at all, which is why I really savor it when I get a chance to go all out.

My favorite part of the morning meal is the meat. Most of the time I go for bacon, but I’ll mix it up every once in a while with sausage patties or smoky links, and I’m always a sucker for a bucket full of sausage gravy over fresh baked biscuits.

In an attempt to satisfy all my carnivore breakfast cravings at once I decided to pile them onto a mega-meat lovers pizza.

For this recipe, sausage gravy acts as the sauce and combines with the melted cheese to make an extra creamy breakfast pie. It also features a double dose of smoky with the addition of bacon and little slices of smoky links. All of this meaty breakfast madness culminates in a hardy pizza that will fill the belly regardless of what time of day it’s eaten.

BEHIND THIS BITE

Breakfast Meat Lovers Pizza

I wanted to put eggs on this pie but I left them off at the last minute so that the pizza would feature only breakfast meats. Also, I have used eggs on pizza before and it adds a creaminess to the pie, which I thought might be to much because, as I mentioned in the introduction, the cheese and gravy make this a really creamy pizza already.

It’s been a while since I posted a pizza recipe here at Behind the Bites. Once I decided I was going to make this pie I knew I wanted to present this one a little different than the pizzas I had done in the past. The difference is really quite subtle but effective. The main shot of the finished pizza is from a 3/4 view rather than a Birdseye shot and I left the pizza on my wooden peel. I had to photoshop a couple of transparent white boxes in so the type for some of the ingredients was readable, which is a minor tradeoff for what I think is a more eye catching presentation of a pizza.

 Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Breakfast Meat Lovers Pizza

Make 2 12” pizzas; 30 minutes
Divide over 2 12” pre-made pizza crusts
2 C Sausage gravy
6 slices Bacon, cooked, crumbled
1 pkg Smoky links, sliced
1 C Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Assemble and bake pizza
On pizza crust layer sausage gravy, bacon, smoky links and cheese. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and crust is golden brown, slice and serve.

Pizza Grilled Cheese

Printable version

If you like pizza, you will like pizza grilled cheese.

Seriously, I was as impressed with this as I am with a hot slice of pepperoni pizza from a pizza joint. The pizza grilled cheese was a little more portable and finger food friendly though.

This will easily be your kids favorite lunch and it might replace pizza night every once in a while. The crispy toasted bread is an excellent replacement for traditional pizza crust and everything else is the same, so it’s not that far off from a real slice of pie.

Using mayo on the surface of the bread that will touch the hot griddle is an absolute must if your making grilled cheese. For years I used butter and then I read a tip in a magazine that said to use mayo. Hands down, the mayo is the best way to get that golden brown crispy bread, just like the diner. The mayo provides a little grease, but that grease is flavor and it’s the only way to make grilled cheese sandwiches on the griddle.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I had two of these left over (after eating two of them myself) and to my surprise my mom ate both. She had one for lunch on two different days - not two in one sitting. She wrapped one up and put it in the fridge for the next day after eating the first one while it was still warm.

I was surprised that she ate them.

She has been very dedicated to weight watchers for the last two years and has really slimmed down. Part of that is not eating things like pizza grilled cheese, but weight watchers does allow a little splurging. To stay true though, she needed to make up for it at another meal. She thought these were tasty enough to cut points else where.

I thought they were really good when I ate them, but the fact that she was willing to eat them TWICE really tells the true story of how tasty these are.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Divide for 4 sandwiches
1/4 C Mayonnaise
8 slices Bread
8 slices Mozzarella cheese
1/4 C Pizza sauce
36 slices Pepperoni

Assemble, grill
Spread a thin layer of mayo on side of bread to be grilled. Layer slice of cheese, 9 pepperoni slices, a tablespoon of pizza sauce, 1 more slice of cheese and top piece of bread. Repeat 4 times. Grill sandwiches until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted, flipping half way through. Then serve.

Basic Pizza Sauce

Printable version

To compliment my last post I decided to make my own pizza sauce to go along with my basic pizza dough. 

The real secret to great pizza is in the sauce. Usually, I pick something other than pizza sauce as the foundation of a gourmet pie and build the flavors from there, but there are times that I like to stay traditional and make normal pizza. Personally, I only like a thin layer of sauce, too much can ruin the experience for me. When I make pizza sauce I keep it simple and sweet. Literally, I like to sweeten the sauce a little with sugar to balance out the acidity of the tomato.

I always start with a little onion and garlic. Then the main element – tomato – joins the party. Crushed or pureed tomatoes from the can usually does the trick. I finish everything off with the sugar and Italian seasoning. When I apply it, I do it sparingly! Just a thin layer is all that is needed.

Making pizza sauce is simple, easy and allows you to build the foundation of the pizza the way you want.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I would have used crushed tomatoes for this recipe but in the town of Churubusco Indiana, population 2,000, there are 2 grocery stores and neither had crushed tomatoes, so I went with tomato puree.

'Busco is the closest municipality to my home and it seems like they never have the exact ingredient I’m looking for. I usually go the other direction and travel 2 miles further to a Walmart just because they have more items on the shelves. The last time I made the mistake of going to 'Busco for a missing ingredient it was chipotle peppers. To my dismay there were none to be found.

When I came up empty I decided I would never go to 'Busco for a missing ingredient again. I should have stayed with that philosophy, and to my dismay crushed tomatoes were nowhere to be found in the thriving metropolis known as Turtle Town U.S.A. The pureed tomatoes worked just fine, so I guess it wasn’t a total disaster.

It’s not all bad though, to the credit of the IGA store in 'Busco, they have the best meat counter in the region - with actual meat cutters and a service counter where you chose the cut you want and they wrap it right in front of you. So, the situation is not horrific, just limited.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Makes 3 cups
1/2 C Onion, diced
1 Tbs Garlic, minced
2 Cans Tomato puree (15 oz each)
2 Tbs Sugar
2 tsp Italian seasoning

Sauté vegetables, paste
Over medium heat sauté onion in a little olive oil until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic, cook 1 minute more.

Add puree, seasoning
Stir in tomato puree and add Italian seasoning and sugar, stir until well incorporated. Season to taste. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Basic Pizza Dough

Printable version

I have been making gourmet pizza here at the blog since I started it and I usually use a pre-made crust. I think most of the creativity in a pizza is in the sauce, toppings and flavor combinations so I let the reader make the crust on their own, which could be from scratch or store-bought pre-made stuff.

I decided it was time to give out a basic pizza dough recipe. I’ve used this for traditional pizza, grilled pizza, bread sticks, sausage rolls and a couple of other wacked out creations. It can be augmented however the cook chooses.

It starts by activating yeast in warm water with sugar. Honey or brown sugar could be substituted, it’s purpose is to get the yeast going. Next the flour is mixed in with a little oil and salt. Once a ball is formed it’s left to rise and that’s it. Once it has doubled in size it’s ready to become whatever pizza magic the magician has in store. I personally like to let the dough rise twice but it’s not necessary. The extra rise and time seems to make it a little easier to work with.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I made and documented this dough on Wednesday but it wasn’t until two days later that I actually made a pizza with it. I wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. I let it warm to room temperature, then rolled it out and made a pizza. The extra time allowed the dough to get “yeasty.” The dough seemed to have a hint of beer to it.

That’s what happens when you let it rest for a couple of days. The yeast just keeps working. It made me want beer with my pizza but it was in the afternoon, and I had a bunch more to do so I just settled for the yeasty-beer aroma.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Makes 2 small to medium, or 1 large pizza
1 C Warm water
1 Tbs Dry active yeast
(1/4 oz package)
2 Tbs Sugar
3 C Flour
2 Tbs Olive oil
2 Tbs Salt

Proof yeast, add flour, oil, salt
In a bowl add water, yeast and sugar. Let mixture bubble and foam up, 20 minutes. To the bowl, add oil salt and flour, mix and stir until a ball of dough has formed, add more flour in necessary. Wipe bowl clean.

Let rise, roll into pizza
Smear bowl with a little olive oil. Place dough in bottom, cover and sit in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours. Punch dough down and remove. Roll to desired pizza size and thickness.

Zesty Italian Pizza

Printable version

This pizza features a yummy sauce that I recently discovered in Cuisine at Home magazine. It’s simple – just mix a little dijon mustard with some Italian dressing and that’s it. The spicy mustard with the herby dressing really goes well together and is something that I wish I would have thought of myself – but I have to give credit where credit is due.

I got the idea for the sauce from Cuisine at Home, but the concept of using it as a sauce for a gourmet pizza is mine. I decided to include fresh tomato as one of the toppings because the sauce isn’t tomato based. I also use my favorite vegetable combo on pizza – green pepper and onion. I consider them a pizza mirepoix because they add depth to the flavor of any pie. I choose ham as the protein for this pizza because of its mild flavor. Pepperoni or sausage would have competed with special sauce and I wanted that to be the star, the toppings are just compliments. Ham seemed to be the ideal choice for this concept.

In the end, this pizza rocked, and it tasted lite – almost like something you should make after harvesting from the garden. I highly recommend trying this sauce. Use it on a sandwich, wrap or pizza – whatever your fancy, it’s worth trying for sure.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I recently had an anonymous visitor leave me a couple of comments about my photography and food presentation here at behind the bites. The nameless reader said that the food looked cold, especially the pizzas. I have to agree with that assessment in some instances, it was a good critique.

The criticism didn’t end there though and the reader just got nasty. I didn’t publish the comments because the person who left them didn’t leave their name. I would have published them had the person taken credit for their words. I have experienced the “angry” reader before with years of experience in print journalism and the angrier they get, the better and more effective your work generally is.

It tickled me to finally get an angry reader here at the blog. It’s only natural with all the traffic to have someone insecure stop by and become totally threatened and therefore leave a nasty note. It was only a matter of time, and it let me know, in an ironic way, that my work is showing some promise.

I did heed my angry reader’s one good observation about the cold pizza though. The pie in the pictures for this post is hot out of the oven. I set up the shot while it was baking and worked fast to captured it while it was still gooey. I haven't reached the point as a food photographer that I'm doing things to the food that makes it look good for photos but makes it inedible. I may get there one day but for that I'm gonna need a bigger budget – I have to eat this stuff to afford doing it!

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE

Make 2 12” pizzas; 30 minutes
1/2 C Italian Dressing
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 12” pizza crusts
1/2 C Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 C Ham, diced
1/2 C Green pepper, diced
1/2 C Tomato, diced
1/2 C Onion, diced
1/2 C Parmesan, shredded

Make sauce
In a medium sized bowl whisk together the dijon mustard and the Italian dressing until well incorporated.

Assemble and bake pizza
On pizza crust layer sauce, mozzarella, ham, green pepper, tomato, onion and Parmesan cheese. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Jalapeño Popper Pizza

Printable version

Jalapeño poppers got their name from the marketing of the frozen snacks. The term “Popper” has been used for the last 30 years to market a variety of treats and appetizers, not just the cheese stuffed chiles though.

There are many who believe the jalapeño popper is an American adaptation of chili rellenos. Whether this is true can not really be proven, but the two are strikingly similar. Reports have surfaced that cheese stuffed breaded jalapeños were being served around the San Diego area as far back as the 1960s. But an exact origin of the popper is hard to pinpoint.

There is one thing about the popper I know for sure – I love them! They have to be one of my favorite snacks of all-time. I made my own version a while back here at Behind the Bites in which I transformed the ingredients to suit my preferences. It's my own take on the popper, but whatever the version I think it's hard to go wrong with the combination of cheese, bacon and jalapeños.

For this recipe, I take all those great flavors and distribute them on a pizza. The cream and cheddar cheeses, bacon and jalapeño help this pie burst with flavor. This is a must try for pizza or popper lovers alike - it's also a great way to ease the younger ones into more spicy foods.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I use a lot of pre-made pizza crusts to make pizza. I always keep a package in my pantry. It makes pizza a 30-minute meal or a quick lunch. I use Momma Mary’s Thin and Crispy crusts exclusively.

I think they are the best, but many pre-made pizza crusts just plain suck. I would name a few but I’m not here to bash, I will only endorse Momma Mary’s. Their thin crusts are like a soft buttery cracker delivering the toppings. When canned dough is not an option or there is not enough time and energy to make dough from scratch, the Momma can be trusted.

Like I said, I always keep a package in the pantry, and NO I’m not getting paid by Momma Mary’s to write this. I recently had some horrifically bad pre-made pizza crust and it made me appreciate the quality of their product – so I thought I would give them a shout. But, if an employee of Momma Mary's does reads this, I encourage you to tell your boss and consider sending me a case ... the Thin and Crispy style.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Make 2 12” pizzas; 30 minutes
Divide over 2 12” pizza crusts
8 oz Cream cheese
6 Jalapeños, sliced
1/2 C Bacon, crumbled
1 C Cheddar cheese, shredded

Assemble and bake pizza
On pizza crust layer cream cheese, jalapeño, bacon, and cheddar cheese. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Pizza

Printable version

I make a lot of gourmet pizzas. This time I wanted to get fancy. I don’t know why, but I guess my idea of “fancy” is roasted red peppers and artichokes. The two ingredients, with a little olive oil instead of sauce, is what I have conjured up.

And you know what?

It’s awesome!

This is one of the better pizzas I have eaten in a long time. It’s a must try for any pizza connoisseur. It also has the distinction of being vegetarian, something not very common with my recipes. My mom had been raving for months about a friend of hers that made a sun-dried tomato and artichoke pizza, so I thought I would go in that direction but I replace the tomato with the roasted red pepper.

Another touch with this pizza that makes a huge difference in taste is the oregano. As I sprinkled it over the pie I crushed it with my fingers bringing out more flavor. The ingredient is essential to bringing the whole thing together - it added flavors that are usually provided by a sauce.

BEHIND THIS BITE
This has to be one of my top three pizzas ever. It was light and tasty and I love roasted red peppers. I could see this being an opening course for an important dinner like a wedding party or even a Valentines meal, only I would call it “flat bread” just to make it sound fancy.

This pie delivers the boom. In the last year alone I’ve made at least 12 pizzas and posted them here. All are unique and gourmet so I created a link where all of them can be found.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Make 2 12” pizzas; 30 minutes
Divide over crusts
2 Tbs Olive oil
2 C Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 jar Artichoke hearts (6 oz)
1 jar Roasted red pepper (7 oz)
1 tsp Oregano
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, fresh grated

Assemble and bake pizza
On pizza crusts layer olive oil, mozzarella, artichoke, roasted red pepper, oregano and parmesan. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Printable version

After using the Buffalo Chicken Rub from Williams-Sonoma – and loving the results – I was inspired to create my own buffalo chicken recipe. A large part of the reason I liked the rub so much was that I got all the great buffalo chicken flavors without being covered in sauce or getting an overload of it on my taste buds.

Eliminating the mess was relatively easy, it just requires a delivery method other than bare hands. I decided that a thin pizza crust would be optimal, a sandwich has a top and bottom bun which makes the bread a major element with each bite, a thin crust pizza is more like a cracker or chip and is really just an edible utensil for delivering the toppings.

To eliminate the overload of hot sauce, I toss shredded chicken in the mixture before I put it on the pizza, rather than dump the sauce on the crust like traditional pizza sauce. Blue cheese dressing and celery are added after the pizza comes out of the oven. The end result was one of the best buffalo chicken meals I have ever eaten.

I highly recommend this if you're hosting a Super Bowl party. The guests will love it.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I did a test run of this recipe over at my cousin Jessie’s house. I stopped over to visit her and her husband earlier in the week to catch up and have them critique my new creation. I’m glad I had two pizza crusts and enough ingredients for two pies because my cousin Jessie had a ton of ideas as well, and was bound and determine to take over the pizza making responsibility for the night.

I thought it was so funny, she takes after her late mother and aunt (my mom) so much. They are busy bodies and can hardly stand to see someone doing work without pitching in. Which is great, except, if you let them do to much they end up taking over the process.

Total Divas!

Now, when your cleaning the garage, this is a good thing. Ask them for a little help and before you know it they are telling you to get the hell out because all your doing is getting in the way. But when your trying to cook a recipe for your blog — not so much.

While making the pizzas I had to draw the line, I told her I needed to make the first one the way I had planned and the second could be all hers. It worked out well because the pizza I made (this post) worked perfect - a buffalo chicken experience - without the mess. Her pizza was a gourmet chicken pizza and gave me a great idea. But you’ll have to wait for that post in the future.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Make 2 12” pizzas; 30 minutes
2 Tbs Unsalted butter melted
1 Can Chicken drained (12.5 oz)
1/4 C Hot sauce
DIVIDE OVER TWO PIZZAS
Buffalo chicken
2 C Mozzarella cheese
1/2 C Blue cheese dressing
1/4 C Celery diced

Make buffalo chicken
Melt butter in a microwave on high for 45 seconds to a minute, stirring once half way. Mix together butter, chicken and hot sauce until well incorporated.

Assemble, bake, garnish, serve
On a pre-made pizza crust layer, buffalo chicken and cheese. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Garnish with blue cheese dressing
and celery. Slice and serve.

The Cuban Pizza

Printable version

I love Cuban sandwiches.

Unfortunately, they are not as prevalent on menus here in Fort Wayne, Indiana as they are in New York City, which has forced me to create my own several times since relocating two years ago.

After roasting a pork loin for a Christmas eve dinner I had a decent amount left over. As we were cleaning up I bagged the leftovers and instantly thought of making Cubans with it. Instead of making sandwiches I thought it would be fun to change it up and turn it into a gourmet pizza.

The pizza turned out magnificent.

The star of the show was the pickles. I chopped up dill spears to about the equal size of the cubed ham. The combination of the savory meat, tartness of the mustard and pickle with the creamy cheese made for a delicious experience. I mixed equal parts Swiss cheese with mozzarella so it would melt better, the Swiss alone wouldn't get as creamy. I will be making this again for sure. Most likely for a Super Bowl or football playoffs party in the next few weeks.

BEHIND THIS BITE
Every July when I lived in New York my Mom would come and visit for a week. She would always bring a friend so that they could explore the city during the day when I worked. I would usually meet them for dinner after I was finished. I liked taking them to different types of restaurants so they could experience different cuisines.

One of the places I took them was a small Latin place in my old neighborhood near the 36th Avenue stop of the N train in Astoria. We got there late and the place was about to close, but the manager said it was ok to order. Apparently the cook wasn’t pleased that we were going to keep them a little while longer. My Mom ordered a Cuban sandwich and when it came to the table she said there was way to much garlic on it. I thought she was exaggerating because she never eats garlic and just a little bit is to much for her. Any amount will turn her away because she has an allergic reaction to it, especially when it’s raw.

My mom is not one to complain about food especially after closing time, so she didn’t return it to the kitchen. She is a veteran of restaurants, having waited tables part-time for nearly 30 years and she will never trust a cook who ruined her order the first time. She did the smart thing and had the manager take the sandwich off the bill. They never took it away and we ended up boxing it up.

I hauled it to work the next day for lunch. I really thought it was just a special sauce or garlic bread that had turned Mom away, like I said, she can’t really eat any garlic. I heated the sandwich up and I noticed the heavy garlic smell. I took a bite and nearly puked. I bet there had been 10 cloves of raw minced garlic smeared on the sandwich – it was inedible.

Clearly the cook was pissed at us for making them stay late, thank God mom didn’t return it - I can only imagine what that bastard in the kitchen would have done then – and I hope he didn't do anything that went unnoticed to any of our other plates. I never returned to the place despite being only a block from my apartment.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Make 2 12” pizzas; 30 minutes
Divide over 2 12” pizza crusts
3/4 C Mustard
3 C Swiss & Mozzarella Cheese, shredded (1 1/2 C each)
1/2 lb Roasted pork, shredded
1/2 lb Ham
1/2 C Dill pickles, chopped

Assemble and bake pizza
On pizza crust layer mustard, most of the cheese, shredded pork, ham, pickle and the remaining cheese. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

Italian Meat Lovers Pizza

Printable version

I was at the store recently and I noticed a package of salami in the cold meats section. In an instant I had a craving for a grinder that features salami, pepperoni and ceasar dressing from a local restaurant named Brevins.

(I recreated the sandwich here last summer.)

For some reason it occurred to me to try and make a pizza out of the sandwich. The secret to the grinder is the ceasar dressing - it just seems to compliment the cold cuts and adds an extra level of seasoning that literally make your mouth water.

Over the last couple of years I have made a number of gourmet pizzas and it seems as though the sauce, more than any other ingredient, determines the entire flavor profile of the pie. Traditional pizza sauce would have made this a normal meat lovers pizza. The ceasar dressing really changes it and adds a tasty and unique flavor that helps this pie stand out from the usual slice.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I have to admit that hot ceasar dressing wasn’t as potent as the cool dressing on a sandwich or salad. The flavor is still good, It just didn’t have the punch that it seems to have when used in combination with fresh and crunchy lettuce.

If I were to make this again I would add the dressing and some shredded lettuce after the pie came out of the oven. This would make it more of an open face sandwich. Before doing that though, I think I would just jump in the car and head up to Brevins, the pizza was tasty but there isn't a sandwich, or pizza for that matter, within 20 miles that compares to their grinder!

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Make 2 12” pizzas; 30 minutes
Divide ingredients over 2 12” pizza crusts
1 C Ceasar dressing
3 C Mozzarella cheese, shredded
(Reserve small amount for final layer)
1/4 lb Pepperoni
1/4 lb Salami
1/4 C Ham diced
1/4 C Onion & bell pepper, diced

Assemble and bake pizza
On pizza crust layer ceasar dressing, most of the mozzarella, pepperoni, salami, ham, onion and bell pepper and then the remaining mozzarella. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Steakhouse Pizza

Printable version

A little over a year ago, Carl's Jr and Hardee’s presented their Steakhouse Thickburger to the world, complete with an ad that featured a hamburger god and scantily clad goddesses. It followed a tradition in advertising for the fast food restaurant chain that is designed to attract guys 18 to 34 years old - or guys that like to see hot chicks in skimpy outfits - which is most guys in general.

After speeding to Hardee’s and trying the sandwich, I recreated it here at Behind the Bites. I thought it was a real home run for man burgers.

The burger featured lots of complimentary flavors that could easily be transferred to a pizza, and that is what I have done here.

I use A1 as the sauce which goes well with the steak, but it’s the perfect compliment to the tangy blue cheese. For texture and a slightly sweet flavor, french fried onions are added and everything is bound together with mozzarella cheese.

For the steak, I diced up some thin-sliced sirloin tip before cooking it. This helped tenderize the little chunks and help retain all their moisture after being cooked – none was lost do to slicing. With all of the great flavors working together the steak still shines through as the star of this pie.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I have cooked this pizza a few times in the last year and each time something went wrong which prevented me from being able to document and post what I cooked.

The first time I did this I was using a new camera, the exposures were all completely different and could have been classified as a food-photography disaster.

The second time, which I did a few months later I piled on the ingredients and it really ruined it. I used ground beef instead of steak and it made the pie greasy. Not only was there to much ground beef but there was to much everything. The thin crust I used didn’t hold up and the entire pie could have been classified as a pizza-making disaster.

All this lead to my third attempt, which is what is contained in this post. I got the exposure right, switched to actual steak and was happy with the ingredient amounts. The pizza was delicious and I couldn’t stop eating it. Before I knew it I had eat all but one slice of an entire pie which could have been classified as a healthy-eating disaster.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Make 2 12” pizzas; 30 minutes
2 12” pizza crusts
Divide over crusts
3 C Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Reserve small amount for final layer
1/2 lb Sirloin steak, cooked, diced
1/2 C French fried onions
1/4 C Blue cheese crumbled
Remaining cheese

Assemble and bake pizza
On pizza crust layer A1, most of the mozzarella, steak, onions, blue cheese and then the remaining mozzarella. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Mexican Pizza

Printable version

I wanted to make an exotic pizza for Football on Sunday. While I was at the grocery store I decided it would be fun to take a Mexican route. I headed to the meat case to pick up some ground beef. I usually start a pizza with the meat then go from there. While on my way to pick out the beef I had an epiphany - why not leave out the meat. I couldn’t believe a thought like that went through my head.

Just the day before I had served a vegan chili at Fort Wayne Chilifest. I had been asked to make the chili vegan by Fort Wayne Trails, who sponsored the booth. I never thought I would serve up such a dish, but I worked hard on it, and it turned out delicious. Now I was contemplating a gourmet pizza without any meat? What the hell had gotten into me!

Whatever it was I went with it.

I decided that refried beans would be a great base to build on. I added fresh sliced jalapeño and red onion, then it’s all held together with cheddar cheese. The end result was a great slice of pizza to enjoy while watching the National Football League. I left the seeds and ribs in the jalapeño which gave it some kick.

I think I’m going to try and do more recipe that require no meat - Just to gain more appeal with my cooking in general. By no means am I going to get nutty and go vegetarian, but I think it is a nice challenge to come up with a few recipes that appeal to the no-meat crowd.

BEHIND THIS BITE
In my last post I mention working with the Director of Fort Wayne Trails at Chilifest. While I was serving up chili and she was promoting the next Trails event, she mentioned to me that she had not eaten meat for 20 years. She said she’s not super hard core, sometimes she’ll eat milk based stuff or food with cheese but she has abstained from meat for 2 decades.

To me, that is impressive because I love protein, especially after being cooked over charcoal. I couldn’t imagine life without it. That’s when it kind of hit me. She does it for her health as a commitment. She doesn’t have too, but, it’s a choice for her health. That takes some guts.

I could see refraining from meat every so often for the sake of health, but to never eat meat again, that’s a real tour-de-force. I won’t be going that route anytime in the near future, but a few recipes here at Behind the Bites that vegetarians or even vegans could get into is a good thing. This pizza has cheese so it’s not vegan - no cheese on a pizza is not a pizza in my book - but it is a pizza that a vegetarian can enjoy. Now that I have made my declaration to make a few vegetarian recipes, I need to go cook the ribeye I have in the fridge for lunch.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Makes 2 pizzas; 30 minutes
2 12” Pizza crusts
Divide ingredients among two pizzas
1 Can Refried beans (15 oz)
4 C Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Jalapeños, sliced
1/2 C Red onions, diced

Assemble and bake pizza
On 2 pre-made crust divide, refried beans, most of the cheese, Jalapeños, onions and then the remaining cheese. Bake in a preheated 425° oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Green Bean Pizza

Printable version

When I told my Mom about making this pizza she rolled her eyes and gave me a smirk. I couldn’t help but agree. Green bean casserole on a pizza. Sounds crazy, but it was an easy experiment and I had a bowl of cooked green beans left over.

After documenting my Cajun Green Beans recipe I realized I had not taken a photograph of the green beans after they were blanched. I cooked another pound a couple days later to get the shot, which left me with a batch of beans. I knew I was going to have them which got my brain working.

My favorite green bean dish is green bean casserole. I have made it several times (Once completely from scratch) and thought that I could do something inspired by the casserole. That’s when a pizza came to mind. I thought it was worth a try.

The end result was awesome – Pizza at it’s gourmet best! I left some for Mom and when I talked to her later she agreed. We were both totally surprised. The onions and beans compliment each other and the mushroom soup mixes with the cheese for an incredible creaminess not found on your average pizza.

BEHIND THIS BITE
Green bean casserole is something I look forward to every year around Thanksgiving. Four or five years ago I decided to make it completely from scratch - Fried onions and all - after watching Alton Brown do it on an episode of good eats.

The entire recipe ended up being disaster.

I started by burning the onions, because the recipe called for them to be crisped up in the oven rather than fried and I left them in to long. After that, the cream of mushroom soup never thickened properly which left me with a thin milky sauce coating the beans and burnt onions on top. It was a gallant effort that just never came together.

I think that this year I might try to make it again from scratch, but I’ll do it with my own recipes. I’ve made cream of mushroom soup as well as french fried onion here at Behind the Bites. I may break them out and combined them into a classic turkey day treat.

Eat well, cook often ...

Italian Bread Pizza

Printable version

When most people think of pizza they imagine flat round bread with sauce and an assortment of toppings. One of my favorite non-traditional ways to make pizza is to split Italian or French bread and use it as a substitute for the dough.

I like these types of crusty breads for pizza because they have the crunchy outside, created by steam while the bread bakes, and a fluffy, delicate interior. The addition of cheese and toppings helps create a delicious bite as good as any traditional pizza.

For this recipe, I use Italian bread and top it sauce and mozzarella cheese. To make it stand out, I add fresh basil and roasted red pepper. A red pepper is a green pepper that is left on the vine to ripen, in the process it changes color and becomes sweeter in flavor. Roasting it brings out more of the sweetness. The combination of the roasted pepper with the aromatic fresh basil gives the pizza a garden fresh flavor that works not on just pizza, but sandwiches and wraps as well.

BEHIND THIS BITE
This recipe was made from leftovers from my last recipe. (Italian Roast Beef Sandwiches) There was a lot, so I threw this together for lunch on a whim. I decided to document it for future purposes and after devouring a couple slices, I thought it was tasty enough for the print column.

I have always used french bread when making this type of pizza but I had half a loaf of Italian bread left over and decided to use it. I really couldn't tell any difference.

This is the third "Italian" themed recipe in a row here at Behind the Bites - I think it's time to move to another region of the world for a couple of recipes.

Eat well, cook often ...