Category Archives: Pizza

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza

Appetizers, Cheese, Chicken, Game Day, Pizza, Wisconsin

It was not too long ago when some friends of ours said they were heading up north Wisconsin to visit some friends and that there was some cheese, the best cheese, in Wisconsin there. They had asked if I wanted some to bring back, and I said sure, get me twenty dollars worth of cheese, a mixture of a creamy blue, and some cheddar. I love soft blue cheese. I truly do. About a week later, I met up with them at our kids baseball game, and she forked over a bag of cheese, as promised, and she also threw in a blended cheese called Jamaican Jerk. They were not too pleased with the blend, however she said that I could probably make something out of it. I did. This pizza.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza

At first bite, I really did not care for the cheese to be quiet honest with you, however I wasn’t going to let it go to waste. I figured I was going to make a queso fundido out of it, and then it sparked of how much I love Jamaican jerk chicken, that I would make a pizza out of it as I already had made a batch of pizza dough for the family.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 1 batch of your favorite pizza dough, rolled or tossed to your desire
  • 2 cups of cooked chicken, shredded
  • 2 1/2 cups of Jamaican Jerk cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite pizza sauce

That’s it. Pretty simple. The Jamaican Jerk cheese is actually a blend of a mozzarella style jack cheese so it went perfect when melted.

Start  by preheating your oven to the highest temperature, mine only goes to 500. If you have a pizza stone, preheat that as well.

Next, get your dough tossed or rolled out to your desired thickness. I went a bit on the thinner side on this pizza.

Spread a thin amount of pizza sauce on the pizza. Top with the Jamaican jerk cheese, and then add the shredded chicken. If you have some cheese left over, sprinkle it onto the chicken.

How to make a Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza

Place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the crust is nice and golden and the cheese is nice and melted.

I’ll admit, the result was pretty darn good. The cheese did still have some of the funk that it had when eaten by itself, but the pizza sauce, along with the chicken somewhat balanced it out.

Have you ever tried Jamaican jerk cheese? What are your thoughts? Hope you enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi Pizza

Appetizers, Events, Game Day, Italian, Kids, Pizza, Seafood, Shrimp

This past weekend was one of those special days for many people. Yes, it was Valentine’s day, and it was that time of year when it seemed as though every male was in a panic mode around 5:00 p.m. on that Friday, hustling to purchase a card, and a bunch of red roses. It’s sad to say the least. I say that only for the fact that the thought only occurs once a year for many people. I often joke with my wife that she gets Valentine’s day, every day, as I am the one cooking, and cleaning up the dishes, every. Single. Day. Plus I’m funny, at least in my book.

Kidding aside, I’m game when it comes to that special day, and as we both my wife and I agreed that we were not going to do much, I decided to add a special touch to the evening, not just for my wife, but also for my kids.

Shrimp Scampi Pizza Recipe

I decided to buy some chocolates for my wife, as well as purchase a handful of purple iris’s, and well, make a crab and shrimp boil for the family.  Crab clusters, along with shrimp, corn, and potatoes, were the center piece of the dinner table, and it is always a great time watching the kids dig in. With that said, I had made plenty of clarified garlic butter for dipping, and I had plenty left over. That’s when it sparked an idea, only to reuse the butter and poach some shrimp in it to be used in a shrimp scampi pizza. Yes, a shrimp scampi pizza that was to die for.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 batch of your favorite pizza dough
  • 12-15 shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/2 stick of unsalted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1/4 cup of white wine
  • 2 tbsp Italian flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded

Set your oven rack, closet to the top of the oven, and preheat your oven, and pizza stone (if you have one) to 500 degrees. Let the oven preheat until you prepare all of the remaining items.

To a small pot, add the butter, and let this melt. Skim any of the foam off of the top and discard. If you want to strain the butter into a fine mesh sieve, you can go that route, but for this recipe, any of the solid fats that might remain are fine. Reduce the heat to low, and add the garlic, chili flakes, wine, and shrimp.

Poach the shrimp just until the become opaque, about 5 minutes on low heat.

How to make a shrimp scampi pizza

Stretch out your pizza dough for about a 14 inch pizza. Once stretched, remove the stone from the oven and carefully place the dough on top.

Add the cheese, the place the shrimp on top of the pizza. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of the garlic butter. Place the stone back into the oven, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the pizza dough is golden, and everything is cooked through.

Remove the pizza from the oven and place onto a wired rack. Let the pizza cool for about 5 minutes, then shower with the parsley. Slice and serve.

Shrimp Scampi Pizza

I ended up making this pizza only because I had that leftover butter, well, not only that, but my wife (and I for that matter) really loves shrimp scampi. As I would normally eat this with some pasta, or just the shrimp by itself, this pizza was incredible to say the least.

I served my wife the first piece, and I heard her from afar talking to herself with food ‘umms and ahhs’, that I knew this was going to be great. The smell of the garlic buttered shrimp, with that white wine was apparent right off of the bat, and believe it or not, the cheese just held things together and did not interfere much with the shrimp. I know I say this from time to time, but this pizza was really, really good.

Print
Shrimp Scampi Pizza
Author: 
Recipe type: Pizza
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • ½ batch of your favorite pizza dough
  • 12-15 shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • ½ stick of unsalted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • ½ tsp red chili flakes
  • ¼ cup of white wine
  • 2 tbsp Italian flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
  1. Set your oven rack, closet to the top of the oven, and preheat your oven, and pizza stone (if you have one) to 500 degrees. Let the oven preheat until you prepare all of the remaining items.
  2. To a small pot, add the butter, and let this melt. Skim any of the foam off of the top and discard. If you want to strain the butter into a fine mesh sieve, you can go that route, but for this recipe, any of the solid fats that might remain are fine. Reduce the heat to low, and add the garlic, chili flakes, wine, and shrimp.
  3. Poach the shrimp just until the become opaque, about 5 minutes on low heat.
  4. Stretch out your pizza dough for about a 14 inch pizza. Once stretched, remove the stone from the oven and carefully place the dough on top.
  5. Add the cheese, the place the shrimp on top of the pizza. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of the garlic butter. Place the stone back into the oven, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the pizza dough is golden, and everything is cooked through.
  6. Remove the pizza from the oven and place onto a wired rack. Let the pizza cool for about 5 minutes, then shower with the parsley. Slice and serve.
  7. I ended up making this pizza only because I had that leftover butter, well, not only that, but my wife (and I for that matter) really loves shrimp scampi. As I would normally eat this with some pasta, or just the shrimp by itself, this pizza was incredible to say the least.

 

Mushroom French Bread Pizza

Cheese, Game Day, Kids, Pizza, Sauce, Vegetables

Lately I fell in love with this cauliflower and green olive pizza, that in all honesty, I could not stop thinking about it. It was addicting, and truly a wonderful combination of flavors. With that said, I was all out of cauliflower, and could not make any additional pizzas. One of my kids really loves French bread pizza, and yes, I had a box of them in my freezer, only for the kids, as I prefer not to eat the boxed version. I really only buy that stuff if my wife is in a pinch and if I have to work past dinner. I prefer to make my own when I have time, but my kid had his friend over at the house and they both wanted those boxed versions. They devoured them and loved every bite. When I questioned what they loved about them, they immediately redirected their answer to the french bread pizzas they serve at school, and said they were soggy, and a greenish color. I about gagged, and realized that our school’s food system is probably in really serious need of a revamp. This got me thinking over my holiday break that I would make my own version again, as my wife and kids really loved them, and give them something to think about; home cooking is better than school cooking. This is my take on a meatless French bread pizza, and boy was it ever good.

Mushroom French Bread Pizza

Let’s get started on this simple, and very tasty French bread pizza.

Ingredients:

  • 1 small loaf of French bread, sliced in half, lengthwise
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups of milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

To make the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Once melted, add the flour, and cook the flour on medium heat, stirring for a few minutes. Once the flour is cooked through, add in the milk, and continue to stir until you have a nice thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and set it aside.

To a small skillet, add the half tablespoon of butter, and let that melt. Once melted, add in the mushrooms, and cook for about ten minutes. Add in the soy sauce, toss, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Mushroom and French Bread Pizza

Take the slice of French bread pizza, and slather on the béchamel sauce, coating from edge to edge. Coat the sauce with the cooked mushrooms, then top with the grated parmesan cheese.

Place into the oven, and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the sauce is lightly browned.

Remove from the oven, let cool for about 5 minutes, then dig in.

As I love a pepperoni or Italian sausage French bread pizza, this mushroom French bread pizza was amazing. The cremini mushrooms added a light meaty flavor that was perfectly balanced with the creamy béchamel sauce. So if you are looking for an easy French bread pizza to make, give this one a try.

Print
Mushroom French Bread Pizza
Author: 
Recipe type: Pizza
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1
 
Ingredients
  • 1 small loaf of French bread, sliced in half, lengthwise
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1½ cups of milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • ½ tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. To make the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Once melted, add the flour, and cook the flour on medium heat, stirring for a few minutes. Once the flour is cooked through, add in the milk, and continue to stir until you have a nice thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and set it aside.
  2. To a small skillet, add the half tablespoon of butter, and let that melt. Once melted, add in the mushrooms, and cook for about ten minutes. Add in the soy sauce, toss, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  3. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
  4. Take the slice of French bread pizza, and slather on the béchamel sauce, coating from edge to edge. Coat the sauce with the cooked mushrooms, then top with the grated parmesan cheese.
  5. Place into the oven, and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the sauce is lightly browned.
  6. Remove from the oven, let cool for about 5 minutes, then dig in.
  7. As I love a pepperoni or Italian sausage French bread pizza, this mushroom French bread pizza was amazing. The cremini mushrooms added a light meaty flavor that was perfectly balanced with the creamy béchamel sauce. So if you are looking for an easy French bread pizza to make, give this one a try.

 

Cauliflower and Olive Pizza

Appetizers, Cheese, dough, Events, Game Day, Pizza, Sauce, Vegetables

One of my colleagues recently returned from New York City where he had planned out an eating tour while being out there. One of the places he had on his list was Jim Lahey’s Sullivan Street Bakery. When he returned to the office, he told great stories of the places he went, but in particular he was excited about the bakery. A while back, he turned me on to Jim Lahey’s recent book as well, called ‘My Bread‘. I’ve been hooked on his pizza dough from that point, so when my colleague came back boasting about how good this cauliflower pizza was, I knew I had to give it a try, but put a little spin on it as well.

The beautiful thing about this pizza is not only the simplicity of it, but the fact that the cauliflower is so thinly sliced, it brought a whole new level of taste to a pizza, that along with the briny punch of the olive. It was a perfect pairing, and who knew it was going to be this good.

Cauliflower and Olive Pizza Recipe

Let’s get started.

Ingredients for the pizza dough:

  • 3 3/4 cups of bread flour
  • 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp sugar
  • 1 1/3 cup room temperature water
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients for the pizza:

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups of milk
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of cracked black pepper
  • 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into quarters, leaves removed
  • 1/2 cup of green olives, no pimentos, sliced in half
  • 1/2 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp Italian breadcrumbs

Start by making the dough. Now you can let this rise for 12 hours, or what I’ve been liking is letting it ferment on the counter, covered, for up to 3 days.  Add your water, yeast, and sugar to a small mixing bowl. Give that a simple stir, then let the yeast bloom, about 15 minutes. During this time, add the flour and salt to a larger mixing bowl. I use the same large mixing bowl to let the dough rise in. Give that a stir. Once the yeast has bloomed, pour it into the large mixing bowl, and if you have a mixer, gently mix the ingredients until the dough forms. Continue mixing for about 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, a towel, and set the bowl in a warm spot until the dough doubles or triples in size, about 4 hours. Again, I go longer on the rising process.

About one hour before you are ready to make the pizza, preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Once the dough has risen, take some flour and lightly toss it onto a pastry board. Use a bench scraper or wooden spoon and take the dough out of the bowl and onto the board. Let it rest for a few minutes while you make the sauce, and prepare your cauliflower.

Cauliflower Pizza Ingredients

To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Once melted, add the flour, and cook the flour on medium heat, stirring for a few minutes. Once the flour is cooked through, add in the milk, and continue to stir until you have a nice thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and set it aside.

If you have a mandoline, I strongly encourage you to use it on this recipe. Thinly slice the cauliflower, almost paper thin if you can. Do the same with the garlic. Add both to a mixing bowl, and toss in the green olives, parmesan cheese, salt, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Give that a good toss.

Add the olive oil to a large baking sheet and lightly coat the sheet. Use the dough and pull and stretch it, gently, to cover the baking sheet.

Add the sauce to lightly coat the dough. Cover the sauce with the cauliflower mixture, from edge to edge. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, and place into the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until it is a golden brown.

Cauliflower and Olive Pizza Recipe

Remove the pizza from the baking sheet and place onto an aerated cookie sheet. Slice and serve.

When I first bit into the pizza, I was literally blown away. You get this creamy base, and the cauliflower had this light earthiness, great flavor along with the perfection of roasted garlic. When you bit into the olive, well, it was an explosion in your mouth. I never knew that the combination of cauliflower and olives would be so amazing! I was hesitant if my wife would try it as she is not a fan of olives, but she tried a slice, and fell in love. This cauliflower and olive pizza was dynamite, and I’m so glad my colleague talked about it and led me to make it. I hope you enjoy.