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Shrimp and Andouille Creole Pizza
Shrimp and Andouille Creole Pizza
Creole cuisine is one of my favorite types of food. I wanted to incorporate ingredients that are in gumbo and jambalaya into a pizza. For the toppings, I used thinly sliced andouille sausage sautéed with the trinity(celery, bell pepper, and onion), plus some garlic, 26/30 ct. shrimp that were sliced in half, and green onion. For the sauce, I created a creole béchamel using the leftover fat of the sautéed andouille and the addition of creole seasoning. I cut back on the amount of mozzarella since this is fairly heavy pizza.
Equipment
- pizza pan or stone
Ingredients
- 1 pizza dough recipe or half for thin crust
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1 large andouille sausage thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup celery finely chopped
- 1/4 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup red or green bell pepper finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 12 26/30 ct. shrimp peeled; deveined; tails removed; sliced in half
- 1/4 cup green onion finely chopped
Creole Cream Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp creole seasoning
Instructions
- Sauté the andouille sausage, celery, bell pepper, and onion for 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from the pan, saving any drippings.
- In the same pan, add the butter and flour. Cook for 2 minutes, whisking out the lumps.
- Pour in the milk. Continue whisking; cooking for 2 minutes until thickened into a cream sauce.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the creole seasoning.
- Roll out the pizza dough to your desired thickness. Spread the sauce on the dough, leaving a 1/4” edge of crust.
- Top the pizza with mozzarella, rolled by the andouille mixture, halved shrimp, and green onion.
- Bake in a preheated 475° oven for 12-15 minutes.
Pizza Dough
For the last 8 months, I’ve been trying to perfect the perfect standard pizza dough. Through lots of trial and error, I think I may have done it. This recipe is basic and straightforward, yielding what I consider a really good medium thickness crust for a 14” pizza. If you divide the dough into two, you will have 2 – 12” thin crust pizzas. Once assembled, these pizzas bake at 475° for 12-15 minutes depending on the crust thickness and the type of pan or pizza stone you use. This dough can keep in the refrigerator for 3 days and can also be frozen.
Equipment
- upright standing mixer with dough hook attachment
- plastic wrap
- rolling pin optional
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 cups flour plus extra
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Mix together the yeast and sugar. Dissolve in the warm water and let activate until bubbly; about 5 minutes.
- Mix the flour and salt in an upright standing mixer for 30 seconds on low. Pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil.
- Increase the speed to medium and continue to knead for 5 minutes. At this point, the dough will pull away completely from the side of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm area for about 30 minutes.
- Gently flour a clean surface. Place the dough in the center of the floured surface and lightly flour the top.
- Using either your hands or a rolling pin, stretch out the dough to your desired thickness.
Braciole
Braciole
Braciole is an Italian-American dish; a type of involtini, which are one of many varieties of Italian stuffed meats. In this recipe, I took hammered-thin flank steak and stuffed it with prosciutto, basil, and an Italian breadcrumb stuffing. The braciole gets seared, then braised for 3 hours in a tomato sauce. Italian-Americans typically eat braciole in their Sunday sauce; also containing beef and pork ribs, meatballs, and sausage.
Equipment
- food mallet
- Butchers Twine
Ingredients
- 2 lb flank steak
- salt and pepper
- basil leaves
- 6 oz prosciutto
- 1/4 cup parmesan shredded
- 3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp Italian parsley finely chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Tomato Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 28oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup basil chopped
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix together the breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and olive oil. Set aside.
- Cut your flank steak in half. Using a meat mallet, hammer down each piece to a 1/4” thick; about double the size. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- First, place a layer of prosciutto over each piece of flank. Then place a layer of basil leaves.
- Equally distribute the stuffing mixture on top of the basil leaves.
- Carefully roll up each piece of flank.
- Using butchers twine, tie up each braciole.
- Heat up olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the braciole.
- Sear the braciole on all sides for 10 minutes. Remove from the pot.
- Add in more olive oil. Toss in the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Pour in the red wine. Scrape up the brown bits and cook for a minute.
- Add in the tomatoes, basil, and salt. Bring to a simmer on low.
- Place the braciole in the sauce and cover.
- Simmer for 3 hours.
- Remove from the sauce. Cut off the twine. Cut the braciole into 1” slices.
- Serve the braciole with pasta and the remaining sauce.
Ultimate Breakfast Pizza
Ultimate Breakfast Pizza
When I was a young'n, I grew up eating frozen breakfast pizzas on the weekend. So this recipe comes with a bit of nostalgia for me; just much better than Red Baron’s. The sauce is homemade sausage gravy, topped with scrambled eggs, mozzarella, and sharp cheddar. If you want to go a different route, omit the sausage. Make a roux with the butter and flour, pour in the milk and whisk, and add in a couple of cheddar; making a cheese sauce. Top with bacon or ham, along with the scrambled eggs and cheeses.
Equipment
- pizza pan or pizza stone
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 8 oz ground pork sage sausage
- 1/2 cup white onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 4 large eggs beaten and scrambled
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
- 1 cup sharp cheddar shredded
- 1 pizza dough recipe or half the recipe for thin crust
Instructions
- Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add in the sausage and onion. Cook for 8 minutes.
- Coat the cooked sausage with flour. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the milk. Whisk any lumps of flour out of the gravy.
- Cook until thickened; about 2-3 minutes. Season with black pepper. Turn off the heat.
- Roll out your pizza dough to your desired thickness. Top with the sausage gravy; leaving a 1/4” of crust on the edge. Sprinkle with mozzarella.
- Top with the scrambled eggs and the sharp cheddar.
- Bake in a preheated 475° oven for 12-15 minutes.
Pizza Dough
For the last 8 months, I’ve been trying to perfect the perfect standard pizza dough. Through lots of trial and error, I think I may have done it. This recipe is basic and straightforward, yielding what I consider a really good medium thickness crust for a 14” pizza. If you divide the dough into two, you will have 2 – 12” thin crust pizzas. Once assembled, these pizzas bake at 475° for 12-15 minutes depending on the crust thickness and the type of pan or pizza stone you use. This dough can keep in the refrigerator for 3 days and can also be frozen.
Equipment
- upright standing mixer with dough hook attachment
- plastic wrap
- rolling pin optional
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 cups flour plus extra
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Mix together the yeast and sugar. Dissolve in the warm water and let activate until bubbly; about 5 minutes.
- Mix the flour and salt in an upright standing mixer for 30 seconds on low. Pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil.
- Increase the speed to medium and continue to knead for 5 minutes. At this point, the dough will pull away completely from the side of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm area for about 30 minutes.
- Gently flour a clean surface. Place the dough in the center of the floured surface and lightly flour the top.
- Using either your hands or a rolling pin, stretch out the dough to your desired thickness.
