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Calabrian Chilies and Arugula Pizza
Calabrian Chilies and Arugula Pizza
If you are a fan of gut rotting spice, this pizza is for you. The sauce is the same anchovy/olive oil sauce on my anchovy pizza with the addition of chopped Calabrian chilies. It simply is topped with mozzarella and fresh basil. Once out of the oven, the pizza gets topped with a citrusy/garlicky/peppery arugula salad. The salad ever so slightly wilts, cutting through the heaviness of the cheese and spice from the acidity of the lemon juice.
Equipment
- pizza pan or stone
Ingredients
- 1 pizza dough recipe or half for thin crust
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 6 anchovy fillet finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Calabrian chili peppers finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup basil roughly torn
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Heat up olive oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add in the anchovies and Calabrian chilies. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat.
- Roll out your pizza dough to your desired thickness. Spread the sauce across the dough, leaving a 1/2” edge of crust.
- Top with mozzarella cheese and basil.
- Bake in a 475° preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.
- While the pizza is baking, mix together the arugula, lemon juice, minced garlic, and black pepper.
- Instantly top the pizza with the arugula salad as soon as it comes out of the oven.
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.
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.
