HomePizzaChef

Today we’re going to introduce you to something a bit different. We’re going to incorporate the beloved potato into a pizza recipe. I’m sure you’re going to love this.

Before we get started, first a few words about the beloved potato.

The history of the potato has its roots in the beautiful Andes Mountains of South America. It is an austere region that is marked by fluctuating temperatures and relatively poor soil conditions.

It’s quite amazing that the tough and durable potato evolved in the thin air (elevations up to 15,000 feet) of this region. The potato is tough, just like like the people who first settled the region.

The tough pre-Columbian farmers first discovered and cultivated the potato some 7,000 years ago. They were impressed by the ruggedness, storage quality and its nutritional value of the potato.

Western man did not come in contact with the potato until as late as 1537 when the Conquistadors tramped through Peru. And it was even later, about 1570, that the first potato made its way across the Atlantic to make a start in the soil of Europe.

Though the tuber was productive and hardy, the Spanish didn’t initially recognize these qualitites and put it to very limited use. In the Spanish Colonies potatoes were considered food for the underclasses; when brought to the Old World they would be used primarily to feed hospital inmates. Wow…the potato has surely evolved since those days.

It would take three decades for the potato to spread to the rest of Europe. Even so the potato was cultivated primarily as a curiosity by amateur botanists. Resistance was due to ingrained eating habits. The potato’s popularity was somewhat hampered by it’s reputation as a food for the underprivileged and perhaps most importantly its relationship to poisonous plants.

That was then, but this is now and I’m going to show you how we’re going to incorporate the beloved potato into a pizza dish that you can enjoy whenever you like.

Let’s get started shall we…

What you’re going to need…

Ingredients:

* 1 pound ground beef
* 4 cups thinly sliced potatoes (or you can use potato halves)
* 1 med. onion (sliced thin)
* 1 can Cheddar cheese soup
* 1 soup can milk
* 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 6 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
* 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Easy Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cook ground beef in skillet until it loses redness. Place potatoes and onions in buttered 9×13″ pan. Add meat to mixture. Mix cheese soup and milk until smooth and add to meat and potatoes; mix together.

Combine tomato sauce, salt, pepper, oregano and sugar. Pour sauce over the top, but do not mix. Dot with butter. Cover pan with foil. Bake at 375 F for 1 hour.

Remove cover and arrange sliced cheese on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Return to oven, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until cheese bubbles.

There you have it, ni9ce and easy and more importantly super deliciuos. I hope you enjoy adding a pizza twist to one of our favorite foods… the potato.

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Occasionally aspiring “pizza chefs” decide to create their favorite pizza pies at home. Firstly, the home pizza maker proceeds to gather all necessary ingredients for the highly anticipate pie. Once all ingredients are carefully arranged on the kitchen counter, the pizza maker prepares to commence the master pizza creation process.

Emphasis is placed on selecting the “perfect” blend of cheese and toppings. Also the precise blend of ingredients for the savory pizza sauce is selected. Typically, all eyes are on the pizza pie as it evolves in the kitchen. Once the pie has been carefully crafted, it is placed on a “pizza pan” and the master pizza baker slides the pie into the oven. Yes, into the oven it goes!

Some 7-12 minutes later, the pizza pie is removed from the oven. The master home pizza maker grabs the pizza cutter…. only to find that the crust is “doughy”, soggy, somewhat soft and certainly not representative of the great tasting pizza crust that you hoped to create. This is not the mouth watering pizza crust that you remember from the pizza parlor. What happened? Where did you go wrong?

If this sounds familiar, today is your lucky day because we’re going to take a look at the factors associated with this type of pizza phenomenon.  There are 3 main factors that we need to examine with respect to making great pizza at home with respect to the pizza crust you desire…

1-    Dough Selection & Proofing
2-    Oven Temperature
3-    Moisture content

Let’s take a closer look at the factors that contribute to these critical elements of creating the perfect pizza crust.
Selection of Dough:

Background:

Back in Italy when pizza makers select dough classification system. Flour is classified b way of numbers. 1, 0, or 00, this refers to how finely ground the flour is and how much of the bran and germ have been removed from the final flour product.

To give you a better understanding of this, 00 flour is the most highly refined flour available and is comparable to talcum-powder. Most Italian 00 flour is made from Italian grains and sometimes blends of Italian and imported grains to achieve a range of protein somewhere in the 10–12.5% range.

Lucky for us, common brands of 00 flour can be found at the retail level in standard U.S. grocery stores. One such flour is a brand called King Arthur Flour, the company produces a “clone” of the 00 flour (some call it Italian-Style flour) with a protein level of approximately 8.5% which is somewhat lower than the imported Italian 00 flours. Though it’s not exactly an authentic Italian flour and can produce varied behavioral characteristics, it’s a good flour for baking pizza at home.

ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR:
This type of flour refers to flour with a protein level between 10-12%. All purpose flour is ideal for general baking purposes.

It’s important to note that higher protein flours make firmer, stronger doughs while lower protein flours produce softer, weaker doughs. Protein values differ as a cake flour is somewhere around 7-9% protein, whereas pastry, or cookies tend to hover around 9-10%. Bread typically yields 12.5-13.5% protein, whereas clear and high-gluten yield 14-15% protein and gluten “flour” (actually refined gluten) yields somewhere around 45%.

So why are we making such a “fuss” about flour type. Glad you asked! That leads me to another important factor with respect to making pizza crispy at home.

ABSORPTION:
As defined by many baking experts, absorption is simply a measurement that was established by flour producers to describe the capacity of a particular flour to absorb water and achieve a specific and desired dough consistency. The value is often times expressed in terms of percent of water absorbed by a flour sample during the measurement test. The measurement is a laboratory measurement. This is important to keep in mind because this value is not identical to what’s called the hydration ratio actually achieved in commercial applications at pizza parlors, though it is usually quite close.

(Excerpt from The Secrets Of Making Home Pizza)
Get the Full Report Here:
http://www.homepizzachef.com/pizza-bonanza/index.html

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Butternut squash is also known in Australia as Butternut pumpkin, is a type of winter squash that is absolutely delicious.  It has a distinct sweet and nutty taste that is similar to that of pumpkin.  This type of yellow skin squash also boasts an orange fleshy pulp. When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer.

The most popular variety, the Waltham Butternut, originated in Stow, Massachusetts, on what is now the Butternut Farm Golf Club. This makes a very unique ingredient for our next pizza creation which I’m sure you’ll absolutely love!

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 pound butternut squash

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

* 1/2 cup water

* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and kept warm

* 10 sheets phyllo stacked between sheets of wax paper and covered with a kitchen towel

* 9 tablespoons parmesan cheese — freshly grated

* 6 slices bacon cut into 1/2-inch pieces, cooked until crisp, and drained

* 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves — minced

* 6 scallion greens — chopped

* 1 small red onion sliced thin and separated into pieces

Directions:

Quarter squash lengthwise and discard seeds. Peel squash carefully and cut into 3/4-inch pieces. In a large heavy skillet cook squash in oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add water and salt to taste and simmer, covered, until squash is just tender, about 10 minutes. Simmer squash, uncovered, until almost all water is evaporated, about 5 minutes. In a food processor purée squash with salt and pepper to taste. Squash purée may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Lightly brush a large baking sheet with some butter and put 1 sheet phyllo on butter. Lightly brush phyllo with some remaining butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Put another sheet of phyllo over cheese, pressing it firmly so that it adheres to bottom layer. Butter, sprinkle with cheese, and layer remaining phyllo in the same manner, ending with a sheet of phyllo. Lightly brush top sheet with remaining butter. Fold in all sides 1/4 inch, pressing to top sheet, and fold up a 1/4-inch border, crimping corners.

Spread squash purée evenly on phyllo crust and top with bacon, rosemary, scallion greens, and onion.

Bake pizza in middle of oven until crust is golden, about 15 minutes.

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Before we make today’s pizza let’s first talk a bit about Fontina Cheese…

Fontina is a cow’s milk Italian cheese of sorts. Fontina cheese has a rich historical background and has been made in the Aosta Valley, in the Alps since the 12th century.

The milk fat content of this type of cheese is around 45%. As with many original varieties, the name “Fontina” has been imposed upon by such derivatives as “Fontinella”, “Fontal”, and “Fontella”.

Italian Fontina can be identified by a Consorzio (Consortium) stamp of the Matterhorn including the script “FONTINA”. Although the version from Aosta is the original and the most famous, Fontina production occurs in other parts of Italy, as well as Denmark, Sweden and France.

The original Fontina cheese from Italy is fairly pungent and has quite an intense flavor, although cheeses labeled Fontina that are produced in other countries tend to be much milder without the profound flavor associated with the distinct original Fontina intensity.

Let’s try our hand at a unique pizza with a flavor that you’re sure to remember.

Pizza With Fontina Cheese, Artichoke Hearts And Red Onions

Ingredients:

* 1 pound Frozen white bread dough; thawed according to package directions
* 2 tablespoons Olive oil; divided
* 2 tablespoons Wheat bran or cornmeal
* 1 clove garlic; chopped finely
* 1/2 medium Red onion; thinly sliced
* 1 package (9 oz. size) frozen artichokes; thawed
* Salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup shredded Fontina cheese

Directions:
Drain and slice artichoke hearts. Preheat oven to 450F. On lightly oiled baking
sheet, press chilled dough into 9 x 12 inch rectangle, crimp edges to form a rim.
Brush with half the oil. Evenly sprinkle with bran or cornmeal; press lightly into
dough. Sprinkle with garlic. Arrange onion in 1 layer over dough; top with
artichoke hearts. Drizzle with remaining oil.

Lightly season with salt and pepper. Evenly sprinkle with cheese. Do not let
dough rise. The pizza may be held briefly in the refrigerator before baking. Bake
15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Cut into manageable slices and enjoy!

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The pizza recipe that I’m going to share with you today is truly a blend of international flavors, you might say.

We’ll be using a few choice ingredients to create a pizza taste that’s really unique and bursting with flavor.

First, let’s take a look at a few of the unique ingredients that we’ll be using to create this wonderful and delightful blend that’s bursting with flavor.

Arugula:

Arugula is an aromatic salad green that’s used in a variety of elegant dihes.  It is also known as rocket, roquette, rugula and rucola, and is popular in many Italian cuisines.

Nutrition
Like most salad greens, Arugula is very low in calories and is high in vitamins A and C. A 1/2 cup serving is two calories.  That’s good news if you’re watching the calorie count but still want to taste the flavor of a unique pizza combination!

History and Lore
In Roman times Arugula was grown for both it’s leaves and the seed. The seed was used for flavoring oils among other things.  Another interesting note is this, Rocket or Arugula seed has been used as an ingredient in aphrodisiac concoctions dating back to the first century, AD. (Cambridge World History of Food). This has been around for a very long time.

Part of a typical Roman meal was to offer a salad of greens, frequently Arugula ( spelled Arugola), romaine, chicory, mallow and lavender and seasoned with a “cheese sauce for lettuce” for all to enjoy.

About Prosciiutto:

Prosciutto is the Italian word for “ham,” although most consumers outside of Italy associate prosciutto with a specific type of cure for ham. To make prosciutto, ham is salted and then air dried for a period of up to two years. After curing, prosciutto is sliced into paper thin pieces which are usually slightly transparent and faily light. It is typically eaten uncooked, on charcuterie plates, wrapped around fruit and vegetables, or in salads. In some cases, prosciutto may be lightly cooked, as is the case when it is tossed with pasta or in our case as we will use it to provide a distinct flavor for our pizza today.

To make prosciutto, high quality cuts of meat are selected and allowed to drain in a cool place for approximately 24 hours. After resting, the meat is carefully washed and trimmed. Next, the meat is rubbed with sea salt, and spices in some regions of Italy. The salted meat can sit for up to two months, periodically re-rubbed and turned. After salt-curing, the meat is washed to remove the access salt, and hung in a cool breezy place to cure. A brief cure may last only a few months, but traditional prosciutto is cured for up to two years.

Let’s pull together these fantastic ingredients for our pizza.

Arugula And Prosciutto Tortilla Pizzas Recipe

Ingredients:
* 2/3 cup diced prosciutto
* 1 medium red onion — chopped fine
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 bunches arugula, coarse stems discarded, washed well, spun dry, and chopped
* 4 (8 1/2-inch) flour tortillas
* 2/3 cup parmesan cheese — freshly grated

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a medium heavy skillet cook prosciutto and onion in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened. Remove skillet from heat and stir in arugula and salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange flour tortillas on 2 baking sheets and top with arugula mixture and Parmesan.

Bake pizzas on upper and lower racks of oven, switching positions of baking sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, about 10 minutes.

By this time your family should be lined up in the kitchen ready to offer their services as professional tasters. Enjoy this fantastic pizza.

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Spring is here and from time to time you may want to create a quick pizza that’s easy to make and also delicious. Here’s the answer. Using one of my favorite breads, French bread, we’re going to show you how to create a quick and easy pizza that all will love.

Give it a shot!

French Bread Pizza Recipe

Ingredients:

* 1/2 pound sausage, browned & drained
* 1/2 pound sliced pepperoni
* 1 loaf French bread
* 30 ounces jar spaghetti or pizza sauce
* Sliced black olives
* Sliced fresh mushrooms
* 16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
* Optional Toppings: Candied bacon, green peppers, onion, ground beef

Directions:

Cut bread in half lengthwise. Place on cookie sheets. Cover bread
with the sauce all the way to the edges. Top with sausage and
pepperoni; then with whatever toppings are desired, ending with
the shredded cheese. Bake the bread pizzas 20 minutes at 350
degrees. Cut into pieces. To freeze, wrap unbaked pizza tightly
in foil. Then freeze. Unwrap and thaw the pizzas before baking.

Once baked cut into manageable slices and serve. Everyone will love this creation at your next outdoor get together.

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My Favorite Pizza Making Tips!

Less Sugar allows longer baking time

Speeding up the dough Process – More Yeast equals less preparation time…

————-

450-465 degrees- normal crust

Thicker crust – 400-450 degrees…

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Pizza bone – Edges of crust are over cooked….
————-

Different methods of forming brings about different characteristics of the pizza crust.

————-

Hand Tossing / Hand Stretching – Good volume and randam distribution of the gases in the dough will create a more cake type dough.

Sheeting – Will degas the dough (air makes the dough rise) This will create a thiner more cracker type crust…

Pressing – Heated roller pins will help redistribute the gases in the dough.
——-

Crispier doughs are made by adding more water to the dough. Experiment with various amounts without lloosing h\the ability to handle the dough.

The extra moisture in the dough will allow heat to rise into the dough and create a heat barrier and cannot be passed into the sauce therefore the crust collects in the bottom of the dough thus making thedough bake crispier.
———

The softer your dough the crispier your crust will be however the more firm your dough the thicker your crust.
———-
Line ingredients on the counter in the order of use.
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So exactly what is Peperonata?
[pehp-uh-roh-NAH-tah]
An Italian mixture of sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic cooked in olive oil. It’s served hot as a condiment with meats or cold as an antipasto.

Ingredients:

* Cornmeal for dusting
* 12 ounces Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough or other prepared dough
* 1 link Italian turkey sausage, casing removed

Peperonata
* 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 1 cup slivered onion
* 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 3/4 cup diced tomato
* 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* Freshly ground pepper to taste
* 1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack preheat oven to 500°F or highest setting.

Coat a 12 1/2-inch pizza pan with cooking spray and dust with cornmeal. Cook sausage in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, turning from time to time, until browned and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and cut into 1/4-inchthick slices.

Meanwhile, prepare peperonata: Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add tomato and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in vinegar, salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate and let cool. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 13-inch circle.
Transfer to the prepared pan. Turn edges under to make a slight rim. Brush the rim with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil.

Enjoy!

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Today I’ll be sharing a gluten free crust recipe that you can use for your favorite homemade pizza. The crust is made with rice flour. Before I share the pizza recipe I would like to tell you a little about gluten free ingredients and diet sources. You can find several products and resources that are considered gluten free in The HPC Pizza Supply Outlet.

There are several grains and starch sources that are considered acceptable for a what’s termed “gluten-free diets”. The most frequently used are maize, potatoes, rice, and tapioca (derived from cassava).

Other grains and starch sources generally considered suitable for gluten-free diets include but are not limited to amaranth, arrowroot, millet, montina, lupine, quinoa, sorghum (jowar), sweet potato, taro, teff, chia seed, and yam.

In some cases, various types of bean, soybean, and nut flours are used in gluten-free products to add protein and dietary fiber. In spite of its all to familiar name, buckwheat is not related to wheat at all. Buckwheat in it’s purest form, is considered acceptable for a gluten-free diet, although many commercial buckwheat products are actually mixtures of wheat and buckwheat flours. those that are restricted to toal gluten free diets must be cognizant of this. Typically it not accepted in these forms of diets. Gram flour, derived from chickpeas, is also gluten-free.

Hemp seed is a gluten free source of energy with digestible edestin protein. It’s a good balance of essential fatty acids, dietary fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin E, Iron, Zinc, Copper and Magnesium.

Gluten is also used in foods in some unexpected ways, for example as a stabilizing agent or thickener in products like ice-cream and ketchup.

People wishing to follow a completely gluten free diet must also consideration the ingredients of any over-the-counter or prescription medications and vitamins as some of these products contain gluten derivatives.

I hope you enjoy the recipe…

Gluten Free Rice Crust Pizza Recipe

Ingredients:

Crust
2 1/2 cups cooked white rice

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Topping

1 cup tomato sauce or pizza sauce

1/2 teaspoon oregano or basil, dried

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1/4 cup Parmesan or asiago cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix the first four ingredients thoroughly. Spread evenly on the bottom of a
12-inch pizza pan or pie pan. Bake 15 minutes or until surface is lightly brown.

Sauté onion and garlic in the olive oil. Spread over the crust. Spread on the pizza sauce; add dry herbs if the sauce is bland. Sprinkle on the two kinds of cheese.

Return to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.

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Peeling: There are several ways to peel a tomato: Cut an X at the blossom end (opposite the stem).

Dip in boiling water for 10 to 30 seconds, depending on ripeness, then into ice water. The skin will pull off easily. Spear a tomato with a fork and hold it over the flame of a gas burner, turning often until the skin is blistered. Remove skin.

Pierce the top of the tomato with a fork, then microwave on high for 15 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes and pull the skin off.

Use a serrated-edge peeler.

Seeding Tomato seeds can be bitter in cooked sauces, and the liquid that surrounds them can make some dishes watery. Seeding is simple:

Core the tomato if needed, then cut in half horizontally (across the “equator”).

Place a sieve over a bowl. Squeeze the tomato half to force out the seeds. For a plum tomato, you may need to stick your finger into the pockets to get out the seeds.

Catch the seeds in the sieve. If desired, save the juice that collects in the bowl for soups and sauces.

Slicing To get better shapes and lose less juice: Instead of slicing horizontally, cut vertically, from the stem to the blossom end.

LR FROM NOTTINGHAM ENGLAND

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