There is a pizza shop in town that advertises on their website a Northwest Territory Pizza that I wanted to try. We called to order it one night, and they had no idea what we were talking about. Apparently, they are a regional chain, and our chain doesn’t carry that particular pie. Truth be told, I’m not much of a fan of this pizza joint anyway, so it wasn’t too disappointing. A few weeks later, I gathered similar ingredients and made my own version. I wasn’t satisfied with it, however. It was too salty, and the cheese wasn’t right. Like the pizza advertized, I used Gorgonzola and Parmesan, but the combo was overkill and you couldn’t taste the other delectable ingredients. I shelved the idea for a while and came back to it a few weeks ago. This time with great results!

I don’t think pizza should have a bunch of rules and measurements. I think you should use the ingredients in good balance, and use more of those particular ingredients you like or whose flavors you want to emphasize. When I made this pizza, I opted for more apple and sundried tomato, and went light on the walnuts and mushrooms. I also went light on the cheese, using just enough mozzarella to cover most of the pesto sauce, and a light sprinkling of Parmesan over the toppings. Choose a pesto sauce you really like, because you’ll definitely be disappointed if your pesto sauce isn’t appealing.

Ingredients:

(see note above regarding measurements)

pizza dough
apple, sliced (choose a variety that has plenty of crunch. We like Cameo and Fuji.)
mushrooms, sliced
sundried tomatoes, sliced
walnuts, chopped
pesto sauce
mozzarella cheese, grated
parmesan cheese, grated

Guidelines:

Form your favorite pizza dough into whatever shape and size you want. (I like to prebake mine for about 8 minutes in a 375 degree oven so the crust is a bit crispier, but this is optional.)

Heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Spread the pesto over the crust. Top with mozzarella cheese. Spread your ingredients evenly on top of the mozzarella, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

This recipe is a family classic. My dad started making it shortly after Boboli Pizza Shells became available in our small town’s supermarket. I was, if I remember correctly, in high school. My brother and I loved it, and as we grew up and moved out, and took on a husband (in my case) and an entire family (as my brother has), we’ve each continued to make Mexican Pizza. We all make our own versions, and I hope the generation after us (my niece and nephew) will continue the tradition, but the classic recipe has continued to be the basic building block. It’s incredibly simple, and very, very tasty. And if you do it right, it should be thick, with layers of meat, beans, cheese, green chiles, and whatever toppings we’ve “souped” it up with. This go-around, I’ve added green onion, red pepper, cilantro, avocado, and queso fresco cheese. I think it will forevermore be my version of Mexican Pizza, though every other version I’ve had is tasty, too.

Ingredients:

1 Classic Boboli Pizza Shell
1 lb. turkey burger
1/3 cup homemade taco seasoning (recipe below)
1 can refried beans, traditional or spicy
1 4-5 oz. can diced green chiles
6-8 oz. cheddar cheese
½ red pepper, diced
2 green onions, sliced
½ avocado, diced
handful of cilantro, chopped
2-3 tbsp. queso fresco cheese, crumbled

Taco Seasoning Ingredients:

Note: These measurements are all approximate.

½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1 tbsp. onion flakes
2 tbsp. cumin
2 tbsp. red chile powder

Combine all herbs and spices in a measuring cup. Add 1/4- /3 cup water and mix well.

Guidelines:

Cook your turkey burger. When almost done, add taco seasoning ingredients and mix well. Turn heat to low and let simmer while you prepare remaining ingredients, stirring occassionally. Cook until water has been absorbed.

In a small saucepan, heat your refried beans over low. Stir often, otherwise they will stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.

Chop your veggies, grate your cheese, and heat your oven to 400 degrees.

To prepare the pizza, spread a thick layer of refried beans over the bottom of the shell. If you don’t use all the beans, don’t worry. Usually ¾ of the can is enough.

Top the beans with the meat, the diced green chiles, red peppers, then the cheese. At this point, bake your pizza for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and bubbly, but not browned. (Or not too browned!)

Remove from oven and let cool for about five minutes. If you plan on consuming the entire pizza that night, go ahead and sprinkle the veggies and queso fresco over the top. If not, only add the goodies to individual pizza slices.

For this recipe, you can either buy a loaf of focaccia bread, or make your own. If you make your own, be aware that—like any dough making—it’s time consuming. Probably better, but time consuming. I don’t have my own recipe for focaccia bread. I use one out of a cookbook, making sure to season it with plenty of olive oil and sea salt. I think the sea salt is an important ingredient here, so be sure to sprinkle a generous, but not ridiculous, amount on your dough. If you purchase a loaf, taste it before adding salt. You may find it doesn’t need more. Also, roasting one full eggplant and an entire carton of cherry tomatoes will give you enough vegetables for 2-3 pizzas. If you’re only making one, use the rest of the veggies in a sandwich, or in a pasta dish.



Ingredients:

1 small eggplant
1 package cherry tomatoes
1 ball of fresh mozzarella
fresh basil
focaccia loaf
artisanal sea salt
fresh ground pepper
olive oil
28 oz. can plum tomatoes
dried basil, thyme, marjoram, garlic
red wine, optional

Guidelines:

If you’re making your own focaccia bread, you’ll need to start it 5-6 hours in advance, because you must let it rise several times. Once it’s ready, shape the dough into an oiled 9×13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Bake it at the temperature the recipe indicates, but don’t let it go the full time. Take it out once the crust begins to brown.

If you’ve purchased the focaccia, you’re ready to go.

Get the eggplant sweating. Dice it up, and working in layers, place the eggplant in a colander, salting each layer. Place a heavy bowl or other object on top of the colander and let drain for 30-45 minutes. Pat the eggplant try, scatter it in a large baking dish, and drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the top. Toss well. The salting and “sweating” of the eggplant helps break down the cell walls and releases the eggplant’s bitterness. Don’t skip this step!

Add the cherry tomatoes to the baking dish with the eggplant. Add another drizzle of olive oil and mix to combine.

Roast the eggplant and tomatoes in a 400 degree oven until the eggplant is melt-in-your-mouth soft, and the tomatoes have burst, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. I use a 28 oz. can of plum tomatoes. Heat them, along with a couple shakes of the dried herbs and a splash of red wine (optional), over medium heat. Break up the tomatoes as much as you can. Let simmer until the vegetables are finished roasting.

To assemble the pizza, spread a thin layer of sauce on top of the focaccia. Top with plenty of the roasted eggplant and tomatoes. Thinly slice the fresh mozzarella and place the slices on top of the vegetables. Bake in a 400 degree oven until the crust is set and the cheese is melted. This is terrible, but I have to admit I can’t remember how long it took. My guess is 20-25 minutes.

Top the pizza with fresh basil slivers and fresh ground pepper.

This recipe originated from “get rid of leftovers” night. On these nights, I stand in front of the fridge and pull out everything that needs to get eaten. Sometimes that amounts to eating grilled cheese with six spoonfuls of six different leftover side dishes. Other times, it means compiling all the produce that’s about to head south in a creative way. On this particular night, I had leftover pizza sauce and tortillas from Roasted Red Pepper and Mushroom Tortilla Pizzas. And really, that was about it. I rooted around the fridge and freezer a while longer and found some smoked cheddar, green onions, and a bag of frozen corn. I was getting closer to something, and since I really wanted to use up that pizza sauce, I figured another tortilla pizza was in order. From the fruit bowl, I pulled out an avocado and a tomato. That would do. I wasn’t sure if it would amount to much, but I put it together anyway and presented it to my husband in front of the tube. This is GOOD! he said. And I have to agree. Better, and easier, than the Roasted Red Pepper and Mushroom Tortilla Pizzas, too. You could also call this a pizza quesadilla, top it with another tortilla, an extra layer of cheese, “grill” it, and serve accordingly.

Ingredients:

*Note: I didn’t technically measure anything for this recipe. This one’s all about throwing stuff on. It’s just a pizza, anyhow. A five-year-old could do it! Well, except for the tortilla “grilling” part. You better handle that one.

“grilled” tortillas (1-2 per person)—see method and picture here, or method in guidelines below.
pizza sauce—recipe below
smoked cheddar cheese
green onions, sliced
corn kernels
avocado, diced
tomato, diced

“Mexi” Pizza Sauce:

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 can tomato sauce with a drizzle of olive oil, and 2-3 shakes each of the following spices: minced onion, garlic powder, oregano, and basil. Add 2 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp-1tbsp. adobo sauce, and fresh ground pepper to taste. Mix well and simmer on low until you’re ready to use it. Taste and adjust as necessary.

What is adobo sauce and where do I get it? Adobo sauce is what canned chipotle chilis are packed in. You can find a can of chipotles, which are smoked jalapenos, in the Latin/Hispanic/Mexican aisle if your grocery store.

Guidelines:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare the pizza sauce and “grill” your tortillas. By “grill,” I mean turn on your burner and place the tortillas, one at a time, directly on top. (I used my electric range, and it worked fine.) Grill for a minute or two on each side, or until the tortilla browns and puffs. Set tortillas aside.

Grate the smoked cheddar, dice the avocado and tomato, slice the green onions, and thaw your corn kernels, if using frozen.

Once the sauce is hot, you can begin preparing your pizzas. Top each tortilla with your desired amount of sauce, cheese, tomato, and corn. Reserve the avocado and green onions. Bake for 8-10 minutes on a pizza stone or pizza screen (to ensure a crispy crust), or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and top with the avocado and green onions.

Serve with an ear of fresh corn and a cold Negra Modelo, and you’ve got dinner in twenty minutes.

I was craving pizza the other night, but I didn’t have any pizza dough on hand, and I didn’t feel like a gut bomb from one of our local pizza joints. The solution? Tortillas. I’ve made tortilla pizzas a couple of times before, and thought they were very good, and light. Oh, and easy, too. There’s not all that dough mixing and rolling and rising and kneading and tossing and stretching and… I’m exhausted just thinking about it! Of course, homemade tortillas are superior, but if you’re looking for near instant gratification, like I was, the store-bought variety works just fine. Tortilla pizzas are also extremely kid friendly. Lay them on the counter and let the kids top them however they want. When the pizzas come out of the oven, cut them in fours, and they fit perfectly in kiddy hands. Woo hoo! Dinner in twenty minutes! Okay, thirty minutes, because who is ever *that* organized? Plus, there is roasting involved…

Ingredients:

soft taco size flour tortillas (approximately 2 per person)
aged white Cheddar (7 oz. will do about 8 pizzas)
red bell peppers (2 for 8 well-topped pizzas)
crimini mushrooms (2 small packs for 8 well-topped pizzas; or 1 pack of pre-sliced)
fresh thyme
pizza sauce (super simple recipe below)

Super Simple Pizza Sauce:

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 can tomato sauce with a drizzle of olive oil, and 2-3 shakes each of the following spices: minced onion, garlic powder, oregano, and basil. Add 1 tsp. cumin and fresh ground pepper to taste. Mix well and simmer on low until you’re ready to use it. Taste and adjust as necessary.

Guidelines:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop the red pepper and quarter the mushrooms. In a baking dish, combine the red peppers and mushrooms with several tablespoons of olive oil and fresh thyme. Toss. Place in oven and roast until the vegetables are softened and fragrant, about 15 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the pizza sauce and “grill” your tortillas. By “grill,” I mean turn on your burner and place the tortillas, one at a time, directly on top. (I used my electric range, and it worked fine.) Grill for a minute or two on each side, or until the tortilla browns and puffs. Set tortillas aside.

Grate the white Cheddar, and set aside some additional fresh thyme leaves.

Once the vegetables are done roasting, and the sauce is hot, you can begin preparing your pizzas. Top each tortilla with your desired amount of sauce, cheese, and vegetables. Bake for 8-10 minutes on a pizza stone or pizza screen (to ensure a crispy crust), or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and top with additional fresh thyme leaves.

Serve with a side salad and you’ve got dinner in a snap!