Vegetarian Pizza Perfection
Published 9:15 pm Thursday, February 14, 2013
Including thisbrpizza in your Lenten menu will give you family another reason to look forwardbrto Fridays.
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The Lentenbrseafood shuffle
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Let’s facebrit while we all look forward to seafood Fridays during Lent seafood isbrexpensive and there’s only so much canned tuna a person can stomach.
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Wouldn’t itbrbe nice to have a few non-seafood dishes that are not only delicious but alsobrLent approved? I’m talking about dishesbrthat are so good your family will request them. brWouldn’t it also be nice that something that good wouldn’t break thebrbank? If you answer is yes, and itbrshould be, then this pizza is your next go to dish.
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Ohbrand one more thing, you can put all of this pizza goodness on your table forbrabout $5.00 per pie.
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Simply greatbrpizza
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This recipebrcalls for scratch made pizza dough…wait, hold on a second there before gobrclicking off. Usually that calls forbrmixing and rising times and sometimes a second rising, well to quote a popularbrinternet phase, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”
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Fortunatelybryou don’t have to reserve all of the time. brThanks for Fleischmann’s, you know the yeast people, there is now abrspecially formulates dry yeast for pizza crust which required no risingbrtime. That’s right, no rising time.
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How do theybrdo it? I don’t know, and frankly I don’tbrreally care. All I know is you only needbrto mix, roll, top, and bake for pizza perfection and that’s pretty much wherebrmy attention starts to wane.
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Now all webrneed to do it combine this incredible little time saver with some greatbrtoppings and presto…awesome pizza in about 45 minutes from start to finish. That ought to work right in any week nightbrschedule.
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Pizzabrtechnicalities
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This recipebrcalls for enough dough to make 3 large (14″) or 8 small (9″)brcrusts. If that’s too much for yourbrbrood, don’t cut the recipe. Make thebrwhole recipe and freeze the dough you don’t intend to use. That way you will have ready-made pizza doughbrfor the next time, and there will be a next time.
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Use whateverbrcheeses you like, but remember to go light on the cheeses. Not just for the calorie count, but thebrbiggest enemy of pizza is too much cheese. brIf too much is used it turns to a think, leathery, layer that is notbrgood at all. Also stay away from verybroily cheeses like cheddar. When theybrmelt they give up their oil and it will look like BP paid a visit to yourbrpizza.
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Note: Addingbrsome lightly sautéed shrimp, crawfish tails, or crab meat to this pizza won’tbroffend anyone, and if it does ask them to leave. Unless, of course, they are allergic to shellfish,brbut that’s pretty much the only exception.
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Note: Thebringredients listed for the toppings is enough to 3 large pizzas. Adjust accordingly.
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Ingredientsbrfor dough:
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6½C Unbleached, all-purpose flour
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2tsp. Granulated sugar
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2pkgs. Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast
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2tbsp. Kosher salt
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2½C Warm water (110°F)
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1tbsp Olive oil
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1jar Classico presto sauce
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1med. White onion (sliced)
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4 Bell peppersbr(multicolored, seeded, sliced)
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1can Artichoke hearts (drained, rough chopped)
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3 Med. fresh tomatoesbr(sliced ¼”)
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4oz. Sliced ripe olives (drained andbrrinsed)
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2-3ozs. Sliced baby bella mushrooms
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1½-2C Cheese (shredded blendbrof provolone, Monterrey jack, and Colby)
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Method:
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Preheat ovenbrto 500°
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In a foodbrprocessor equipped with a dough blade, or a stand mixer add the flour, salt,brsugar, and yeast.
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Turn thebrmachine on and allow the ingredients to combine
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Add thebrolive oil to the water and slow add to the machine while running.
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Once doughbrball forms allow the machine to knead the dough for 2-3 minutes.
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Note: Ifbrmixing by hand, knead the dough on a floured surface for at least 5 minutes untilbrvery smooth.
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Cut doughbrinto 3 equal (14½ ozs.) portions, or 8 (6½ ozs.) if making smaller size pizzas.
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Roll thebrdough out on a floured surface to about 1/16″.
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Place doughbrin pizza pan, or on peel, and spread 2 tbsp Classico pesto covering the entirebrcrust.
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Note: Thebrolive oil in the pesto separates, be sure to stir or shake the jar beforebrusing.
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Distributebrsmall amounts of the remaining toppings finishing with the sliced tomatoes andbrcheese.
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Bake forbr10-11 minutes.
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Slice andbrserve immediately.
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Enjoy pizzabrperfection
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The intensebrheat of the oven will char the edges of the crust while producing a crunchy,brchewy pie with perfectly cooked vegetables. brThe flavors of the fresh vegetables with the pesto is very satisfying,brand makes for a hearty meal. Meat? Whatbrmeat? Trust me, you won’t miss it.
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Stay hungry.