Pizza from Scratch

Ingredients

• 1 Puff Pastry Sheet
• 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 ¾ ounces fresh mozzarella
• 4 to 5 basil leaves, roughly torn

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Put the sauce in the center of the stretched dough and use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly across the surface, stopping approximately 1/2 inch from the edges.
3. Drizzle a little olive oil over the pie. Break the cheese into large pieces and place these gently on the sauce. Scatter basil leaves over the top.
4. Using a pizza peel, pick up the pie and slide it onto the heated stone or tiles in the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling, approximately 4 to 8 minutes.

Basic Tomato Sauce:

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until onions are soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add the basil leaves, red wine, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Cool the sauce before using it to make pizza.

Onion and Truffle Cheese Pizza

Caramelized Onion and Truffle Cheese Pizza

I recently found an Italian truffle cheese at local market.  It’s excellent to snack on alone, or with a piece of chewy bread.  This led to the idea of using it on pizza atop a bed of caramelized onions and garlic.  The result was slightly sweet and almost buttery like.  This is a new favorite pizza in our house.

Prep Time: 5 minutes (if dough and sauce are made)

Cook Time: About 30 minutes

Serves: 1-12” Round Pizzas

Spinach Pizza

Spinach Pizza

Spinach Pizza

Though not everyone is wild about spinach, just about everybody eats pizza. So here, mixed with peppery cheese and a bit of smoky bacon, is spinach that the whole world can love. Defrosted frozen spinach is quickest, but if you prefer fresh, sauté it in some of the bacon fat before topping the pizza.