Syrian Lamb Pizza

One of my favorite ways to figure out what to have for dinner when I’m doing my weekly meal planning is to peruse my cookbook shelf and pull out a couple cookbooks I haven’t used in a few months.  Tonight, I happened upon this recipe from “The Essential Mediterranean” by Nancy Harmon Jenkins.

This “pizza” is unusual, in that you mix raw ground lamb with vegetables and spices, then spread it all over a thinly rolled piece of dough.  You bake it for about 10 minutes, and the lamb cooks while the dough crisps up.  It’s a little messy to eat – you can use a knife and fork, or fold it and half and eat it like a taco.  Either way, it’s really satisfying, and has a unique flavor somewhat reminiscent of shawarma.

(adapted from The Essential Mediterranean by Nancy Harmon Jenkins)

makes 5 8″ pizzas

Dough:

1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

Dissolve the yeast in warm water.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flours and salt.  With the dough hook, turn the mixer on medium-low speed and gradually pour in the water-yeast mixture.  Mix for about 5 minutes, adding more flour or water as necessary, until you have a smooth, soft dough that does not stick to the sides of the bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about one hour.

Topping:

1/2 cup pine nuts

4 tsp olive oil, divided

1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes (seeds removed)

1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 tsp ground sumac

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp red chile flakes

black pepper

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 pound lean ground lamb

Combine the pine nuts with 1 tsp olive oil in a medium frying pan.  Heat over low, just until the pine nuts are golden brown.  Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Put the remaining oil in the pan and add the onion.  Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, or until onions are soft but not brown.  Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine the lamb, onion, pine nuts, and all remaining topping ingredients and mix well.  Set aside

Preheat oven to 450 F.

To assemble the pizzas, punch down the dough and knead for a few minutes.  Divide into 5 golf-ball sized pieces.  Working with one piece at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface until you have a very thin 8″ disk.  Place on a Silpat-lined baking sheet, and top with 1/5 of the topping.  Be sure to spread it evenly all the way to the edges.  Repeat with remaining pizzas.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until lamb is cooked and dough is beginning to turn golden.  

Remove from the oven and let stand 5 to 10 minutes before eating.

Vegetable-za’atar pizza

When I saw this pizza recipe on one of my favorite blogs (Good Things Catered), I knew I HAD to make it. The last time we were in San Francisco, I bought some za’atar at a Middle Eastern grocery store specifically for that recipe.  If you’ve never had it, you are really missing out.  According to wikipedia, za’atar is a spice blend that includes dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, sesame seeds, and sumac.  I can’t wait to use it in more recipes!

The original recipe calls for grilling the vegetables and the pizza.  Since we only have a charcoal grill and I’m not overly competent when it comes to those, I decided to adapt the recipe to be made entirely indoors.  I’m sure I’m missing out on a lot of great flavor by not grilling, but it was still incredibly good.

This recipe took an hour from start to finish, including making the dough, because I found a great quick pizza dough recipe here.

Pizza dough:
(adapted from Recipe Zaar)
1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 450 F
Mix yeast and sugar in warm water until dissolved.
Stir in oil, salt and flours and stir until it forms a dough ball.
Cover bowl with a kitchen towel, place on top of your stove while the oven is warming up.
Let rise at least 15 minutes, while you prepare the toppings.

Topping:

(adapted from Good Things Catered)

1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp za’atar
large pinch salt
ground pepper to taste
1 small zucchini, halved along the horizontal and sliced
1 small yellow squash, halved along the horizontal and sliced
1/2 medium red pepper, julienned

1/2 medium green pepper, julienned
1/2 small head broccoli, small crowns cut off base
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 – 1 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the zucchini, yellow squash, pepper, and broccoli and season with a nice pinch of salt and ground pepper.
Saute just until the vegetables are crisp-tender.
Divide the dough in half and roll out into large rectangles. 

Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment or a Silpat.
Drizzle about 1 tsp olive oil onto each pizza and spread evenly using fingers.
Spread garlic, then za’atar onto pizzas, dividing evenly.
Lightly salt and pepper each pizza.  

Place half the sauteed vegetables on each pizza, then sprinkle with cheese and cherry tomato halves.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and the crust is browning.

Thai Chicken Pizza

Pizza. I adore it.

I’m also not very picky about it.  I’ve had “the real thing” in Naples, and enjoyed it just about as much as the 2 for 1 pies from the place down the street. 

For awhile, I tried to be a purist.  I denounced places like CPK.  You can’t put bacon and avocado on pizza!  Pizza is Italian!  It must be kept pure and authentic!

Yeah, that didn’t last long.

I’ve had some pizza dough in my freezer for a few weeks now, and in my quest to branch out and work my way through more of my cookbooks, I kept it off my weekly menu.  But then I made Thai food, and that got me thinking about Thai chicken pizza, which I feel like I shouldn’t love, but I do.  Oh, so much.

So thanks to my friend Google, I stumbled across this recipe and it’s divine.  I didn’t change too much about it, and it came out really well.  It has just a light sprinkling of cheese, which I prefer, but you could always use more.  I think next time I might add some chopped peanuts, but other than that it’s hard to beat!

(adapted from cdkitchen.com)

Crust: use your favorite (homemade or not) – you will need enough dough for two 10″ pizzas.  I used 1/3 of this recipe .

Toppings:

3 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons brewed tea
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Siracha
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 medium boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in 1/4-inch strips
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 tbsp thinly sliced green onion

Preheat oven to 500 F and prepare crusts.
To make peanut sauce: combine peanut butter, tea, vinegar, soy sauce, Siracha, ginger, honey and sesame oil in a blender and process until smooth.

Sprinkle the chicken with a pinch of salt and saute in a saucepan coated with nonstick spray over medium-high heat.

When the chicken is just about done, turn the heat down to low and stir in two tablespoons of the peanut sauce.

Cook, stirring, for about a minute, then remove from heat.
Spread a few tablespoons of peanut sauce over the surface of each of the doughs. 

Distribute 1/2 of the cheese over the sauce. 

Repeat with other pizza. 

Distribute 1/2 of the chicken and 1/2 the carrots over the cheese. 

Repeat with other pizza. 

Place the pizzas in the oven (on a pizza stone if you have one, otherwise just use a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat). 

Bake until crust is crispy and cheese is bubbling (8-10 minutes). 

Remove pizzas from the oven and sprinkle each with green onions and cilantro.

Pizza

Like almost any American, I love pizza.  I was always content to buy the refrigerated dough from Trader Joe’s when making it at home, but this week I had a day off and decided to make pizza from scratch.  I used Peter Reinhart’s recipe (in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice) for the crust, and although it needs to be refrigerated overnight, the amount of active time is very small.  This would actually be a great Monday night dinner because you can get the dough started and the sauce made on Sunday, then everything will come together very quickly for dinner the next day.

The recipes included here make enough crust and sauce for 6 10″ pizzas.  However, both the dough and the sauce can be frozen and used whenever a pizza craving strikes.  I used a little whole wheat flour in the crust, because I like the heartiness it adds, but you can easily use only all purpose flour if you prefer.  

As far as toppings, the one on the left in the photo is sauteed spinach (with a little garlic and nutmeg), ricotta, and a sprinkling of mozzarella.  The one on the right is the classic Canadian Bacon and pineapple.  Use your imagination with the toppings, but remember that because the dough is so thin and delicate, two to three different items is probably all you’ll want to include on each one.

Crust: 

4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp instant yeast (NOT one envelope!)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 3/4 cups ice water

cornmeal

The day before you plan to make pizza:

Stir together the flour, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer.  

Pour in the oil and water and stir until all the flour is absorbed.

With the dough hook attachment, mix on medium for 5-7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and sticky and does not stick to the sides of the bowl (it should stick to the bottom).  If it is sticking to the sides, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it clears the sides.

Place a piece of parchment on a sheet pan and lightly oil it.

Sprinkle some flour on the counter and place the dough on the floured workspace.  

With a dough scraper, cut it into six equal piece.

With floured hands, shape each piece into a ball and place on the sheet pan.  

Rub a little oil gently on each ball and cover the pan with plastic wrap.

Place in the fridge overnight.

(Alternatively, you can put each ball of dough in its own individual freezer bag with a little olive oil.  They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months and should be transfered to the fridge the day before you plan to use them.  Then continue with the directions below)

The day you will bake the pizzas:

Remove the pan from the refrigerator 2 hours before the pizza will be baked, and lightly flour the counter.  

Transfer the dough to the counter and press into 5-6″ disks as shown below:

Sprinkle with flour, mist with spray oil, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. 

45 minutes before you will bake the pizza, turn the oven on as high as it will go.  

Line a sheet pan with parchment and sprinkle with cornmeal.

Pick up one disk of dough and gently place it over your closed fists.  Stretch it slowly and carefully while bouncing it gently.  Continue until it looks something like this, and place it on the parchment:

Now you are ready to add sauce and toppings!

Red Pizza Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1-2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

3 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 tsp salt

1-2 tsp sugar

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. 

Add the garlic and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.

Add the can of tomatoes and stir in the fresh herbs.

Bring to a simmer, then add the salt and sugar.

Simmer 5 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

I am fine with chunkier sauce, but if you want yours really smooth, transfer to a blender or puree with an immersion blender.

Once the pizza is ready to go, bake for 6-10 minutes (depending on how hot your oven is).  Remove, and cool for 2-3 minutes to let the cheese set, then slice and enjoy!