I actually grew up without pizza delivery. We lived too far from town. But, every once in a while, mom or dad would bring home a pizza on a Friday night, and I fondly remember those pies -- even if they were never piping hot by the time they made it home.
But, pizza just isn't for Friday night, and if you have a few staples in your kitchen, you can make your own any night of the week -- in 20 minutes or less. There's nothing quite like biting into a piece of pizza you made yourself -- and just think, you can put the delivery/tip money you would have spent towards a new pair of shoes...
Mark Bittman's new column in this week's New York Times Dining Section was all about making pizza at home. Check it out here (there's also a great dough recipe). What's your favorite pizza topping combo?
Here's a tasty version I threw together...
Ingredients:
1 batch pizza dough (Jim Lahey's recipe is also great, or buy some dough from your favorite pizzeria, or, pick up a pre-baked dough like Boboli)
1/2 cup Philadelphia Cooking creme
1/4 cup pizza sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 breaded chicken breasts (cooked)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
4 pieces bacon (cooked)
1/4 cup of spinach (cleaned, dried, stems removed, and chopped)
To Do:
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees
- Mix the creme, sauce and garlic powder in a small bowl and spread over your pizza dough (you may not use it all, so save for future use -- would be great in panini)
- Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella.
- Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and place over cheese.
- Add dollops of ricotta around pie and finish topping with bacon and spinach.
- Bake until crust is brown and pie is bubbly and melty, about 10-15 minutes.
- Enjoy!
xoxo
