Tortilla + Pizza = Tortizza

Last night the Hubby and I decided to eat at home, but did not want to go to the store to get anything, so I figured I would use what we had on hand and would just make it work. I did not want boring chicken and broccoli ( I saved that for tonight’s dinner) so I decided to use the left over tortillas to make some pizzas, or what I like to call tortizzas!

I love when I can use stuff I already have in the pantry/fridge/freezer to put a meal together. It makes me feel resourceful. What I like even more is that not all these ingredients came from the kitchen, one of the them came from the garden. Ok, ok, ok I know it was just basil, but this was the first time I grew something and then ate it. I think it was quite and accomplishment. Plus the added ingredient made it possible to make 2 different types of tortizzas. I already had everything I needed to make the garden garlic chicken, but now I could make a margherita with fresh basil, which is way better than the dried I had in the pantry. It was very tasty!

Homemade Pizza {in Singapore}

Eureka! I found fresh basil in Singapore! I had heard rumors that you could find it at stores such as Cold Storage, but I am a Fair Price shopper. It’s locations are more convenient and for the most part it tends to be less expensive. The only problem is only certain Fair Price’s carry the different ingredients I love. The Jurong Point Fair Price has amazing french baguettes. They are better than the stuff I find at some grocery stores in the states, no joke. The Clementi Mall Fair Price has a good fruit selection and now the Jurong East Fair Price has fresh basil. Slowly but surely, Singapore is becoming more and more livable. Unfortunately, as we discover the tricks that make living in another country easier, we simultaneously start to miss home, family and friends more as well. However this pizza I made for lunch today makes it all a little more bearable… I call it food therapy, which can me dangerous, so be careful now. Emotional eating is never good, but if you are going to do it, why not soothe your woes with something fresh, healthy and most of all delowcious. I know what you are thinking, “Elizabeth, pizza is not a healthy food.” Yeah, yeah yeah, I know. Not usually, but this time it is different. I made my pizza on a whole wheat tortilla, used a minimal amount of cheese (just a sprinkle to lightly cover the sauce), garnished it with fresh veggies (tomatoes and fresh basil) and seasoned it with garlic powder and crushed red pepper. The thin crispy tortilla lowers the normal high carb count of pizza and makes it more like an italian tostada. The garlic powder and crushed red pepper add tons of flavor without tons of sodium. And I don’t have to tell you what the veggies do. Unless I am missing something, nothing about that screams bad for you. In fact, it all seems pretty healthy.  Here is how I made my margarita tostada…

Ingredients

• 1 whole wheat tortilla
• 1 tablespoons of preferred pizza sauce (spaghetti sauce will work)
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
• 4 red grape tomatoes (cut is 4ths)
• 4 yellow grape tomatoes (cut in 4ths)
• 8 fresh basil leaves (chiffonade)
• 1 handful of grated Italian cheese mix
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

1. Spread sauce over tortilla.
2. Sprinkle with garlic powder to taste.
3. Cover with cheese.
4. Add crushed red pepper. (I like to add the red pepper before I cook my pizza. It really brings out the flavor.)
5. Scatter  sliced tomatoes on the tortilla.
6. Sprinkle with fresh basil.
7. Drizzle olive oil over top.

Place pizza directly on the middle oven rack and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until tortilla has reached your desired crispiness.

Cut in 4′s and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

How-To Make Pizza Dough

Why would you ever order pizza in when it can be so fun to make it at home? Why would you ever buy pizza dough from the store when it is so easy to make from scratch? Not only is it easy and fun, but it can also be very therapeutic. I think I am smelling a fun pizza making party in my future. Who wants to come? Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups warm water, 100 to 110 degrees F, plus extra as needed
• 1 (¼-ounce) packet active dry yeast
• 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
• 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
• Olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

Put the water in a small bowl. Add the yeast and stir until dissolved.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt together. Add the yeast mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add a little extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too sticky, add extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. With floured hands, knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drizzle the inside of a clean bowl with olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Set the bowl in a warm, draft-free place, until the dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Using a fist, deflate the dough in the center and cut it into 3 equal-sized pieces. Form the dough pieces into 3 balls and put into 3 oiled bowls. Cover each bowl loosely with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour. Remove the dough and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for up to 1 day.

• Source: Giada De Laurentiis
• Prep Time: 15min
• Inactive Time: 3hr
• Total Time: 3hr 15min
• Recipe Yields: 3 (13oz) balls of dough

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients

Breakfast Pizza:

• 1 store-bought pizza dough
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 tablespoons Cinnamon-Sugar, divided, recipe follows
• 2 cups mascarpone cheese
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• 2 cups mixed berries

Cinnamon-Sugar:

• 1 vanilla bean
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the pizza dough to a thickness of about ¼-inch. Transfer the pizza dough to the lined baking sheet and brush the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Cinnamon-Sugar and bake until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool the pizza crust on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together the cheese, cream, lemon juice, and zest.

Spread the cheese mixture over the cooled crust. Top with mixed berries and sprinkle with the remaining Cinnamon-Sugar. Slice like a pizza and serve.

Cinnamon-Sugar:

Cut the vanilla bean in half, lengthwise. Using the back of a knife, scrape along the inside of the vanilla bean to collect the seeds. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into a small bowl. Add sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside in a small serving bowl.

• Source: Giada De Laurentiis
• Prep Time: 20min
• Inactive Time: 30min
• Cook Time: 15min
• Total Time: 1hr 5min
• Recipe Yields: 4 to 6 servings

White Pizzas with Arugula and Lemon Vinaigrette

I think Ina Garten is my soul mate, or at least we have the same taste buds. Except for her disdain for cilantro. They say you either love it or you hate and she hates it, but I love it. Other than that, we tend to see eye to eye. She has totally outdone herself this time by making her own pizza from scratch. Not sure how this would turnout if I attempted to make it myself. One time the Hubby and I bought raw pizza dough and toppings at Central Market and thought it would be fun to make our own pizza from semi-scratch. It was a complete failure and everything but delowcious, however, it did provide tons of entertainment for his roommate at the time. I can only imagine what would happen if I tried to mix my own dough… On the other hand I have been looking for a recipe that would allow me to use my new red mixer! Unfortunately, my mixer is still in Alabama from when I had my Wedding Tea there months ago. We are driving there for Christmas so we can pick up the rest of our wedding gifts. Still haven’t figured out where everything is going to go, but the red mixer already had prime counter top real estate waiting for her when she arrives. Now I just have to think of a name for her…

Ingredients

The Dough:

• 1 ¼ cups warm (100 to 110) water
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Good olive oil
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
• Kosher salt
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

The Topping:

• 3 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (8 ounces)
• 1 ½ cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese (7 ounces)
• 11 ounces creamy goat cheese, such as montrachet, crumbled

The Vinaigrette:

• ½ cup good olive oil
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces baby arugula
• 1 lemon, sliced

Directions

Mix the Dough. Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl. Knead by hand. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Let it rise. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes. Make garlic oil. Place ½ cup of olive oil, the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is clean!) Portion the dough. Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place the dough on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours. Stretch the dough. Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (If you’ve chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.) Top the dough. Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil, and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with fontina, mozzarella and goat cheese. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown. Make the vinaigrette. Meanwhile, whisk together ½ cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the greens. When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and a slice of lemon and serve immediately.

Notes: Make sure the bowl is warm before you put the water and yeast in; the water must be warm for the yeast to develop. Also, Salt inhibits the growth of yeast; add half the flour, then the salt, and then the rest of the flour. To make sure yeast is still “alive,” or active, put it in water and allow it to sit for a few minutes. If it becomes creamy or foamy, it’s active.

• Source: Ina Garten
• Prep Time: 40min
• Cook Time: 25min
• Inactive Time: 40min
• Total Time: 1hr 45min
• Recipe Yields: 6 pizzas

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Vidalia onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian or hot paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup ketchup
• ¼ cup yellow mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat removed and chopped
• 1 (13.8 ounce) package premade pizza crust (recommended: Pillsbury Pizza Crust -Thin Crust)
• ½ cup shredded Cheddar,
• ¼ cup shredded Parmesan
• 8 ounces buffalo mozzarella, torn into 1 to 2-inch pieces

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a pot over medium heat add the olive oil, onions, jalapenos and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent and tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, thyme, and oregano, then stir well and cook until fragrant. Add the ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and vinegar. Raise the heat to medium- high and simmer, while rapidly stirring, until everything is blended and smooth. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the chopped chicken. Stir to coat all the chicken, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, roll out the dough according to package directions and fit it onto a rectangular nonstick baking sheet. Put the crust in the oven and bake for 7 minutes.

Remove the crust from the oven and leaving a 1-inch border pour the BBQ chicken and sauce evenly over the crust. Top with the Cheddar, Parmesan and mozzarella, in that order. Put the topped pizza in the oven and bake until the mozzarella cheese is bubbly and the edges of the crust are golden-brown, anywhere from 6 to 11 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven to a cutting board and allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving.

• Source: Sunny Anderson
• Prep Time: 25min
• Cook Time: 30min
• Total Time: 55min
• Recipe Yields: 4 to 6 servings