Pizza... Yumm.... Who does not love pizza?...It is fun to make pizza....from home made crust and from ready made crust. You can get the kids involved in this fun process.
When I come home from work on Friday and can not think of what to make for dinner.. Pizza it is !! I always keep thin and crispy ready made crust in my fridge (which is half baked and comes in pack of two.
I am sure everyone has their own way of making pizza. This is my Indian/Italian version of Pizza. As usual, I like to kick it up and notch so here is how I make it.
Ingredients:
* One medium ready made pizza crust (Thin and Crispy)
* 2 teaspoons oil to brush on both sides of ready made crust
* 1 small red onion chopped
* 4 -5 cloves of garlic finely minced or chopped
* 1/2 green pepper chopped
* 1/2 sweet red pepper chopped
* 2 fresh Jalapeno sliced (you can use pickled if fresh not available)
* 4 mushroom sliced
* 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro leaves chopped
* 1 small bottle of (14 oz) Quick Ragu snack sauce (I use half of this for this recipe) or you can use any pizza sauce.
* 2 tbl spoon of Maggi Spicy sauce or any Chili garlic spicy sauce (available at Indian or Chinese grocers)
* 1 and half cup of Mozzarella cheese shredded
* 2 tables spoon of olive oil to saute veggies
* Pinch of Italian seasoning
* 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
Method:
* Preheat oven at 425 F
While the oven is preheating prepare veggies:
* Heat olive oil in a pan.
* When oil is heated, add pinch of Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper.
* Add garlic, saute for few seconds.
* Add all chopped veggies except cilantro and sliced Jalapenos.
* Saute the veggies for 1 min and turn the heat off.
Prepare Crust:
* Brush both sides of the half baked ready made crust with olive oil.
* Place in top rack of heated oven, and turn it over in between, making it light brown on both sides.
* When crust browns lightly and not soft anymore, take it out of oven and let it stand against something so it hardens a little at room temp.
* Turn the oven temp preheating to 450 F.
While the oven is preheating again you prepare the pizza:
* On the crust spread both sauces.
* Sprinkle Cilantro and layer the peppers on the sauce.
* Now layer the crust with half of the veggies.
* Spread the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly on the veggies.
* Top the cheese with remaining veggies again.
* Pizza is ready to be baked.
* Slide the topped pizza carefully from the counter on to a pizza baking dish.
* Open the oven and carefully slide the pizza from pizza dish to top rack of oven.
* Close the oven door.
* Turn the temp down to 425 F.
* Bake the pizza for 10-11 min.
* Then turn the oven to broil and broil the pizza for 1-2 min, until the cheese starts bubbling and veggies are becoming light brown. (be sure to watch, so you don't end up with charred pizza)
* Turn the oven off.
* Open the door and carefully slide the pizza on to pizza baking dish again.
* Slice the pizza with pizza cutter and serve hot.
* You may sprinkle crushed red pepper or top it with pickled Jalapenos if desired extra heat.
Hint:
If you don't want to make the pizza spicy, you can still follow the same method omitting all the spicy ingredients.
Photographs and Recipe by Surekha.
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