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Monday, February 14, 2011

Homemade Spicy Pizza on Ready made Crust































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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