Easy Pizza

Pizza is pretty easy to make, and I generally like the results when I make it as home just as well or better than ordering a pizza. Definitely tastier than frozen pizzas.

It is also an excellent way to use up bits of leftover veggies, meats, and cheeses. For this pie I used a bit of leftover salami, a leftover sausage, a few tomatoes, some garlice and cheese.

Preheat oven to 425. Don't be afraid to use a ready made crust if you're short on time:


If using fresh tomatos, slice them and drain on paper towels (otherwise they'll make your pizza soggy)


Slice leftover meat (salami, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, roast beef, turkey, roast pork .... ) into little bits. Fresh garlic is wonderful on this as well - just make thin slices.

I used pizza sauce from a jar this time around. If you have a jar of spaghetti sauce at the back of your fridge, use that. If you have a little can of tomato paste, mix it with equal part water or red wine, and mix in Italian herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic powder)

Put meat directly on crust. (by warming the meat UNDER the sauce, it doesn't get too dry) Add garlic (if using). Cover with sauce and bake about ten minutes:

Meanwhile, prepare the cheese. I used a mixture of asiago, cheddar (on the left), and slices of fresh mozzarella (on the right)

Add cheese and any other toppings (in this case tomato) and return to oven:

Bake another 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted:

Variation on theme: another cheese and fruit lunch

Very similar to the light supper I posted a few weeks ago, but after all, aren't all meals a variation on theme?



This tray consisted of Brie (which I found in a thin stick form from Trader Joes!), sliced salami, the always fun TINY champagne grapes, a granny smith apple, pate compagne (a rougher pate), and ligonberry jam to compliment the brie. I served with a variety of crackers.

Help! Cooking on Gas

Ok - I need help from anyone who has been cooking on gas for more than ninety minutes. I just made a simple soup (fresh sweet corn with canned crab in a seafood/paprika broth). I burned the roux WHILE watching it. How do I get the knack for this??

My oven also cooked my salami/croissant rolls in about half the time they should have. Any thoughts? (to make this easy soup accesory: open one can of croissants, roll each one with three thin slices of hard salami or pepperoni and bake as directed)

Here's approximately how you make the soup:

Melt 1/2 stick butter in sauce pan, whisk in 1/4 cup flour. Brown until just nutty smelling and a light toast color. (or darker brown if you want to do it EXACTELY as I did today) Stir in about 2 teaspoons paprika, and a teaspoon of seafood (or chicken) soup base. Add 2 cups water and stir while it comes to a boil. Add some herbs. I forget which ones. It's more about green flakes looking good than taste - the main flavor is paprika, crab and sherry.

Cut the kernels off six ears of sweet corn with your knife (or thaw a bag marked "sweet corn" from your freezer). Add the kernels to the pot.

Open two cans of crabmeat (the cheaper ones on the shelf in the grocery store - not the mortage-the-children cans in the seafood department). Add both the meat and the juice to the pot. Refrain from adding the wax paper.

Bring back to a simmer. Serve with a tablespoon or two of sweet sherry per bowl. The Southern resident also likes hot sauce for a bit more heat.

French Bread Pizza

Crust:

1 loaf French bread

Sauce:

2 small cans tomato sauce (or 2 cans tomato paste and some water)

basil, oregano, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, onion

cheese:

mozzarella

(add any other varieties you like: havarti, asiago, parrano, romano, parmesan, cheddar)

toppings:

sky is the limit! I used zucchini, salami, tomatoes, chicken and carmelized onions on this batch

Cut the French bread in half horizontally, and then in halves lengthwise. Lay on a baking sheet.

Make sauce (or open a jar of pizza sauce - we won't tell!). If you have pesto in the fridge, just mix a couple of tablespoons of that into the tomato and forget the spices. Spread the sauce on the bread.

Add cheese(s) and toppings.

Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.

Cheese and Sausage Tray - light supper

As we continue our heat wave here in Philadelphia, here is another don't-heat-up-the-kitchen idea, which is also great for an elegant picnic.

Choose a couple of types of cheese:

1 soft, semi-spreadable cheese (saint andre, brie, etc.) - serve in a chunk

garnish for soft cheese: fig spread, raspberry jam, strawberry jam, marmalade ...

1 hard nuttier cheese (parrano, asiago, swiss) - cut into smaller bits

1 medium cheese, if desired (dubliner, sharp cheddar) - cut into squares

sliced hard salami or summer sausage
garnish for salami: whole grain mustard (I was out this time)

Hearty crackers and/or sliced baguette

Pate is also a wonderful addition. Or smoked salmon and cream cheese.

My tray yesterday included Saint Andre Cheese, Ligonberry jam, mushroom liver pate, chianti salami, baguette, and parrano. I served with a fruit salad of cantelope and blueberries, and a separate salad of mixed greens, thousand island and thin slices of radish.

You can also make a larger version of this for a party - and it doesn't take much effort right before the guests arrive, which is more than can be said for most appetizers.