pizza day – the best day of the week

Before our good friend Marshall moved away, he had us over one last time. While we were enjoying an eclectic assortment of music, people, games & beer, Marshall oh so innocently offered us a piece of Amy’s Pizza. But not just any Amy’s pizza.  Amy’s Roasted Vegetable Pizza with shiitake mushrooms, roasted red peppers and artichokes.

And just like that, we were hooked. During the past month or so, with the kitchen project causing utter chaos, time has been in short supply. And I must admit, we  have sent quite a few of our dollars Amy’s way. We in fact, became pizza junkies.

However, I am happiest when actually cooking, not just removing a frozen pizza from a cardboard box. So, I set out to make my own ‘Amy’s Pizza.’ What other use was I going to put to that can of artichoke hearts sitting in the back of the cabinet,  forlorn and forgotten?

I created this recipe with every intention of making 4 individual pizzas that could be frozen for later small-project-that-turned-into-ginormous-time-suck emergencies.

But who am I kidding. This pizza tastes waaaaay too good to not eat immediately for dinner and lunch the next day 🙂

 Roasted Red Pepper & Artichoke Pizza

Materials

 

Pizza Dough

 

• 1 cup + 3 tablespoons warm water
• 1 teaspoon agave
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon crushed rosemary
• optional: cornmeal + garlic powder

 

Pizza Topping

 

• 1 can artichoke hearts
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 onion, diced
• 0.5 pound mushrooms (crimini or shiitake), stems removed, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• olive oil
• salt
• optional: a few tablespoons of white wine

 

Methods

 

Dough

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water and agave. (The water should be just slightly warmer than lukewarm).

2. Mix in whole wheat flour; then add oil & rosemary.

3. Mix in spelt flour and turn onto floured surface; knead for 5 minutes, adding more flour until dough is no longer sticky. This is excellent free therapy.

4.Divide the ball of dough into 4 balls. Lubricate four bowls with a few drops of olive oil. For each dough ball, place into a bowl, turning once to coat in oil.

5. Cover dough with slightly damp towel and let rise for 1 hour in a warm area. (Pretty much anywhere in our house these days 🙂

 

 Topping

 

1. Coat the peppers and artichoke hearts lightly in olive oil and roast in the oven for ~20 minutes at 425 degrees.

* I made an extra step for myself by cutting the peppers into strips, roasting and then cutting them again into bite-size pieces. So do as I say and not as I do and just cut them into 0.5-0.75 inch pieces to begin with. They may take a little less than 20 minutes to cook so keep an eye on them.

2. While the other veggies are roasting, caramelize the onions and mushrooms. Heat a large pan over medium-low heat & add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and a sprinkle of salt. Cook over medium low heat for ~10 minutes then stir in mushrooms (and white wine if you’d like). Continue cooking another 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is soft and honey-brown in color.

 

Crust

1. In 425 degree oven, warm pizza stone for 3-4 minutes.

2. Remove stone, set on protected surface and sprinkle the top with cornmeal, garlic powder and a bit of flour.

3. Place 2 dough balls on the stone and use your fingers or a rolling pin to flatten into circles.

4. Place in oven and precook for ~3 minutes (until dough form bubbles but is not brown).

 

Putting it all together

1. For each pizza: spoon 1/8 of onion & mushroom mixture onto pizza, followed by 1/4 of peppers and artichoke hearts. Top with another 1/8 of onion & mushroom mixture.

2. Return to oven and bake for ~8-10 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and let cool for a minute. Then serve and enjoy!

 

 Results & Conclusions

 

The flavors of the peppers, artichoke and onions combine to give this pizza a wonderful savory yet slightly sweet taste. (Amy really knows what she’s doing!)

For some extra pizzazz, spoon a little nutritional yeast on top -it adds a subtle tangy kick.

While Amy’s pizza still holds a special place in my heart, homemade pizza definitely wins, hands down.

This pizza is truly best appreciated with a little background music .

So go make this pizza! But be careful – you may get hooked.