On the Go

Well here we are.
Summers over and everyone is back to school and work.
In my home that means a more hectic pace as everyone has a busier schedule.
Fast and healthy supper options are what I look for as we settle into our new routines.

One of my go-to dinner favorites is pizza. I use dough from my local deli to save time instead of making it myself.

You can vary the toppings to suit your taste. I try to put on as many healthy vegetables as as I can.
Unfortunately my tomato crop is doing very poor this year so I chose to use sun dried tomatoes instead of fresh.
I have left out exact amounts of toppings as you can adjust to suit your tastes.

While the pizza is in the oven toss a big green salad and there you have a great weeknight meal that can even be served to friends on the weekend.

Mediterranean Style Pizza

• 1 ball of homemade pizza dough (preferably whole wheat)
• olive oil
• sliced green and black olives
• sliced sun dried tomatoes
• sliced mushrooms
• sliced red peppers
• basil leaves chiffonade
• diced bacon
• diced onion
• sliced pepperoni
• sliced anchovies
  
• tomato sauce
• shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400F

Prepare toppings as needed.
Roll out dough to desired size to fit your pizza pan or stone.
Brush with olive oil
Spread tomato sauce evenly or the olive oil.
Sprinkle cheese over the sauce.
Evenly arrange remaining toppings over the cheese.

Place on pan or stone and bake in the oven until the dough in done in the centre and cheese is bubbly.
Remove and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes.
Slice and serve.

Wine Suggestion:Montepulciano

Cheers!

Divertiti!

As much as we love pizza after a while it is nice to have a change.

This is a folded over version of pizza called Calzone. The deep fried version found in some restaurants is called panzarotti.
This is a fun casual dish, perfect for the weekend.
The whole family can get involved rolling out the dough and preparing the toppings.
You can use almost anything as a filling that I haven't already used here such as olives, Italian sausage, bacon, anchovies or ground beef.
This recipe makes 4 large size calzones but the dough can be broken down in even smaller balls and used as appetizers for a party instead of a meal.

So get the whole family in the kitchen and have fun making this wonderful Italian dish.

Stuffed Calzone

• 2 balls of fresh pizza dough(white or whole wheat)
• olive oil
• 1 cup of tomato sauce of choice
  
• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 an onion chopped
• 1 green or red bell pepper chopped
• 1 tsp each of oregano and basil or 1 tbsp Italian seasoning mix.
  
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1/4 cup each of diced pepperoni, sliced Genoa salami, diced cherry tomatoes, diced mushrooms, prosciutto and ham.
  
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
  
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  
• tomato sauce for topping or dipping on the side

Preheat oven to 375F
Divide each ball of dough into half. Roll into 4 balls.
Dust all 4 balls and roll out to about 6 inch diameter circles.
Place on large greased cookie sheet or pizza stones.
Brush with olive oil.
In a nonstick pan cook the onion, pepper and mushrooms until softened.
Add remaining garlic, herbs, meats and vegetables.
Toss to evenly mix.
Place a large spoonful of filling on each calzone shell. Top with cheese blend.
Fold over dough and press together with fingers or a fork.
Brush with olive oil.
Place in oven and bake for 35 min until golden brown.

Meanwhile warm up some basic Italian tomato sauce. If you have any leftover meat mixture that wouldn't fit in the calzones toss it in the sauce.

Serve with sauce on the side or spooned over top.


Wine Suggestion: Red Sangiovese


Cheers!

Mamma Mia!

I love Fridays.
Knowing the whole weekend stretches out ahead of you..what a great feeling.
Its has been a hectic week in our neck of the woods.Hubby working overtime, kids worn out from the heat as their school lacks air conditioning.
I like to keep it simple on Fridays. Make something fun and easy.
Homemade pizza fits the bill perfectly. This version is an authentic Italian style "white" pizza without tomato sauce. My kids prefer this type to the tomato sauce laden version.

You can use uncooked dough and roll it out yourself however if you plan on grilling the pizza, getting it on to the grills will be a bit of a challenge. I used a store bought baked whole wheat pizza crust for this version. We had thunderstorms all evening so I had to bake it in the oven instead of grilling as planned. I have left out amounts of some ingredients.. You can adjust to suit your own tastes.

Pizza Bianca

* 1 store bought pizza crust of your choice.
* about 2 tbsp Olive oil
* Shredded mozzarella
* Shredded Parmesan cheese
* thinly sliced strips of prosciutto
* thinly sliced sundried tomatoes
* Fresh basil and oregano (can use dried Italian herb mix as well)

Follow instructions as per package of pizza dough.
brush crust with olive oil
sprinkle shredded cheeses over oiled crust
scatter sundried tomatoes and prosciutto
sprinkle with herbs
Bake in 400 degree oven or place on grill for 10 minutes.
Slice into wedges and enjoy!

There many variations of this pizza. I have used Genoa salami, sliced grape tomatoes, thinly sliced peppers...the options are endless!


Wine Suggestion: Merlot

Cheers!