Put Yourself in a Pizza Fix
We all eat pizza. It's good at all hours of the day (people who reach for the cold slice in the morning, you know who you are!), all days of the week. Olives and mushrooms, pepperoni and sausage, cheese and sauce, even as some strange half-breed topped with baked ziti, pizza seems to come in every variation imaginable. We order pizza when we are on the run during work hours, when it is 2 am and we've partied up an appetite, when we have a coupon for a Free Second Pie of Equal or Lesser Value!
Americans eat about 100 acres of pizza a day. That's a lot of delivery guys, a ton of empty boxes, and whole bunch of not-so-good calories just to satisfy a hunger in a hurry. So what is a good money-saving, time-conscious home cook to do when you get that craving but don't want to pick up the phone? Your choices aren't many. Making dough from scratch is hardly difficult, but the time it takes to make the dough, then to let it rest and rise, kind of defeats the goal of satisfying that carb-craving in a hurry. Other than that you can choose from freezer burned rubber that the grocery store passes off as pizza, or those equally bland and chewy pre-baked crusts that you're meant to top and bake yourself.
In my house growing up, like a lot of other American households, every Friday night was pizza night. However, unlike a lot of other Americans, we rarely ordered in. My mother, a master bread baker, used to take her recipe for whole wheat bread, took a portion for a loaf, and rolled it out into a pizza pan. Topped with fresh tomato sauce, low-sodium mozzarella, and some steamed vegetables, it was a deliciously healthy complete meal.
Later I took over pizza making duties, swapping the whole wheat dough for a chewier white crust, rolled thin and baked in a hot oven until it came out crispy in the middle and chewy around the edges. I got very creative in those years of topping my pies, making everything from sauce-less white pizzas, to dessert pizzas with cinnamon and sugar, to Mexican pizzas with ground beef and cheddar. No matter how out there my pizza mind wandered, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of oregano and my kitchen was transformed into a regular pizzeria.
I will be the first to admit that my solution to a quick homemade pizza is a far cry from the real thing. However, I strongly believe that a lot of commercially available pita bread has a similar texture to pizza dough once toasted in the oven. If you are careful not to buy the overly dry and crumbly variety, even Thompson's these days makes a reliably thick and chewy flatbread, the perfect canvas for your "pizza" creation. Once you have the bread figured out, the rest is easy.
By this point you must know I am an advocate of using up little bits of leftovers in your refrigerator and giving them new life in an entirely new meal. If you don't want sauce, just use a base of some grated parmesan to get the ingredients to stick. Then into a 500˚ F oven until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. What better way to cure your craving and clean out your fridge, in a way that is sure to be healthier that your delivery guy's heavy-on-the-fat-and-sodium commercial pie? Just hold the baked ziti, please!
Made with cumin, coriander, fresh oregano, dried oregano, salt and pepper, tomato paste, water, pita breads, Parmesan cheese
Serves/Makes: 4
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, finely minced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, small dice
- 1 pound ground lamb (or substitute turkey or chicken)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 4 sprigs fresh oregano
- OR
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- water (optional)
- 4 large fresh pita breads
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed, small dice
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped
- olive oil (optional)
- fresh torn basil (optional)
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (Note: If pita is fairly sturdy, place assembled pizzas directly on rack. If not, preheat a baking sheet with the oven).
In a large saute pan, preheat oil and pan over medium flame. Add onions and peppers and sweat for about five minutes to soften.
Add ground meat and more oil if necessary to prevent sticking. As meat browns, break up with a wooden spoon to combine with vegetable oil and brown evenly.
Once meat is mostly broken up and still browning, add cumin, coriander, oregano and a healthy dash of salt and pepper. Continue to saute for 1-2 minutes to bring out the aromas in the seasoning.
Add tomato paste and a splash of water if the mixture is very dry (this will often depend on how lean your meat is). Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 3-4 minutes to finish cooking.
Meanwhile you should have prepped the toppings.
To assemble the pizzas, start by even sprinkling each with a tablespoon of Parmesan; this will help the toppings to stick in the oven. Evenly divide meat mixture among the pies. Top with feta, chopped tomato and olives.
Place in the oven for about 10 minutes, until cheese has slightly melted and the bread has gotten sufficiently brown and crisp.
To serve, drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkling of some hand-torn fresh basil.
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