Italian Essentials Awesome Pizza Tart Food

SPUR-OF-THE-MOMENT ESSENTIALS: PIZZA QUESADILLA

Steps:

• You will need a skillet to make these yummy pizzas. Although they could be made in an air fryer, or even baked, I have not tried those methods, yet.
• Best Cheeses for Pizza Before making any pizza, you need cheese, but not just any old cheese, it is essential to understand what makes a cheese a good cheese for pizza. It needs to have: • Good browning capability without burning. • Just the right melting structure that will melt smoothly, and still retain a certain thickness. • Stretchability that leaves those yummy strands clinging to the pizza as you pull away your slice. • Low fat content helps the cheese to achieve that perfect stretch and melt • Low moisture levels helps the cheese develop that awesome browning without burning With that said, these are some of my favorite cheeses to use when making pizzas: • Mozzarella • Provolone • Parmesan • Gouda • Goat • Gruyere • Ricotta One more thing, never buy pre-shredded cheese, they come with things like cellulose (that comes from trees). Either cut off slices of fresh cheese from a bloc or shred your own.
• Best Meats for a Pizza Lots of good stuff out there... here are a few of my favorites: Pepperoni Pepperoni is a good call on any pizza. To get rid of some the excess grease I usually put them between two paper towels and nuke them for about 20 seconds before tossing them on the pie. Soppressata Similar to pepperoni, with a deeper flavor. Sausage A good Italian sausage is best if crumbled and spread all over the pizza; although, I sometimes like it in chunks. Do not forget to precook and drain as much of the excess grease as possible. Bacon Precooked, diced, and crispy, bacon is always a good choice Prosciutto Thinly sliced and spread over the pizza like a comforting blanket... Yummy. Meatballs Placed on the pie whole or sliced up. Italian pork/beef meatballs are the way to go. Chicken Cooked and shredded chicken with some Italian spices, or how about some buffalo chicken, served with some ranch dressing as a dipping sauce... Do I have your attention?
• The Best Spices for Pizza Here are a few of the spices that I like: • oregano • basil (fresh) • dried onion flakes • garlic powder • thyme • fennel • paprika • ground black pepper
• Dipping Sauce If I am not dipping my pizza into homemade ranch dressing, then it will be a yummy tangy pizza (red) sauce. Check these two out: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/salad/salad-other-salad/homemade-ranch-dressing-with-a-twist.html?r=3 https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/sauce-spread/other-sauce-spread/italian-essentials-awesome-pizza-sauce.html?r=1
• Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• Add a tablespoon of butter to a skillet over medium heat. While the butter is melting, brush some mayo on one side of a tortilla. Add mayo-side down, then add the cheese and other good stuff. The mayo helps in the browning process, and adds rich/deep flavor.
• Brush some mayo on one side of another tortilla, and add to the top, mayo-side up.
• When browned, about 3 - 4 minutes, flip and brown the other side. Just look at that yummy melted cheese.
• FYI: The pizza quesadilla I photographed for this recipe was the one for my housekeeper... she just likes cheese. The rest of us are carnivores.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• Cut up and serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

PIZZA ESSENTIALS: THE ULTIMATE SWEET PIZZA SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. A good solid saucepan, without any hotspots, is essential to this recipe.
• 3. What gives this sauce its unique flavor is not just the honey, but the proper cooking of the tomato paste. We are going to cook it, almost to the point of caramelization. One minute it will be nice and brown, and the next it will be a burned mess. Once that process is started, you will never leave the pan unattended.
• 4. One of my favorite brands of tomatoes is Cento. I think that they have the perfect balance of tomato flavors to compliment this recipe.
• 5. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• 6. Add the olive oil to a saucepan, over medium-low heat.
• 7. When the oil heats up, add the chopped garlic.
• 8. Cook until it turns a golden brown, about 2 - 3 minutes.
• 9. Use a strainer to remove the garlic from the oil, and then return the oil to the saucepan.
• 10. Add the tomato paste, and red-pepper flakes, if using.
• 11. Raise the heat to medium, and cook until the tomato paste begins to turn brown, and almost caramelizes, about 5 - 7 minutes.
• 12. Add the tomatoes, dehydrated onions, basil, oregano, and parsley.
• 13. Bring up to a light boil, then lower the heat, and lightly simmer for 20 - 30 minutes.
• 14. Chef's Note: Give the sauce a swirl with a spoon, about every minute or so.
• 15. Remove from the heat, and add the honey, and salt, to taste.
• 16. Add to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth.
• 17. Allow to completely cool, place in a jar, with a tight-fitting lid, and place in the fridge until needed.
• 18. PLATE/PRESENT
• 19. Use whenever you are looking for an awesome, slightly sweet pizza sauce. Enjoy.
• 20. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

ITALIAN ESSENTIALS: AWESOME PIZZA TART

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Although not a necessity, if you have a tart pan, it makes for a brilliant presentation.
• 3. Savory Tart Crust If you want to save time, you can find decent tart crusts at the local grocer. Just make sure it is a savory, not sweet crust. If you are looking for an awesome, flaky tart crust, look no further: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/pie/autumn-essentials-super-flaky-pie-tart-crust.html?r=10 Pizza Sauce Use your favorite tomato-based sauce; however, if you feel like making your own, here is brilliant one. If I do say so myself: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/sauce-spread/other-sauce-spread/italian-essentials-awesome-pizza-sauce.html?r=1
• 4. Gather your ingredients.
• 5. Prebake your tart shell, according to recipe directions, and reserve.
• 6. Some "store-bought" tart shells come prebaked... If that is the case, you have my permission to skip this step.
• 7. Slice the tomatoes into 1/4-inch (.6cm) slices. You want 4 slices.
• 8. Lay them on paper towels, and sprinkle with salt. Allow them to sit for a about 30 minutes, then blot the tops with another paper towel, and reserve.
• 9. Thirty minutes is just the minimum amount of time; you could go up to an hour without a problem. What we are doing is removing as much of the water from the tomatoes as possible. That will prevent the pizza tart from becoming soggy, and we hate it when that happens.
• 10. While you're waiting for the tomatoes to release their moisture, cook the sausage in a sauté pan over medium heat until no pink remains. Then drain on paper towels and reserve.
• 11. While cooking, use a wooden spoon to break the sausage into small bits.
• 12. Place a rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350f (175c).
• 13. Place the sliced provolone on the bottom of the prebaked tart crust. Add the sauce. Add the sausage. Add the tomatoes.
• 14. With the four slices of provolone, you should have enough to cover the bottom of the tart and come up about an inch (2.5cm) on the sides.
• 15. The provolone I used for this recipe was cut into 1/8-inch (0.4cm) thick, by 4-inch (10cm) diameter slices.
• 16. Top with the grated mozzarella.
• 17. Place the pie in the preheated oven and bake until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown, about 40 to 45 minutes.
• 18. PLATE/PRESENT
• 19. Let the tart cool about 10 - 15 minutes before serving.
• 20. Keep the faith and keep cooking.