Quick Pizza on Naan

Naan bread is a type of flat, leavened Indian bread. I'd like to try making it on our grill sometime, but since it's readily available in our area, I buy it ready-made and like to have it on hand, either in the freezer or fridge... to make quick individual pizzas.

Ingredients for four:

• 1 pkg naan bread (4 servings)
• 1/2 cup spaghetti or pizza sauce
• 12 thin slices smoked sandwich ham or turkey, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese
• dried basil
• dried oregano

Method:

1. Spread bread lightly with your favorite sauce. ( I usually have a started jar of spaghetti sauce in the fridge)
2. Top with chopped ham and/or turkey slices and cheese.
3. Sprinkle with dried herbs.
4. Bake at 400 F about 5-10 minutes, until cheese bubbles.

Shrimp Feta Pizza

A local restaurant makes this very tasty luncheon pizza. I've come up with this version to make at home.

For each individual pizza you will need:

• 1 - 6 inch pita bread
• 1-2 tablespoons prepared Pesto Sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup small shrimp
• about 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese.

1. Spread pesto sauce over surface of each pita bread.
2. Sprinkle red pepper and shrimp over pesto.
3. Crumble feta cheese over the top.
4. Bake at 350º until hot and cheese begins to melt - about 10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with a few shrimp and a little more feta and serve.

Basil Tomato Pizza

This makes a nice change from a tomato sauce based pizza.

It makes a great appetizer as well.
I got the idea for the topping from a Pillsbury booklet but have changed it to suit our tastes.

Pizza crust *

1 ¼ cups warm water 2 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. instant yeast 3-4 cups flour

Mix flour, sugar salt and yeast in mixing bowl.
Add oil and warm water and mix to form a soft dough.
Cover and let rise until nearly double in bulk.
Grease large pizza pan or cookie sheet and sprinkle with about 2 Tbsp. cornmeal. (this keeps your crust from getting soggy)
Roll out dough on floured board or
you can just press it out, stretching it to fit the pan. You can get 2 medium sized pizzas from this amount of dough so I often spread it on another pizza pan and freeze it for another day.
Place on prepared pan.
Top with following mixture.

Basil Tomato Topping
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large garlic clove minced
½ tsp. basil leaves or 1-2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. fresh chives or green onions chopped fine
Thinly sliced seeded tomatoes ( Roma tomatoes are the best)
1-1½ cups coarsely grated Mozzarella cheese

In mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, garlic and basil until well mixed.
Spread on prepared crust.
Arrange tomato slices over topping and sprinkle with chives and grated Mozzarella.
Bake at 425º for 15 minutes or until it bubbles and the cheese just begins to brown.

* Time-saving Tip:
My sister uses one of those bagged. prepared crusts you can buy in the deli of your grocery store and it works very well.

Caesar Chicken Pizza

I clipped this little Kraft advertisement recipe from a magazine years ago. It's a very nice change from the usual tomato based pizza!

Ingredients:

pre-baked pizza crust

Creamy Caesar dressing

grated Parmesan cheese

drained, chopped frozen spinach

bacon bits

cooked chicken breast, cubed

Four Cheese Italiano, shredded

dried basil

red peper flakes (optional)

Method:

1. Thaw 1 pkg of chopped frozen spinach under cold running water.
2. Spread pizza crust with a thin layer of dressing. (If I buy pizza shells, I get the Pizza Parlor Multigrain, handstretched ones at Safeway. Two in a pkg. Very good!)
3. Sprinkle lightly with grated Parmesan cheese
4. Spread with chunks of spinach. (I used 1 pkg for 2 med sized pizzas)
5. Sprinkle generously with real bacon bits and cooked chicken
6. Top with four Cheese Italiano (or mozzarella)
7. Finish off with a sprinkle of dried basil and red pepper flakes, if desired
8. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 15 min or until cheese is melted.

Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese Pizza

One of our favorite places to go in Vancouver is at the Harbour . .where we enjoy the Smoked Salmon Pizza. It isn't pizza in the sense of pizza sauce and is definitely more likely enjoyed by adults. This last Christmas . . .I came up with a recipe that tastes very much like it. . .and we love it.

The dough has olive oil base and it sits in the fridge until you are ready to use it. .

Dough

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

2 teaspoons yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups of unbleached white flour

1. Mix together the yeast, sugar and olive oil with the water in a large bowl.
2. Mix in the flour with a wooden spoon and stir well.
3. Cover but not airtight.
4. Put in the fridge for a few days or leave on the counter for a few hours and use right away.
5. I had mine in the fridge for several days before using it.

Then I took half the dough and spread it on a large cookie sheet that had a smidge of olive oil on it. . .and let it rest a few hours.

I baked the dough at 400 on the parchment paper and cookie sheet until firm .. .about 10 minutes. Then I put the topping on. .

For the topping

Spread, half a brick. . .4 ounces of cream cheese.

Top with very thinly sliced smoked salmon .. .I bought mine at Costco

Sprinkle on very thin red onion. . .or capers .. .or both.

Put back into the hot oven without the cookie sheet. .but still on the parchment paper.

I did this to brown the bottom and make the flat bread crisp.

Very yummy. . . we love it. . .and think of reasons why we need to make it again . . .and again.

Just a crisp salad is all that is needed to make a nice dinner. .

Pizza Buns

To make pizza buns, I use:
the French Bread recipe
pizza or spaghetti sauce
grated cheese (approx 4 cups)
a few tbsp of bacon bits (optional)
dried basil and oregano (approx 1 tsp each)

Roll out as for French bread. Spread lightly with sauce. Cover with grated cheese, bacon bits, oregano and basil.
Roll up jelly roll style. Cut into 1 inch slices.
Place on greased or “parchment paper” lined cookie sheet.
Cover with tea towl and plastic. Let rise about half an hour or until they look puffy.
Bake at 375F about 15 min.

Enjoy warm or cold. Good substitute for a quick sandwich.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This recipe is my friend Betty W's and she graciously has allowed me to share it with you. When she made this I loved it. It probably helped that it was made with love! (she gives the best hugs)

Ingredients
Pizza dough for 2 12" pizzas.
1-1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce, your favorite ( we like the honey garlic, or hickory smoke)
approx 2 cups cooked chicken, roughly cut up or shredded.

Hubby has even gone and BBQ some chicken breasts(2) ahead of time for even more flavor- this is when we have plenty of time.

I really like picking up a couple of roasted chickens from the supermarket deli and using the meat for various dishes in the week. Great when you're pressed for time.

• red onion, chopped or thinly sliced, as much as you like, a handful for each pizza.
• green pepper, same as for red onion1 tin pineapple chunks, drained
  
• 8-12 oz mozzarella cheese, grated.
• a few slices of bacon fried and crumbled for the top.
• cornmeal to dust on the pizza pans.

Directions-

1. grease 2 12 inch pizza pans and dust with cornmeal
2. Press dough in gently, pushing to the edge for a nice round crust.
3. spread in preferred amount of BBQ sauce for each pizza, about 1/3 cup.
4. pour a bit of the sauce onto the chicken for more flavor.
5. sprinkle pizza with a little cheese
6. add the chicken, red onion, green pepper,pineapple and bacon
7. top with remaining cheese.
8. Preheat the BBQ on the one side only on high. You will cooking on indirect heat.
9. Put the pizza on the top of the heating rack on the opposite side of the flame and bake with the lid closed for about 15 minutes giving the pizza a quarter turn about every 5-7 minutes.
10. Total baking time is about 25-30 minutes.

Once you have had a BBQ pizza you may never want to have it made the conventional way again.
It really is fabulous!