I felt the need to try this recipe out this evening and was pleasantly suprised by how well it turned out.
I didn't finish until about midnight (how to hit the grocery store about 9:00PM when I discovered that I had run out of oregano). The end result was a savory delight, neither salty nor peppery, not sweet and not sour, but you can taste every herb and the olive oil in the crust. The crust is like a focaccia, with a very wet and stick dough. It rises quickly in the bowl so I recommend making it after you have the topping and sauce ready so it can rise in the pan. Original post follows:
When I was in high school (way back in 1972), the Tribune ran an easy to make pizza recipe that I just had to try. It included a quick, bready crust, easy to make sauce and even a quick 'sausage topping' from ground beef.
What follows is my personal reconstruction of that recipe, along with some embellishments.
I typically used a good sized cookie sheet with raised sides (1/2 inch) (or a large broiling pan)
Heat oven to 425.
Sauce
1 can of tomato sauce (15 oz)
1 teaspoon of minced garlic or garlic powder
2 tablespoons of honey or sugar
3/4 teaspoons of onion powder (even if you put sliced onions on the pizza)
1 1/2 teaspoons of oregano (base recipe says use only 1/4 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt (more or less depending on taste)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Mix and set aside.
Topping
1 lb of ground turkey or beef
1/2 cup chopped onion or 1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of minced garlic or garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of oregano
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried bay
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of water
1 cube of beef bullion
1/4 cup of water
Dissolve 1 cube of bullion in 1/2 cup of water (microwave for about 90 seconds).
Place oil in hot skillet, add spices/veggies and mix, add bullion mix and cover. Let simmer for 5 minutes under low flame. This melds the flavors. Add thawed meat, 1/4 cup of water, mix and stir, raise heat to medium, stir until thoroughly cooked and crumbly.
Cheese toppings
Healthiest is skim mozzarella. I generally use:
1 lb shredded mozzarella
1/2 lb of shredded american
6 tablespoons romano
6 tablespoons parmesan
(and sometimes)
1/2 cup shredded asiago
(Jewel also has a nice italian cheese mix that works well.)
Crust
1 package of dry active yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar (or honey)
2 to 2 1/2 cups of flour
My adds:
1 egg
1 to 3 tablespoons of oregano
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of dried bay or one package of chopped organic bay
Place water in microwaveable container. Add sugar or honey. Stir. Heat for 1 minute then test (should feel hot, but not burn your finger about 110-115 degrees). Stir in olive oil, salt and sugar. Sprinkle in yeast and stir with a non-metallic spoon (iron/steel reacts with the activated yeast, so plastic works best here - it is OK to us a metal measuring spoon as the yeast is not active at that point) and let sit about 5 minutes.
Oil a bowl.
Combine remaining dry ingredients (hold back 1/2 cup of flour) in a mixing bowl and stir well. Add yeast mixture, and egg (recommended) if you decide to use it. Mix well. Mixture should have the consistency of hot taffy. Dump into the pizza pan and spread to fill (add flour if you have to to keep it from sticking to everything - I like using a plastic knife). Make sure you build up the edges a bit. It is alright if the dough is very thin (1/8 inch), it bubbles up nicely while baking.
Assembly
When you have the rest ready:
Spread dough in a oiled and floured pan (corn meal works best for taste), adding that last 1/2 cup of flour as necessary. Add your meat topping and long cooking raw veggies (mushrooms, onion, garlic). Bake until crust starts to turn golden (generally about 15 minutes). Then remove to add sauce and cheese and bake until cheese melts and turns golden, with brown spots just appearing (10-12 minutes). The result is a pizza with a light but filling bready crust, a spicy sauce and savory meat topping. Enjoy!
Some variations
A favorite:
Spinach, pineapple and pesto and black olives (really good)
Others toppings and sauces:
Turkey (as mentioned), pepperoni, italian sausage, ham, bacon, hamburger, anchovies (I'll pass thanks), black olives.
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