Make Pizza At Home -- And Make It Healthy!
Pizza always seems like a guilty pleasure, but you can take the guilt out and leave all the pleasure in!
On The Early Show Thursday, Bon Appetit magazine contributing editor Dede Wilson showed how to make our own pizza, using healthy ingredients just coming into season, such as asparagus and arugula.
By making it at home you can cut away a lot of the calories. Dede showed how, with some farm-fresh ingredients, pizza can be a wholesome meal for the whole family.
Making homemade pizza is a fun family activity, she notes, and the result is healthy, since you control the portion size and what goes into and onto your pizza.
It's also a great party theme: Offer guests a glass of Italian bubbly, their own dough and choices of seasonal and colorful toppings.
Some toppings that are a fresh take on the traditional tomato and cheese:
Throw in some Roasted Tomato Sauce, and a Caramelized Onion-Pine Nut Topping, and you have the fixin's for a gourmet dinner!
This could also make for a very budget-minded party, using Prosecco, a flavorful Italian sparkling wine that you can find for about $10 a bottle. Prosecco can also double as your dessert course: Simply add a scoop of sorbato (a cross between sorbet and gelato), and you have a very grown-up ice cream float!
Dede, of course, makes her own dough, but you can also buy it
RECIPES:
Overnight Pizza Dough
The dough gets its slightly tangy flavor from a "sponge" (a mixture of warm water, yeast, and flour that's allowed to ferment). Timing note: The sponge needs to rest overnight; the dough needs to rest for about eight hours.
MAKES EIGHT 9-INCH PIZZAS
INGREDIENTS
SPONGE
1 cup lukewarm water (110°F to 115°F)
1 envelope active dry yeast, divided
1 cup all purpose flour, divided
DOUGH
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (110°F to 115°F)
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 envelope active dry yeast
6 cups (or more) all purpose flour
Olive oil
Yellow cornmeal
Sauces and toppings
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Pizza stone
METHOD
SPONGE
Place 1 cup lukewarm water in large bowl of heavy-duty mixer. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon yeast (reserve remaining yeast for dough) and 1/4 teaspoon flour over water. Let stand until yeast dissolves and mixture looks spongy, about 4 minutes. Add remaining flour and whisk until smooth; scrape down sides of bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge rest at room temperature in draft-free area overnight (about 12 hours; sponge will look bubbly).
DOUGH
Add 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 envelope yeast, and remaining yeast to sponge, then add 6 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, beating with dough hook to blend after each addition. Continue to beat until dough is smooth, comes cleanly away from sides of bowl, and is only slightly sticky to touch, scraping down bowl occasionally, about 5 minutes. If dough is very sticky, beat in more flour, 1/4 cupful at a time. Scrape dough onto floured surface; knead into smooth ball.
Brush inside of large bowl with oil. Add dough; turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; chill 6 hours, kneading dough down when doubled (after 2 hours).
About 1 1/2 hours before baking, dust 2 baking sheets with flour. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead gently; shape into 16-inch log. Cut into 8 equal pieces. Knead each piece into smooth ball. Arrange 4 balls of dough on each sheet. Cover loosely with kitchen towels and let rise until almost doubled, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
If using pizza stone, place in oven.
Preheat oven to 500°F for 45 minutes. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, dust dough with flour. Press into 5-inch round, then gently stretch and roll out to 9-inch round.
If using pizza stone, sprinkle pizza peel or rimless baking sheet with cornmeal. If not using pizza stone, sprinkle large baking sheet with cornmeal. Place dough round on cornmeal; brush lightly with oil. Top as desired. Slide pizza onto stone or place pizza on baking sheet into oven.
Bake pizza until sauce is bubbling and crust is crisp and brown, lifting edge of pizza to check underside, about 14 minutes.
For more recipes, to go Page 2.
Arugula-Almond Pesto
This fresh take on pesto uses arugula instead of the traditional basil, giving the sauce a peppery kick. You can use the pesto as a pizza sauce, with roasted asparagus, well-drained cooked spinach, and crumbled feta as delicious toppings.
MAKES ABOUT 1 1/4 CUPS
INGREDIENTS
1 garlic clove, peeled
3/4 cup finely grated Asiago cheese*
1/3 cup unsalted natural almonds
4 cups (packed) baby arugula
1 tablespoon (or more) fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1/4 cup olive oil
*Available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.
METHOD:
Finely chop garlic in processor. Add cheese and nuts. Process until nuts are finely chopped. Add arugula, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and peel. Blend to coarse paste. Blend in oil. Season pesto with salt and pepper and more lemon juice, if desired. Transfer to bowl. Cover and chill up to 3 days.
Roasted Tomato Sauce
Roasting the tomatoes gives their flavor extra depth. You can use the sauce for pizza, with slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, and roasted eggplant as three delicious options for toppings.
MAKES ABOUT 2 1/2 CUPS
INGREDIENTS
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 pounds plum tomatoes, cored, halved lengthwise
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
METHOD
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, on sheet. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil. Turn cut side up again if needed. Sprinkle with coarse salt, then oregano. Roast until soft but beginning to brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool on sheet.
Puree tomatoes in blender until smooth. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add tomato puree and tomato paste and bring to boil, whisking to blend. Boil until sauce is reduced to 2 1/2 cups, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool sauce. Cover and chill up to 3 days.
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
This salad is a great side dish, but even better as a pizza topping. Brush the dough with olive oil, sprinkle it with sea salt and shredded mozzarella, then bake. When the pizza comes out of the oven, top it with the salad.
MAKES ABOUT 3 1/2 CUPS
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
4 cups (packed) baby arugula
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
METHOD
Blend first 4 ingredients in processor. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Cover; chill up to 3 days.
Combine arugula and tomatoes in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat.
Caramelized Onion, Rosemary, and Pine Nut Topping
Sweet caramelized onions, earthy rosemary, and crunchy pine nuts make a great topping for bruschetta or pizza. If making a pizza, top the dough with the onion mixture, then add your toppings. Blue cheese, halved Kalamata onions, and prosciutto would be delicious with the onions.
MAKES ABOUT 1 1/2 CUPS
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 pounds onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
METHOD
Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low; mix in rosemary and salt. Sauté until onions are golden, about 30 minutes. Season with pepper. Cover and chill up to 3 days. Stir in pine nuts before using.