Designer Pizza

Being a food snob means I scoff at takeout pizza. Ditto for fast food, frozen dinners and canned soup.

Yes, I’ve eaten all of the above-mentioned things at some point.

But it never brought me happy thoughts or joyful feelings. It probably just made me feel like a big fat cow.

Truth: I gave up fast food for Lent junior year in college. I’ve never returned since. And that was in the year 199….. er, a really long, long time ago. I was probably listening to Garbage or Dave Matthews or Fiona Apple. So, you do the math. Also during this time, I quit soda and potato chips. OK, I may eat a potato chip like two times a year now. But that’s it. Honest.

If you want happiness for your soul, then make a pizza. I love the anticipation to see how it turns out. You open the hot oven and the scent of sweet garlic and creamy mozzarella and baked bread smacks you in the face. And it looks all golden and fab. And your inner monologue is something like, "OMG. I made THIS. And it's going to be way delish. Yay. Super yay. Super fly yay!"

This week, we had Pizza with Carmelized Red Onions, Fresh Mozzarella, Basil and Prosciutto.

I’m pretty sure that’s not on the menu at Domino’s.

The combo of onions, mozzarella, basil and prosciutto is fantastically awesome. The red pepper flakes give it a major kick. The Husband  loved the spiciness. You can totally omit the red pepper if you'd like.

With the pizza, of course, came a salad: Baby Spinach with Citrus Dressing. So yummy, OMG. Making salad dressing is SO easy. Seriously.

Bottled salad dressing is also on my Shun List. So are mullets, Uggs, leggings and fake neon nails. But, I digress.

The spinach salad is so light and refreshing. Love. In the pic that my personal Paul Child aka Mark shot, you can totally see the delightful flecks of orange zest. So gorg.

Baby Spinach Salad with Citrus Dressing
(Makes 3 to 4 servings)

8 ounces baby spinach, washed and dried
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
Citrus Dressing (see below)

Place spinach and red onion in a bowl. Set aside.

Citrus Dressing
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 small orange, zest and juice
½ tsp. dried thyme
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together. Pour over baby spinach and onions when ready to serve.

Pizza With Carmelized Red Onions, Prosciutto and Basil
Pizza dough from bakery or pizza shop
1 large red onion sliced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Thinly cut prosciutto
Fresh mozzarella, not in water, sliced
20 basil leaves, washed and dried
Salt and pepper to taste

Roll out pizza dough so that it fits into a standard cookie baking sheet. With the tines of a fork, poke holes all over the dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside. I usually do this at least 2 hours ahead.

In a medium pan, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil and sauté red onion until fragrant. About 10 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic. Saute for about 4-5 minutes. Note: You can do this step ahead.

When you are ready to make the pizza:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove kitchen towel. Place tray with pizza dough in oven and bake for 6 to 10 minutes to lightly brown the bottom of the crust. (You can check to see if the bottom browned by gently lifting with a spatula).

Remove browned crust from oven. Scatter sautéed red onion and garlic mixture all over the crust. Top with fresh mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil on top of mozzarella. Bake for 12-14 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Remove pizza from oven.

Top with prosciutto slices and basil. After about five minutes, cut and serve.

For more homemade pizza recipes, please click here.