Pizza, All Grown Up

Hailing from Chicago, I would like to think of myself as a bit of a pizza connoisseur.  Add to that, having a grandfather who came to the United States from Italy in his late thirties, I know that I know a thing or two about pizza.

Pizza does not have to be the gooey, over-the-top, cheesy stuff that most Americans think of when the pizza guy rings the doorbell. Pizza today can be as sophisticated or as simple as you would like it to be.

Of course, every time I get homesick, I whip up a deep-dish, Chicago classic, but that is for another column.

This week, I stepped into on Mexico Road. My goal was simple! I needed pizza crust. I normally make pizza crust from scratch, but I was running out of time that day.

Valenti’s had just what I was looking for—12 ounce, frozen balls of dough which I could easily pass off as homemade to my picky family. I could not pass up the fresh Sazziza sausage from the meat case, or the paper thin prosciutto from the deli case. I also grabbed a few fresh mozzarella balls and some other ingredients and was on my way.

Within two hours, the frozen dough balls sitting on my counter were thawed. I was ready to go.

Basic Pre-Baked Pizza Crust (each pizza serves 2-3 people)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll out the dough ball to a 12-inch circle with a rolling pin (no need to flour the counter). Spray a cookie sheet or perforated pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the dough circle on the sheet and bake for about 13 minutes or until the crust has slight golden hints and it slides around on the pan when shaken. Remove from the oven and top with your favorite toppings, or choose from the combinations below. Once you have topped the pizza, return it to the oven and bake until your cheese is golden.

Pesto Pizza

• 1 Valenti’s Market pizza crust, pre-baked
• ¼ cup prepared pesto sauce
• 12 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Spread the prepared pesto on the pre-baked crust, top with the mozzarella and pepper. Bake 10 minutes or until the cheese is light golden in most places. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Patti’s Prosciutto Pizza

• 1 Valenti’s Market pizza crust, pre-baked
• 1 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 ounces prosciutto slices cut into 1/8 inch strips
• 4 ounces Fontinella cheese (found in the cheese case at Valenti’s Market), crumbled
• 2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

In a small non-stick pan, heat ½ tablespoon olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the prosciutto strips and fry until it browned and crispy, about 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove the prosciutto and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Brush the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil onto the pre-baked crust. Liberally grind pepper over the olive oil brushed crust.

Sprinkle both cheeses evenly over the crust. Top evenly with the drained prosciutto. Sprinkle again with freshly ground pepper.

Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is a light golden in most places. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Joey’s Favorite (This pizza is a favorite of my teenage son and his friends. Prepare the sausage in advance of pre-baking the pizza crust)

• 1 Valenti’s Market pizza crust, pre-baked
• 2 Sazziza sausage links (found fresh in the meat counter at Valenti’s Market)
• 1 cup prepared pizza sauce
• 2 fresh mozzarella balls (Valenti’s Market keeps them in the back, so you need to ask for them), sliced ¼ inch thick, cut so that each piece is about the size of a half-dollar
• 1 teaspoon dried basil

Preheat oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the sausage links in a pan and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees, turning halfway through cooking. Remove the sausage from the oven and slice into ¼ inch thick rounds.

Proceed to pre-baking the pizza crust.

Spread the pizza sauce over the pre-baked crust. Arrange the cheese slices over the pizza, leaving space between the slices. Arrange the sausage over the pizza. The sausage can sit on top of the cheese or be placed between the cheese slices. You may have a few pieces of sausage left over.

Sprinkle the dried basil over the pizza and bake for about 8 minutes or until the cheese looks melted and the pizza sauce is bubbling slightly. Remove, slice and serve warm.

Note: Fresh mozzarella will not always brown the way processed mozzarella does. Some fresh mozzarella has slightly higher water content than aged or processed mozzarella. It may be necessary to lightly blot the moisture from the top of the pizza before cutting.