Pizza with Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Asparagus and Lemon

This pizza is the best I have ever made or eaten so far in my culinary adventures. I was inspired by a pizza my husband Tom and I use to eat in NYC at a little place called Waldy's on 26th street and 6th ave. Although I do not have the wood burning oven, this pizza still comes out amazing in my oven at home. I am really proud of the recipe and I hope you will enjoy this one. 

This pizza has a crispy thin crust, which is the perfect canvas for the rich and salty Italian Prosciutto. It is topped with mozzarella cheese, fresh asparagus spears  and slices of roasted lemons. I season it with cracked black pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. The combination of all the fresh ingredients makes for a perfect thin crust pizza. 

Pizza with Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Asparagus and Lemon 
Serves 8 

For the Crust:  
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup of warm water
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting 

1. Prepare the pizza dough: In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine yeast, sugar and warm water, stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand 5- 10 mins until it starts to foam. 

2. Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tbsps of olive oil. Add in the flour a little at a time, mixing on lowest speed, until flour is incorporated. Keep mixing on medium speed, if it feels really sticky add a little more flour, if it is dry and crumbly add a little more water.Keep mixing for 5 minutes until the dough comes to a ball and become elastic. 

3. Coat the dough with a little oil and place it back in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour. 

4. Once the dough has doubled in size, divide dough into 2 balls. Cover and let rest for 10 mins to make it easy to roll out. (If the dough is not rolling easily, let it rest a little while longer.)

5. At this point you can use the dough immediately, wrap the balls of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, or you can freeze the dough for later use.

6. When you are ready to use the dough, preheat the oven to 500 degrees with baking sheet in the oven.

7. Roll each section out into a 16-20" circle or oval shape. Place the dough on parchment paper.

8.Place the toppings on the dough (all the way to the edge) and brush crust with a little olive oil

9. Once the baking sheets are preheated place the parchment paper on the sheet (one pizza per baking sheet) and bake for 10-15 mins. Check at 10 mins and make sure it is not burning on the bottom.  You can serve one pizza while the others are baking in the oven, or bake all the pizzas and reheat before serving.

For the toppings: (These are for two 16" size pizzas)
Olive oil  8 oz good quality Proscuitto-thinly sliced
1 head of asparagus: cut into 2 inch pieces,  blanched until barely cooked 
lemons: peeled and sliced into 12 slices
16 oz of whole milk mozzarella cheese- shredded or sliced thin
1 oz Pecorino Romano Cheese: shaved with a vegetable peeler
Fresh cracked pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes 

1. Once the dough has been rolled out thin brush edges with a little olive oil. Lay the slices of Prosciutto onto the dough. Add mozzarella cheese, slices of lemon (6 per pizza), scatter asparagus, and top with shaved Pecorino Romano cheese, black pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. 

2. Continue with recipe above and bake are directed: about 10 minutes at 500 degrees F. 

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

My aunt sent me this recipe for a pizza crust made out of cauliflower as gluten free and also healthy alternative to regular pizza. I was skeptical at first, how good could a pizza crust be made out of cauliflower? Well, the answer is very good but you should keep in mind that this is not going to be exactly like regular pizza. The taste is a bit different than a regular slice but the texture is great. I REALLY enjoyed how this recipe came out and I am definitely making this again soon!

The mozzarella cheese in the crust helps to make it crispy. I opted to add little cheese to the top of the pizza because there was enough in the crust. You can definitely top this "pizza" with any of your favorite toppings, but I decided a few roasted tomatoes and a little mozzarella and Parmesan cheese was perfect for me.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Makes one 9-10 inch pizza

Ingredients:
1/2 head of cauliflower (about 2 cups riced)
Olive oil
1 cup part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

2. Remove the stems and leaves from cauliflower and cup florets into chunks. Add to food processor (or a Vitamix) and pulse until the texture is similar to rice. If you don't have a food processor you can grate the cauliflower with a cheese grater or chop it very fine.

3. Add a small amount of olive oil to a non stick skillet and saute cauliflower "rice over medium heat and cook about 6-8 minutes.

4. In a bowl combine the cooked cauliflower with all remaining ingredients. Spread dough out evenly over cookie sheet; about 1/4" thickness. The pizza should be around 9-10 inches in diameter.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden, crispy on the edges and cooked through the middle.

6. Top the pizza with toppings of choice (be careful not to add too many toppings or it will weigh down the crust) Broil the pizza for 5 minutes, or until topping are hot and cheese is melted. Allow pizza to cool 2-3 minutes then cut and serve.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Need a quick and easy idea for dinner? Try this recipe for creamy mushroom pasta. I am not a huge pasta eater but I found myself looking forward to eating these leftovers, even sneaking a taste at 9:00 am the next morning. This is one of Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals. The only addition I made was adding in some spinach that I had in my refrigerator.

I used a gluten free brown rice fettuccine pasta for this recipe but you can use regular fettuccine or spaghetti. Hope you enjoy!

Creamy Mushroom Pasta 
4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound of spaghetti or fettuccine
1 1/2 pounds of mixed mushrooms- button or cremini mushrooms
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, eyeball it as Rachel would say
2 leeks
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 cups baby spinach
Fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup cream
Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese, for topping

1. Wipe mushrooms clean with damp towel. Remove larger stems and thinly slice mushrooms.

2. Heat a large deep skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in mushrooms and cook until deep golden color and tender; about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, get a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

4. While the mushrooms are cooking, halve the leeks lengthwise. Cut off a could on inches from the tough tops. Trim the root end. Thinly slice leeks and wash very well in a large bowl of color water. Making sure to rinse off all the sand and grit. Lift the leeks out of the water and let dry on a paper towel (You can do this step ahead of time if you would like)

5. Add the leeks to mushrooms along with garlic and spinach, if using. Season with salt, pepper and fresh thyme. Cook 3-4 minutes. Add in white wine and reduce for 1 minute then stir in cream and heat through. Toss pasta with mushroom sauce and adjust seasoning to taste. Top with grated cheese.

Butternut Squash Lasanga with Pork Ragu

Over the summer I watched an episode of Anne Burrell’s show on the food network, she happened to be cooking a gluten free meal. I knew immediately that I wanted to try the butternut squash lasagna recipe, it looked amazing. At the time squash wasn’t in season so I saved the recipe and waited for a better time to try it.

After hurricane Sandy hit us and left us without power for a week, I was really looking forward to cooking and baking as soon as we got our power back. This recipe was perfect for my first night back in the kitchen for two reasons: my mother-in-law offered me fresh picked butternut squash from their garden and it served enough people to allow me to invite my extended family over for a meal to thank them for all the hot showers and dinners over the past week. (They happened to have hot water and a gas stove top, but no power)

I was so happy with how this recipe came out; I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. I would categorize this recipe under intermediate, unless you have a child under 2 years old, then I was put this under the extremely difficult category. At the very least make this recipe during nap time. Layla tore apart the kitchen as I cooked and when I turned around all my tea bags were opened. I was left with a baby covered in blueberry tea leaves!

My suggestion would be to make the pork ragu (which is amazing on its own) ahead of time or the day before. Then you can finish the other components of the lasagna and assemble in less time. You can prepare the entire recipe the day of but it is just a little time consuming…BUT WELL WORTH IT!! I am definitely going to make this again and again and I would feel very confident serving this dish to any crowd of people that make their way into my dining room.

Please don’t think this recipe is for gluten free eating only. It will impress anyone who loves lasagna. I really hope you try this one out. Enjoy!!!!!

Butternut Squash Lasanga with Pork Ragu (Recipe from Anne Burrell- foodnetwork.com)

Serves 8-10

Butternut Squash Lasanga with Pork Ragu

Ingredients:

Pork Ragu:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
1 large Spanish onion, cut into 1-inch dice
1/2 fennel bulb, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Pinch crushed red pepper
2 pounds ground pork
1 cup tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups pureed canned tomatoes
4 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 fresh thyme bundle

Lasagna:
3 butternut squash, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices, preferably on a mandoline
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Pinch crushed red pepper
2 pounds assorted wild mushrooms, or any kind you like, stemmed and sliced
2 pounds washed baby spinach (I used a mixture of baby spinach and frozen)
1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
2 cups grated Parmesan

For the pork ragu:
1. Place the garlic, celery, onions and fennel in a food processor and puree to a coarse paste.

2. Coat a large, wide pot with olive oil and toss in the pureed veggies. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat and season generously with salt and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Cook the veggies until they start to get brown and form a crust on the bottom of the pan; (be patient...this will take a little time.) Scrape the crud off the bottom of the pan and let it re-form. Stay with it and DO NOT let it burn.

3.Add the ground pork, sprinkle with salt and repeat this process. This takes patience...accept it and move on. THIS is where BIG flavors are formed.

4. When the meat is nice and brown, add in the tomato paste, stir to combine and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the white wine and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Toss in the pureed tomatoes, bay, cinnamon stick, thyme and 2 cups water. Taste and season with salt if needed. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, add more water and reduce again. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Turn off the heat and use immediately or store for future use.

For the lasagna: 

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Working in batches, toss the butternut squash slices with olive oil and salt. Lay the squash slices on sheet trays and bake until the squash is tender but still holds its shape, about 20 minutes. Repeat until all the squash is roasted.

2.Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, toss in 2 of the garlic cloves and a pinch of crushed red pepper and bring the pan to a medium-high heat. When the garlic is golden and very aromatic, remove it and toss it in the "thank you for coming bowl". Add half of the mushrooms to the pan, season with salt and cook until they are soft and wilted. Remove from the pan and reserve. Repeat this whole process--starting with the oil and garlic--with the remaining mushrooms, followed by the spinach in 2 batches. Drain and cool the cooked spinach in a colander or mesh strainer.

3. In a large bowl combine the ricotta and parsley.

4. To assemble: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a ladleful of the pork ragu in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spread it around to LIGHTLY cover the bottom of the dish.

5. Arrange an even layer of the roasted squash on top of the ragu; be sure the squash completely covers the surface of the baking dish--this acts as the "pasta". Cover the squash layer generously with more ragu. Spoon 1-tablespoon scoops of the ricotta mixture over the ragu. Arrange an even layer of spinach and mushrooms over the ricotta. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan. Lay another layer of squash over the Parmesan and repeat the process until the baking dish is full, ending with a top layer of squash topped with a little ragu and Parmesan.

6. Cover the baking dish with foil, place on a sheet tray and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Summer Pasta with Tomatoes and Corn

Tom and I are not big pasta eaters on a weekly basis but every once in a while we crave a good fresh pasta dish. This is a quick meal for any night of the week. It's best in the summer time when the tomatoes are ripe and the local corn is sweet. I made Tom tortellini pasta and for myself I made brown rice pasta (gluten free). I find the brand Tinkyada to be really delicious!

Summer Pasta with Tomatoes and Corn
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 lb dry cheese tortellini pasta or any of your favorite dry pasta
1 pint cherry tomatoes-cut in half
2 ears of corn- husks removed
Good olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
1 bunch of fresh basil-chopped


1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil, place tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil. Season with a little salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Mix together and bake for 15-20 mins until very soft.

2. Meanwhile, place the corn cobs in a pot of boiling water, cover and cook 10 mins. Remove from heat. When the corn is cool enough to handle, remove the kernels from the cob. Set aside.

3. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package instructions to al dente. Drain the pasta (reserving 1/4 cup pasta water) Add tomatoes, corn, reserved liquid and chopped basil. Top with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and crumbled feta cheese. Season with addition salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Drizzle with a bit of finishing olive oil and enjoy!

Greek Salad Pizza with Roasted Shrimp

Pizza is starting to be my favorite thing to make these days. For me, it is the perfect combination of baking and cooking. It's an easy way to experiment with all different ingredients and flavors.

My inspiration for gourmet pizza's comes from a wood- fired pizza place in NYC, Waldy's. It is a little place right in midtown and makes amazing thin crust individual pizzas. It's a great place to go to avoid the horrors of Penn Station food and the over priced restaurants in the surrounding area. Waldy's is located at 800 6TH AVE (27th St. between 6th Ave. & Broadway), definitely check it out if you are in the area. 

As I said above, my inspiration comes from that type of pizza, however, I like to create my own flavors and combinations. This is my attempted at a healthy pizza, and I have to say it came out exactly as I planned. Enjoy!!

The recipe below uses 1/3 of the pizza dough recipe. You can freeze the extra dough or double/triple the toppings to make 3 pizza's instead of 1. 

Greek Salad Pizza with Roasted Shrimp
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
1 recipe for pizza dough (recipe below) or store bought pizza dough
1 head of romaine lettuce-chopped
1 handful of mixed greens-optional
1 red bell pepper-chopped into bite sized pieces
10 cherry tomatoes-halved
5-6 pepperoncini's
1 small cucumber-sliced thin
4 oz feta cheese-crumbled
Kalamata olives-optional
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil
Dried oregano
Salt and pepper

For the Shrimp:
1/2 pound medium shrimp-peeled and devained
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Dried oregano
Dried rosemary
Dried Thyme

1. Prepare pizza dough (recipe below) and set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place red bell pepper on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 10-15 minutes until soft. Set aside.

3. Prepare the shrimp: On a baking sheet place shrimp on a single layer and coat with olive oil, salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme and dried rosemary to taste. Roast in the oven for 5-10 minutes until done; they should be opaque and pink. Set aside.

4. Turn the oven to 500 degrees F.

5. Roll out the pizza dough into an oval or rectangle shape to fit onto a baking sheet. Brush the dough with olive oil and season with dried oregano and a little black pepper. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

6. While the pizza dough is baking, prepare the lettuce. Place the romaine lettuce in a bowl and dress with lemon juice, olive oil, oregano. Toss together.

7. Remove the pizza dough from the oven. Let cool 5 minutes. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, top it with dressed lettuce, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini, feta cheese, cucumber, Kalamata olives and roasted red pepper. Scatter roasted shrimp on top of pizza and serve.



Pizza Dough: (For recipe above, only use 1 of 3 dough balls, freeze extra dough)

1. Prepare the pizza dough: In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine yeast, sugar and warm water, stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand 5- 10 mins until it starts to foam.
2. Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tbsps of olive oil. Add in the flour a little at a time, mixing on lowest speed, until flour is incorporated. Keep mixing on medium speed, if it feels really sticky add a little more flour, if it is dry and crumbly add a little more water.Keep mixing for 5 minutes until the dough comes to a ball and become elastic.
3. Coat the dough with a little oil and place it back in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.
4. Once the dough has doubled in size, divide into 3 even balls. Cover and let rest for 10 mins to make it easy to roll out. (If the dough is not rolling easily, let it rest a little while longer.)
5. At this point you can use the dough immediately, wrap the balls of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, or you can freeze the dough for later use.
6. When you are ready to use the dough, preheat the oven to 500 degrees with baking sheet in the oven.
7. Roll each section out into a 12" circle or oval shape. Place the dough on parchment paper.

Thin Crust Pizza Margarita

This is my version of Thin Crust Pizza Margarita. This can be a really quick and simple dinner if you make the dough ahead of time or buy pizza dough in the grocery store or from your local pizzeria. Try to find thin crust dough, if possible,

I like to roast the tomatoes so they become a soft, sweet, roasted tomato spread for the top of the pizza dough. Roasting the tomatoes is especially good to do if it is not tomato season.

If you end up making the dough yourself you can freeze any extra dough for another time. I have also added another one of my favorite topping combinations below.

Thin Crust Pizza Margartia
Makes Three 12" Crusts and serves 4 people ( 3 slices each)

For the dough:
Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup of warm water
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 cups flour, plus more for dusting

1. Prepare the pizza dough: In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine yeast, sugar and warm water, stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand 5- 10 mins until it starts to foam.
2. Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tbsps of olive oil. Add in the flour a little at a time, mixing on lowest speed, until flour is incorporated. Keep mixing on medium speed, if it feels really sticky add a little more flour, if it is dry and crumbly add a little more water.Keep mixing for 5 minutes until the dough comes to a ball and become elastic.
3. Coat the dough with a little oil and place it back in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.
4. Once the dough has doubled in size, divide into 3 even balls. Cover and let rest for 10 mins to make it easy to roll out. (If the dough is not rolling easily, let it rest a little while longer.)
5. At this point you can use the dough immediately, wrap the balls of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, or you can freeze the dough for later use.
6. When you are ready to use the dough, preheat the oven to 500 degrees with baking sheet in the oven.
7. Roll each section out into a 12" circle or oval shape. Place the dough on parchment paper.
8.Place the toppings on the dough (all the way to the edge) and brush crust with a little olive oil
9. Once the baking sheets are preheated place the parchment paper on the sheet (one pizza per baking sheet) and bake for 10-15 mins. Check at 10 mins and make sure it is not burning on the bottom.  You can serve one pizza while the others are baking in the oven, or bake all the pizzas and reheat before serving.

For the topping:
Ingredients:
15 large roma tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Herbs of choice (thyme, rosemary, oregano)
8 oz Fresh Mozzerlla
Basil

1. Cut 15 roma tomatoes in half or in quarters and place on a baking sheet. Coat with oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Roast at 350 degrees for 40-45 mins, until soft. You can make this ahead of time and set aside until ready to use. (You can prepare this as the dough is rising)
2. Once the tomatoes are soft, spread them on the pizza dough, covering as much as possible and top with slices of fresh mozzarella and chopped basil. Use 5 large tomatoes per pizza or 6-7 if they are smaller.
3. Bake pizza at 500 degrees for 10-15 mins, checking at 10 mins to make sure bottom is not burning.

Prosciutto, Asparagus, Fresh Mozzarella and Lemon:

Ingredients:

4 oz thin slices prosciutto 

1 bundle asparagus

2 Lemons

8 oz fresh mozzarella

1. Chop the asparagus into 1 inch pieces; discarding the tough bottoms of the stalks.

2, Sautee the asparagus in a little olive oil salt and pepper for 5-8 mins, until soft. 

3. Brush the pizza dough with a little oil and place slices of prosciutto and mozzeralla on top. Top with asparagus and slices of lemon. 

4. Bake 10-15 mins at 500 degrees, checking at 10 mins to make sure bottom is not burning.