Another Saturday, Another Pizza - PICS

That stromboli is looking mighty fine, Porkbeaks. What exactly is the difference between a calzone and stromboli?

Boy, I am going to have to get back in the swing of things. I've dropped off on pizza making with so many things going on. Come to think of it we have been busy just about every Saturday night lately going out and stuff.

ooooo, that looks good...and the mix of fillings sounds great...love the combo of peperoni and chorizo!!!!Great idea!!

Thanks for the compliments!

Davydd - There is a lot of disagreement on what the difference is. In my experience, a calzone is turnover shaped and contains mostly cheese (usually mozz & ricotta). A stromboli can contain anything found on a pizza and (many times) shaped like a giant egg roll. With both types, the sauce is served on the side.

Lee - It really is a great combo. I used the mild version of chorizo so it wasn't too spicy. The soppressatta is wonderful if you get a quality brand. The first time I used  it I bought Boar's Head and wasn't that impressed.

  

You definitely need to open a pizza place!

myterry2


You definitely need to open a pizza place!

And I'd be a regular customer!!!!!!!

If I ever opened a pizza joint, it would have the hours of some of the BBQ places down here. "Open Thursday & Friday (maybe) from whatever hour I make it in and closing whenever I get the urge to go home". Sounds like WAY too much work for this lazy guy. Why do you think I use a bread machine to make my dough?  pb

Another Saturday...and finally I got back in the pizza making groove. Tonight I made a Jambalaya pizza. I made my dough as usual from scratch. Then I made a sauce with one can of tomato sauce, Uncle Ben's Ready Serve Cajun Rice and some Jambalaya spices. I thinly sliced one Andouille sausage, browned a cut up chicken breast with thyme and set aside a dozen or so de-tailed pre-cooked shrimp. I spread the sauce liberally on the dough but did not use it all, added the three meats, some onion and green pepper, and then added 8 oz. of fresh mozzarella cheese.

Here is the prep before adding the cheese


Here is the pizza out of the oven

Wow,Davydd,
    What a great Idea...I've had potato on pizzas lots of times, but never rice...and the rice mixed with the tomato sauce as a base is just perfect....I've got to try this!!How did it go over?

It was very good and VERY filling. I laid off the cayenne. It was not quite as hot and spicy as I would have preferred in deference to my spouse.

I had been thinking about this ever since last Christmas when my son-in-law made Jambalaya.

Nice looking and a terrific vehicle for jambalaya.

I could eat it with my hands!

I hate you all!!!  Trapped in a hotel room while I look for a place to live....no cooking:(

Can't wait to post my own pizza pics once I have an apartment here in Seattle......meanwhile I dream of homemade pizza!

Best of luck finding that perfect place...and looking forward to that pizza photo!!!!

It's been a while since I've made a pizza, but I finally got around to making one yesterday. I decided to make a deep dish pizza this time. I layered the toppings, from the crust up, as follows: provolone, sweet Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, and pepperoni, topped with the sauce. It turned out pretty good. As soon as it came out of the oven, I shredded some Parmesan on top of it.

Here is the pizza prior to baking.



Here it is once it was done.



Here's a pic of the pizza once I cut a slice. BTW- the red fingernails are not mine!



And finally, here's a slice just for you!

We went to Gino's in Chicago several years ago.  We ordered a small deep dish pie and we had to leave half of it..It was so filling.

It was different and the ingredients were first rate.  But, we like thin crust pizza.

Baah Ben


We went to Gino's in Chicago several years ago.  We ordered a small deep dish pie and we had to leave half of it..It was so filling.

It was different and the ingredients were first rate.  But, we like thin crust pizza.

I agree completely! We prefer thin crust pizza, more like New York style, as opposed to Chicago style. I had always made thin crust pizzas, and wanted to try the deep dish style. It was really good, just not our preference. It is filling- I didn't finish my piece.

Beaautiful jim bob!

I'm definitely in the thin-crust camp, but I sure wouldn't turn down a slice or three of that deep-dish.   pb

porkbeaks


I'm definitely in the thin-crust camp, but I sure wouldn't turn down a slice or three of that deep-dish.   pb

Thanks for the good words- however- if you could eat 3 slices of this pizza, you are a better person than I! The 10" pizza fed my wife and me for dinner 2 nights! And now, in a shameless attempt for attention and the admiration of all you RF bakers- here are 2 pics of the French bread I recently made- one w/ sesame seeds, the other w/ poppy seeds.

These pizzas look amazing -- I wish I were half the chef that you all are!  So inspired, here are two recent pies that I was particularly proud of:

(1) Last month, I wanted a hearty sausage pizza with really strong Kalamata olives.  I found the olives first at the grocery and also saw fresh mozz and artichoke hearts, so I skipped the sausage and decided on a full veggie pie instead.  Wheat crust from the grocery, extra sauce, hot cherry peppers, and a sprinkle of oregano later, it was ready:


And the after shot:


I put few cherry peppers on this time, because last time it was too spicy.  This pie was thick, saucy, and close to perfection.

Inspired by a similar pie from Corner Grille in Worcester, Mass., I attempted my first Chicken Curry Pizza.  Store-bought wheat naan served as the crust, and I used a jar red curry sauce, Trader Joe's Curry Chicken (pan-fried and chopped), roasted red peppers, scallions, and shredded mozz.  Into the oven for 12 minutes:


And piping hot and ready to eat:


This was fabulous!  The curry chicken was so savory and really set off this pie.  My friend Dan couldn't believe how good it was.  Maybe a little cumin sprinkled on top next time...but this was a winner.  Thanks to Davydd and all of you for the encouragement!    Chris

Fantastic looking pies, Chris. I'm looking to make an artichoke white pizza myself one of these days.   pb

As always, everyones most recent efforts look spectacular!!!

Boy Davydd that pizza looks delicious! I make all our own pizza, too, from crust to sauce (but not the cheese lol, I still buy that ready made). I'm originally from New Jersey and up here in Maine, well they do a great lobster roll, but pizza...not so much. I'm wondering what ratio of that high gluten flour to regular bread flour you use. I'd like to give that a try. Also, the crust on that baby of yours looks perfect. I like a thin crust pie and have only been able to achieve that effect using a pizza screen directly on the stone. Thanks for the inspiration!

Shara, I quit using high gluten flour when I had one dough ball absolutely refuse to stretch out. So I decided to keep it simple and only use regular bread flour. My pizzas have gone from thin crust now that I look back in this thread to the more thick puffy crust on the stone. My wife would like me to get back to thin crust. I might try that the next time.

One thing I have done in regard to cheese is I quit using those prepackaged grated cheeses. I usually buy those vacuum packaged round mozzarella cheese balls. 100% cheese will not burn as bad as that grated stuff that has fillers in it to keep it from clumping together. It tastes better too.

Davydd


Shara, I quit using high gluten flour when I had one dough ball absolutely refuse to stretch out. So I decided to keep it simple and only use regular bread flour. My pizzas have gone from thin crust now that I look back in this thread to the more thick puffy crust on the stone. My wife would like me to get back to thin crust. I might try that the next time.

One thing I have done in regard to cheese is I quit using those prepackaged grated cheeses. I usually buy those vacuum packaged round mozzarella cheese balls. 100% cheese will not burn as bad as that grated stuff that has fillers in it to keep it from clumping together. It tastes better too.

I use those mozzarella balls, too! There's a brand here in Maine called Bella Rosa that tastes very close to the fresh homemade stuff I used to get in Jersey. It's more expensive (not much really), but there's a big difference in taste imo. And the pizza screen on a stone enables me to get a really thin crispy crust like the Jersey pies I so love. Maybe your wife will get you one for your next birthday. ;)
 
I have to go through this whole thread. The few pages I saw are very inspiring. (And they make me hungry!)

Last night's dinner. My best spinach/mozz/bacon/garlic yet. Started in a 17x12 pan in 500 oven on stone for about 10 minutes. Then slid it out of the pan for 1-1/2 mins. browning directly on the stone.  pb
 
 
 
 
 
 

Oh my God,that's beautiful.....I'm drooling!!!!!!

Tonight's Pizza: Proscuitto, Italian salame, onion, kalamata olives, olive oil, red sauce, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese. This is the first time I baked a pizza on a 16" screen, not on a pan or directly on a stone. It came out just right. Crust was very thin and crispy yet could fold.

That is truly a masterpiece....

Last night I was really prepared to make two pizzas but invitees bailed out on me. So I saved my second dough ball for tonight's dinner. This time I decided to make an "official" Margherita pizza. I say official because the ingredients were strictly to recipe but maybe not all that authentic. My base sauce was a cup of chopped cherry tomatoes, 3 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a dash of salt and ground pepper. The cheese was 8 oz. of 100% mozzarella and it was topped with fresh basil after it came out of the oven. This one was baked on a stone. Simple but perfecto!

stromboli, we can't make round pizzas