Easy White Corn Tortilla Pizza

Sometimes I make Maisie “safe” pizza dough and I try to keep some in the freezer but when I run out and time is short, I make “safe” gluten, egg & dairy free pizzas fast and easy using white corn tortillas.  Recently Maisie has said that she actually prefers these pizzas to when I make gluten-free dough so these may become her standard go-to pizza.  I’ll tell you, they are so simple, I’m happy not to make dough and the speed at which these can be made versus waiting for my dough to rise…well no comparison.

I lightly toast the tortillas in a dry cast iron skillet, on both sides, until they are just a bit crispy.  You can see the difference between the toasted and the uncooked tortilla. 

I then lay the tortillas on a baking sheet lined with either a Silpat, parchment paper or aluminum foil. 

I add Maisie’s favorite toppings and then it’s into the broiler to quickly bake the toppings on to the crust.

A delicious and “safe” pizza for my girl.

Easy White Corn Tortilla Pizza

• white corn tortillas (I used the 6-inch round)
• pizza sauce or tomato sauce
• Daiya cheese (for vegan) or mozzarella
• pepperoni minis

Heat a large cast iron skillet and lightly toast both sides of the tortilla.  Lay the toasted tortillas on a baking sheet lined with either a Silpat, parchment paper or aluminum foil.  Add light toppings* to the tortillas.  Place the pan of pizzas under the broiler and allow the cheese to melt, watch carefully as it only takes a couple of minutes.

* If you add meats and vegetables, they need to be fully cooked as they are really only warmed when the pizza is put under the broiler.

Servings:  Maisie generally eats 2-3 pizzas for a meal.  I layer the leftover pizzas with wax paper or plastic wrap between them, wrap and refrigerate.  To reheat, I arrange the slices on a plate and microwave just until hot.  The pizzas can also be reheated in a cast iron skillet, this re-crisps the bottom of the pizza.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I have been trying to cut out white…you know white stuff like flour and sugar.  So when I saw a recipe on Megan’s blog Detoxinista for her Detoxinista’s Cauliflower Pizza Crust, well I just had to give it a try.  I of course made a few adjustments to her recipe but WOW, this pizza is fantastic and if I never eat a real pizza crust again, I won’t even miss it.  This cauliflower crust is firm, with great flavor, you can cut it like a regular pizza and pick up the slices and eat them with your hands.  This recipe is just downright fabulous and everyone, kids and adults,  who have tried a slice have loved it and couldn’t figure out the secret of the crust.  The only down side of this crust is that this version isn’t Maisie “safe” as it contains both eggs and cheese but I’m going to experiment with it and hopefully come up with a version just as wonderful which she’ll be able to eat.

Start with a full head of cauliflower and make a batch of my Cauli-Rice.

Place the cooked Cauli-Rice on a tea towel and roll it up then squeeze out as much of the water as possible…and I mean really, really squeeze as you want it as dry as possible. 

After you squeeze out all the water there will seem to be a lot less Cauli-Rice but for the crust to bake up nice, firm and chewy you need to have the Cauli-Rice as dry as possible.

Add the egg, cheese and spices.

Spread the cauli crust onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake until the crust is firm and turning golden.

Add a layer of sauce and shredded cheese and after a few minutes under the broiler it’s pizza time!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza (adapted from here)

• 1 recipe of Cauli-Rice 
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella (I used part skimmed)
• 1/2 tsp fennel seed 
• 1 TBS. Italian seasoning 
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Toppings of your choice, tomato, pesto or Alfredo sauce, cheese, precooked meats* & precooked veggies*

Preheat oven to 450F.  Line a baking sheet with either a Silpat or parchment paper.

Place the cooked Cauli-Rice into a tea towel and squeeze all the water out of the Cauli-Rice.  It is important to get the rice as dry as possible so that there won’t be extra moisture in the crust which will prevent it from crisping up properly.

In a medium bowl combine the dry Cauli-Rice, egg, 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper and mix to combine well.  Press the cauliflower mixture into an even thickness on the prepared pan, either into a round or rectangular shaped pizza.  I kept the crust pretty thin, about 1/4-inch thick.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is firm and golden brown.  Remove the pan from the oven and turn off the oven and turn on the broiler and move the rack to up close to the broiler. Top the cooked crust with sauce, cheese and toppings of your choice.  Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and melted

Enjoy!

* Meats and veggies need to be cooked before placing them on the pizza as after the crust is baked, the pizza is only under the broiler to melt the cheese, not long enough to properly cook meats and veggies.

Pesto Pita Pizza

The other night for dinner I was in the mood for pizza but as it was late I didn’t have time to make dough and I couldn’t be bothered to run out to get some so pita bread became our crust.  It worked out great, we all decided what we wanted on our pizza and within a short time we were enjoying our meal.

My pizza was pesto topped with a variety of fresh from our garden tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.  So very fresh tasting and delicious.

Eammon’s first pizza was similar to mine with pesto, fresh tomatoes and fresh mozzarella but it also had mini pepperoni slices. 

Okay so they didn’t all have pesto.  This was Eammon’s second pita pizza topped with tomato sauce, fresh sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, mini pepperoni slices and bacon bits.

Then of course there’s Maisie’s pita pizza with tomato sauce and her favorite Fiesta Blend Cheese. 

Pita pizzas are oh-so easy to make, you can use ingredients that you have in the house and you can add as much or as little as you’d like and tailor each pizza to the diner’s taste. 

Top your pita with sauce of your choice, add as many or as few toppings along with some cheese if you choose and then on a baking sheet, place into a pre-heated 400F oven.  Bake until the pita is crispy around the edge and the toppings are bubbly hot. 

The only prepare ahead thing to note is that if you use meats they need to be precooked and if you want your veggies to be quite soft, they too need to be cooked ahead.

Make, create and enjoy!

Blacksmith Pizza

Many, many years ago before Maisie and even before Eammon, I remember visiting right around Christmas time (because it was wicked cold up in Massachusetts) with my Blacksmith friend George Martell and his family.  George made a wonderful dinner of grilled pizzas and I fell head-over-heels in love with them and dubbed them Blacksmith pizzas in his honor.  Grilled pizzas in this country are said to have started at Al Forno restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island and while I have enjoyed them there many, many times, I honestly like my own better as I tailor them to whatever flavor profile strikes my fancy.  I have been making these pizzas ever since George introduced me to them and they really are quite easy to make.  Because a lot of the preparation can be done in advance and because they are individual portions that can be customized, they are perfect for when we entertain or have guests, both those who love and are willing to try anything as well as those that are fussy with their food.

Maisie adores Blacksmith pizza and this day she was eating one with tomato sauce and because it’s what I had on hand, Fiesta blend cheese. (That’s why it looks so orange)

One pound of pizza dough (homemade or store bought) portioned and rolled into eight balls.  Place a few tablespoons of olive oil in a 9x13-inch baking dish,.  Make sure to roll each ball of dough around in the oil to coat it completely.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap and then a dish towel and place in a warm area allowing the dough to rise.

Once the dough has risen, working one dough ball at a time, gently separate a dough ball and roll it in the excess oil in the bottom of the dish to coat and then with your hands, gently spread and flatten the pizza dough into an 8-inch free form circle or what ever shape it turns into.  I make sure that there is a good amount of oil on my dough so I just stack my flattened dough one on top of another on a plate.

Have your grill blazing hot and quickly place your flattened dough on the grill.  Cover and cook for 30-45 seconds, just until the dough starts to bubble and the raw sheen of the dough disappears.  You will only be cooking one side of the dough at this time so remove the dough to a plate with the cooked side up.

Dough fresh from the grill with the one cooked side up.  At this point you can either continue making your pizzas or cool the half cooked dough and place in a zipper bag in the refrigerator for later use.  The partially cooked dough will stay for up to a week.

If you’ve refrigerated the partially cooked dough, bring it to room temperature before continuing.  To finish the pizzas, place the partially cooked dough raw side down and to the cooked side add your favorite toppings.  The pizza will only be on the grill for a minute or less to finish the cooking process so the pizza can’t be loaded down with toppings and all meats need to be cooked completely before putting them on the pizza along with any veggies that you may want cooked.  I often cook pepperoni and roast or sauté veggies such as peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes and mushrooms to use as toppings.  If you’re making these pizzas for a party you can have all your cooked and raw toppings as well as cheese set out as a pizza buffet and have each person customize their pizza.

Once you’ve added your favorite toppings, gently but quickly transfer your pizzas to an extremely hot grill.  I find using my favorite tongs and a spatula works the best for this process. 

Close the lid on the grill and cook for 30-60 seconds just until the once raw bottom is cooked and crispy and the cheese has melted. 

What’s great about these pizzas is that you can really use whatever you have on hand which was what happened this time as I didn’t plan so I hadn’t picked up a lot of our usual toppings.  This tray contains pizzas for Maisie and I.  Mine are in the top row and have a light coating of Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, very thinly sliced prosciutto and a light sprinkle of Fiesta blend cheese.  Maisie likes basic pizza so I reduced the juice from a can of fire roasted tomatoes (I used the tomatoes on Eammon's pizza) until it was thickened enough to spread on the dough and then Maisie topped her pizzas with a good amount of the Fiesta blend cheese. 

This tray was Eammon’s with all his pizzas being topped with Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, some very thinly sliced prosciutto and a light sprinkle of Fiesta blend cheese.  The top row pizzas also have the drained diced fire roasted tomatoes, thinly slice red, orange & yellow sweet peppers and diced Vidalia onion.  Because I was leaving the veggies raw I made sure to cut them very thin.

Maisie gives Blacksmith pizza a big thumbs up…as do Eammon and I.  Give them a try, they’re easy and pretty darn awesome.

Here’s some food p@rn of the grilled pizzas that I’ve blogged about in the past.Maisie’s favorite, tomato sauce and cheese.

My all time favorite pizza...Ever!  Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, figs picked fresh off my neighbor's tree (with their permission of course) and goat cheese.

One of my longtime go-to pizzas, pesto, caramelized onions, goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes.

Eammon likes more ingredients and this is one of his favorites, tomato sauce, olive tapenade, caramelized onions, prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes and cheese.

The always delicious Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, prosciutto, caramelized onion and cheese

And just because I love her and think she’s stinkin’ adorable, Maisie eating her Blacksmith pizza way back in August 2009.

No real recipe, just some pizza dough, olive oil and your favorite sauces and toppings.  For planning serving sizes, Maisie and I will eat one pizza with a side or salad or maybe two pizzas by themselves.  Eammon can easily finish four pizzas as a meal. 

Enjoy!!

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