Pizza Toppings: Simple/Elaborate, Traditional/Unusual

[FistFullaRoux]

Saute small shrimp with garlic, salt, black pepper, and the slightest hint of cayenne. But don't cook them all the way through. Add to your standard red sauce pizza and bake.

Also for red sauce, ham (or Canadian bacon) and pineapple. Surprised this hadn't been mentioned yet. Although, it's hard to beat good Italian sausage with a few fresh mushrooms.

As far as non-standard pizza, wilt spinach in bacon drippings, add bacon and spinach to a white sauce pizza.

And what is your usual cheese of choice? I like provolone on pizza. Less stringy than mozzerella. And not as intimidating to those who do not eat "weird cheese". They'll never know the difference unless you tell them.

Edited January 21, 2004 by FistFullaRoux (log)

[sequim]

Mexican pizza-

Take a good quality flour tortilla (the thick kind), brown up alittle in a nonstick pan, then spread on a good salsa (not too watery), sprinkle with cheddar or monterey jack/jalapeno cheese, and add alittle cilantro if your salsa doesn't have it, then brown the bottom until the cheese melts and the tort is kinda crispy. Cut with the pizza cutter and serve!

[markf424]

Pickles, hot dogs, cabbage, and turnips with sliced ginger.

Just joking - you asked for different! Some great ideas in here. We're usually pretty lame and do the classic margherita pizza - sliced tomatoes, fresh ripped basil, and fresh mozzarella with EVOO and sea salt. It may be typical but doesn't everyone love it anyway?

[Basilgirl]

Chicken, white wine/garlic/shallot cream sauce, red onion. Like what they have at California Pizza Kitchen, but they use garlic-shallot BUTTER.

I made a Reuben pizza for St. Patrick's Day a couple of years ago. It was...different.

[tommy]

so, if i'm putting my pizza in the oven for 4 minutes, should the proscuitto go on before, or after.

this is a very important question.

[bleudauvergne]

I always add slivered (reconsituted) dried chinese black fungus. It adds a nutty flavor and a wonderful texture.

[slkinsey]

so, if i'm putting my pizza in the oven for 4 minutes, should the proscuitto go on before, or after.

this is a very important question.

Definitely after. You don't want to cook the prosciutto.

[tastykimmie]

I guess I am just a simple girl. Homemade crust with pepperoni, sausage, onions and ham.

HEAVEN

[ludja]

Artichoke hearts

YES YES YES!

it sounds silly, but i often top with roasted pepperoncini. i like the acidic bite. i'm a freak for acidity.

for the same reason, good green olives... had always only had black olives on pizza but now I love the bite of the green

...but not for Monica I guess!

[Daniel]

Recently i have been on a pizza making run.. Where i make several different types of pizza just to try them.. This usually occurs somewhere after dinner. Just looking for the best pizza i can make.

Some really good combinations:

1) Catfish pizza : With Choochee curry sauce, onions, and thai basil.

2)BBQ Ribs- Smoked Ribs, Monteray Jack, Onions, all on a base of dreamland bbq.

3)The whole famn damily: Spicy Cap, pesto, ricotta salata, onions. Proscuitto, Pancetta, some San Marzano Tomatos, Alfredo Sauce, Crushed Red Pepper, Mozz, Parmesean.

4) Home roasted turkey, swiss cheese, mustard, cranberry.

If anyone has cool ones i would love to try them

Edited January 19, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[sadistick]

Ok, i have 2 pizzas here for you that you will die for...I was going to make a pizza thread eventually, but seeing as how you brought it up, i will help you out

1, Potatoe Pizza

- Basically you want to make a potatoe hash, cut the potatoes in to small cubes, and sautee them with olive oil, garlic, onions, and butter - thyme at the end

- Tomatoe sauce on bottom of dough - you can also use a roasted red pepper sauce if you like -

- potatoe mixture on top - if oyu like meat some pancetta is nice on top

- cheese mixture, we have a mixture we get from a place called Grande Cheese, which is scamoza, mozerella, fontina, and one other cheese, anyways, reaALLLYLLY GOOD!

2, Mushroom pizza

- In leie of tomatoe sauce, make a nice black olive pure, with capers, anchovies, salt, pepper, lemon juice, evoo - and put that on -

-Sautee some nice mushrooms, i like a mix of shitake, and oyster -

-Top with the cheese mixture mentioned above

mmmm

Enjoy

-Justin

[Basilgirl]

Reuben Pizza - Thousand Island dressing, drained sauerkraut, corned beef, Swiss

Muffaletta - olive salad made with tons of garlic, genoa, ham, provolone

Roasted veggie (onions, red peppers, zucchini, eggplant, etc. ) w/ raw tomato sauce pizza

5-cheese (mozz, provo, asiago, parmesan, swiss or blue or some other white cheese) white pizza with tons of garlic/olive oil/red pepper flakes and Italian parsley

Edited January 19, 2005 by Basilgirl (log)

[snowangel]

There are a number of threads on pizza toppings

here and

here

and

here

[little ms foodie]

The best pizza my husband made recently was El Gaucho pizza from Food and Wine mag.

photo here

[NulloModo]

As mentioned in a past superbowl thread, Buffalo wing pizza is top notch:

Make your basic dough, apply a spicey tomato sauce, and crumble buffalo wing mean (Wing meat doused in hot sauce of choice and butter) all over top, followed by a light layer of mozerella, then drizzle more hot sauce, blue cheese dressing, and blue cheese crumbles all over.

Mexican pizza is also fun:

Instead of tomato sauce use a salsa of choice, top with chorizo, refried beans, jalepenos, jack cheese, shredded lettuce, olives, avacado, and whatever else you like along those lines. When it comes out of the oven add some fresh cold sour cream on top.

Hamburger Pizza:

Hamburger meat, dill pickles, ketchup (I like to use only a very little, marinara actually works just as well if you don't care about being authentic), mayo, cheddar cheese, onions, and cold shredded lettuce added after baking

You can do anything as a pizza, they are quite versatile, I love playing with new flavor combinations.

[BeJam]

I know we're talking toppings, but has anyone made a whole wheat crust? I had a little discussion this afternoon about trying to make one, but was told that I wouldn't be albe to get a wheat crust to rise. Anyone tried this or heard about it?

[Daniel]

I have never made an entire whole wheat pizza crust.. But most of my pizza doughs always have some whole wheat in it.. I really enjoy the todd english pizza dough which has it in it.. However, i proof my yeast, unlike his instructions..

[NulloModo]

I've never made a whole what crust, but I've made flax-seed, what protein, oat fiber crusts that have a very whole wheatey taste, and do take some special attention to get to rise.

Basically, in my experience, when working with more difficult doughs, you have to proof the yeast in a warm place for at least ten minutes, then let the dough rise in a warm place for over an hour, longer than recommended rising times. A little baking powder never hurts either.

[slkinsey]

Unusual and unorthodox pizza toppings... Interesting thread for me, because my tendencies are to go the other way in the direction of ubertraditional -- although some of these are considered by Americans to be somewhat unusual (red pepper or pancetta with an egg or two "fried" right on the crust, for example, or evoo-cured tuna with onions).

Some thoughts that come to mind as being unusual in the American lexicon of pizza would be:

- A pissaladière. This is more or less a Provençal "pizza" topped with caramelized onions, anchovies and black olives. Although it is most often made with a flaky crust, the topping would work beautifully on a pizza crust.

- Any kind of shellfish. Brush the crust with evoo; place some raw seafood about the crust (clams, mussels, bay scallops, shrimp & calamari are all winners -- you could even do it with lobster); perhaps a tiny sprinkle of chopped garlic; bake in the oven; dust with parsley, sea salt and crushed red pepper. It's important that the crust be thin and the oven set up to fully bake the pizza in no more than 3-4 minutes, lest the seafood overcook. It's important the seafood be raw so the juices cook into the crust.

[slbunge]

- A pissaladière.  This is more or less a Provençal "pizza" topped with caramelized onions, anchovies and black olives.  Although it is most often made with a flaky crust, the topping would work beautifully on a pizza crust.

←

This is the pizza we make after whipping up a batch of onion confit. Sweet, fishy, salty and delicious.

[Daniel]

Unusual and unorthodox pizza toppings... Interesting thread for me, because my tendencies are to go the other way in the direction of ubertraditional -- although some of these are considered by Americans to be somewhat unusual (red pepper or pancetta with an egg or two "fried" right on the crust, for example, or evoo-cured tuna with onions).

Some thoughts that come to mind as being unusual in the American lexicon of pizza would be:

- A pissaladière.  This is more or less a Provençal "pizza" topped with caramelized onions, anchovies and black olives.  Although it is most often made with a flaky crust, the topping would work beautifully on a pizza crust.

- Any kind of shellfish.  Brush the crust with evoo; place some raw seafood about the crust (clams, mussels, bay scallops, shrimp & calamari are all winners -- you could even do it with lobster); perhaps a tiny sprinkle of chopped garlic; bake in the oven; dust with parsley, sea salt and crushed red pepper.  It's important that the crust be thin and the oven set up to fully bake the pizza in no more than 3-4 minutes, lest the seafood overcook.  It's important the seafood be raw so the juices cook into the crust.

←

I am confused.. When you say crust you are refferring to the entire top of the pizza.. Or actually just around the edges.

[ludja]

Unusual and unorthodox pizza toppings... Interesting thread for me, because my tendencies are to go the other way in the direction of ubertraditional -- although some of these are considered by Americans to be somewhat unusual (red pepper or pancetta with an egg or two "fried" right on the crust, for example, or evoo-cured tuna with onions).

Some thoughts that come to mind as being unusual in the American lexicon of pizza would be:

- A pissaladière.  This is more or less a Provençal "pizza" topped with caramelized onions, anchovies and black olives.  Although it is most often made with a flaky crust, the topping would work beautifully on a pizza crust.

- Any kind of shellfish.  Brush the crust with evoo; place some raw seafood about the crust (clams, mussels, bay scallops, shrimp & calamari are all winners -- you could even do it with lobster); perhaps a tiny sprinkle of chopped garlic; bake in the oven; dust with parsley, sea salt and crushed red pepper.  It's important that the crust be thin and the oven set up to fully bake the pizza in no more than 3-4 minutes, lest the seafood overcook.  It's important the seafood be raw so the juices cook into the crust.

←

I am confused.. When you say crust you are refferring to the entire top of the pizza.. Or actually just around the edges.

←

As mentioned above, you want the entire pizza (bottom and edge crust) to cook in 3-4 minutes so that the seafood does not overcook... (i.e. if the pizza took 10 minutes to cook the seafood would be rubbery!)

I like shrimp pizzas and also traditional New England It-American white pizzas-- garlic, olive oil, chopped up fresh clams with their juice, oregano, parmesean, black and red pepper...

[Daniel]

If you are going to make the white clam pizza.. you might as well start with a piece of salt pork to flavor up the clams.. Almost like a chowder pizza.. "I SAID CHOWDAH, SAY IT SAY IT FRENCHIE."

Edited January 20, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[jackal10]

Smoked salmon and cream cheese. Scambled egg chives

Apple +butter + brown sugar (very good)

The Chez Panisse "Pasta, Pizza and Calzone" book has many excellent suggestions, including fresh truffle, Wild Mushrooms, Fennel and Mussels, Potato and Pesto, Duck Confit with onion etc

Personally I like:

Thin and crispy base, Tomato sauce, onion, green pepper, anchovy (optional and not too salt), lots of cheese, and a raw egg in the centre under the cheese before going in the oven

White Pizza: olive oil and garlic, Mozz, no tomato

[Daniel]

Lots of egg on top of pizzas.. I tried this not too long ago.. First i made a scrambled egg disc a la "Big Night".. Then i tried to crack eggs over a pizza before putting it in the oven.. Didnt like that either..

Otto has a good pizza i recreated. It has thin sliced potato, ricotta, sage, olive oil, and sea salt.. That was really good.