Home Made Pizza

Pizza. Practically it's own food group.

No matter how much you might denounce carbs, shun fat, resist dairy, or avoid gluten you must admit that nothing hits the spot quite like a good slice of pizza.

This week Dan I head off in a pizza battle. I stick to a classic margherita, while Dan classes it up with a caramelized onion, prosciutto, goat cheese, and fig pizza with balsamic reduction.


Pics below, comments and recipes on bottom.

Dan's Comments

Recipe: http://www.icancookthat.org/2013/06/prosciutto-fig-arugula-flatbread.html

What a great weekend. A re[bro]union for the ages. Mo and I were graced with Matt's return from Hong Kong, and are now living with the less than elusive possibility that he may be returning from Asia sooner rather than later.

In honor of Matt Garland's return a food face off of sorts was warranted. In this week's Kitchen Cavemen. Mo and I went head to head in a Pizza Battle Royale. While Mo went with the Italian classic, Margherita pizza, I opted to up the ante and went with a fig, caramelized onion, prosciutto and goat cheese pizza. 

Unfortunately Mo would win by one vote. Regardless, both pizzas were delicious. Speaking specifically to mine, the prosciutto really complements the sugary caramelized onion and fig spread. While this pizza may seem somewhat odd at first glance, don't shy away, it's delicious. 

Here are some tips when cooking this pizza:

1.) Typical caveman style, we used a wine bottle to roll out our pizza. Spare yourself the hardship and buy a roller.

2.) When rolling out the dough, make sure to use a brush and some olive oil to coat the edges of the dough. This will give your pizza that nice golden brown crust.

3.) Use some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and arugula to provide some additional flavor and color complexity.

Mo's Comments

Recipe: Margherita pizza- grated parm and mozzarella over tomato sauce. Top with basil when ready. 

According to amount consumed, Dan won. There were absolutely no leftovers from his version. Both were great and depends on what you were in the mood for.

Dough: Keep it thin. None of that deep dish stuff-- this isn't a calzone or what have you. Simply buy pizza dough in the store. It should be readily available by the bakery or deli section. We learned the hard way that working with dough is very tricky. Flour your surface and use a roller. It's a real art to using your bare hands. 

Sauce: Keep it simple. I based mine off of Mama Hazan's basic tomato sauce. 

Heat: Get your oven baking as hot as possible. This is how you get that gooey, bubbly top and crunchy crust. For reference, brick ovens at traditional pizzerias get over 800 degrees. A pizza pan and wooden slider would be great here, but you can get away with using a floured metal baking sheet.  

Toppings: Don't overload with too much sauce, which might make your pizza heavy and soggy. Likewise, add a good amount of cheese but not so much that it overwhelms the other tastes and textures of the pizza. Stick to simple and inventive flavor combos for best results. 

There you have it. Pizza at home! Next week: Pistachio-crusted Salmon