Courtesy of Christine Skopec
Culture CheatSheet
Hi Friends,
Even though the exact amount of time it takes to prepare a meal and still have it qualify as speedy differs for each person, 30 minutes usually meets the criteria. It would certainly explain why Domino’s implemented its promise to have pizza on your doorstep in under a half hour in 1984. The pledge ended in 1993 after a St. Louis woman struck by a frenzied delivery driver was awarded $78 million, but the hope of getting dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes lives on.
While anybody can throw together a sandwich or scramble some eggs in this amount of time, pizza sounds undeniably more delicious. Good news, it’s completely doable if you make it yourself. These seven delectable recipes will show you how. Fried Egg and Sausage Ciabatta Breakfast Pizzas is our featured pizza recipe today. French bread pizzas were all the rage a few decades ago, then they pretty much vanished. It’s too bad, because using a crusty loaf as the base for a pizza is a genius way to make the meal really fast. Bon Appétit revived the idea with a version topped with sausage and egg. Though the recipe is intended to be for breakfast, it’s delicious any time of day.
Ingredients:
- 1 (1-pound) loaf ciabatta bread
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 8 ounces sliced pepper Jack cheese
- 1 pound spicy or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 8 large eggs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut bread in half horizontally and transfer each half to a baking sheet. Mix onions and 6 tablespoons oil in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Reserve 2 tablespoons oil, then spread remaining oil over bread halves. Top with cheese.
Cook sausage over medium-high heat, breaking up with a spoon, until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Divide among bread halves. Transfer to oven and bake until cheese melts and bread begins to crisp, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in each of two large skillet over medium-high heat. Crack four eggs into each. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand in skillets as pizza bakes.
Arrange four eggs over each pizza then top with remaining onion oil. Cut pizza between each egg into four pieces. Serve.
2. 20-Minute Grilled Pizza with Smoked Salmon and Mixed Greens
For those who don’t want to turn their kitchen into a sauna by cranking the oven, grilled pizza is a great alternative. The intense, direct heat also cooks pizza dough in a fraction of the time. Try it out with these salmon-topped pies from Food Network. Because the pizza is so speedy, you even have time to toss a crisp salad to serve on the side. In short, this recipe is a weeknight miracle.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
- Zest and juice of 1 small lemon
- ¼ cup fresh dill, roughly chopped, plus more
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed
- All-purpose flour, for sprinkling
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more
- ½ pound smoked salmon, thinly sliced
- 1 Persian cucumber, very thinly sliced
- 2 radishes, very thinly sliced
- 5 ounces mesculun mix
Directions:
Preheat grill to medium high. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and ¼ cup dill. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine.
Divide dough into two balls and roll each into an elongated crust on a floured work surface. Each one should be about 16 inches long and 6 inches wide. Transfer crusts to prepared baking sheet. Brush both sides of each crust with 2 tablespoons oil and lightly season with salt.
Oil grates and grill crusts until beginning to puff and grill marks appear, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook just until cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes longer. Discard parchment paper and transfer crusts to bare baking sheet.
Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over crusts. Top with salmon, then scatter cucumbers and radishes over the top. Garnish with remaining dill.
In a large bowl, whisk remaining lemon juice, remaining oil, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper to combine. Add greens and toss to combine. Serve pizzas with salad.
3. Easy Barbecue Chicken Naan Pizza
When a bare fridge and pantry require a trip to the grocery store in order to make dinner, this barbecue chicken pie from Bowl of Delicious is a winner. With just six ingredients, you’ll be out of the store in no time. And because the crust is made with already cooked naan, this pizza will be ready in 20 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 2 whole-wheat naan flatbreads
- ½ cup barbecue sauce, divided
- 1 cup cooked shredded chicken
- ¼ cup sliced red onion
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake naan directly on oven racks until beginning to crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes. In a small bowl, toss chicken with 2 to 3 tablespoons barbecue sauce.
Remove crisped naan from oven and spread remaining barbecue sauce over each piece. Add chicken, cheese, and onion. Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven, top with cilantro, slice, and serve.
4. Blue Cheese and Bacon Pizza
Serious blue cheese fans need look no further than this white pizza from Taste and Tell. With little more than bacon and dairy, the pungent cheese really has a chance to shine. Be aware you’ll need to allow plenty of time for the pizza stone to heat up, if you’re using one. As long as you preheat the oven when you walk in the door, it shouldn’t derail your dinner plans.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup milk
- Salt, pepper, and freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 pound pizza dough
- ½ pound bacon, cooked and chopped
- ⅔ cup crumbled blue cheese
Directions:
Place pizza stone in your oven and preheat to 475 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, or as high as your oven will go. Allow stone to preheat for at least 30 minutes.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk in a steady stream. Continue to cook, whisking, until sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from heat.
Roll pizza dough into a large round on a pizza peel or a piece of parchment paper. Evenly spread béchamel over crust, then top with bacon and blue cheese. Transfer pizza to oven and bake until crust is crisp and cheese is bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes. Slice and serve.
5. Flatbread Pizza with Spinach and Goat Cheese
Whether you’re vegetarian or not, meatless meals are a smart choice for those looking to speed their way toward dinner. Take this spinach pizza from Green Valley Kitchen, for example. It’s packed with flavor thanks to three kinds of cheese and some garlicky greens, but only takes 15 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients:
- 2 naan flatbreads
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and cook, tossing occasionally, until beginning to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook, until combined and wilted, about 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
Set flatbreads on a baking sheet and top each with spinach. Evenly divide mozzarella, then Parmesan over the two flatbreads. Top with goat cheese, transfer to oven, and bake for 5 minutes. Switch oven to broil and broil until bubbling and beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oven, slice, and serve.
6. Greek Pizza
Some people are happy to dig into a salad for dinner, but it’s definitely not for everyone. Even a fully loaded Greek version can leave you feeling peckish in an hour or two. Translating the flavors to a pizza makes for a more substantial meal without making things too complicated, so try it with this quick recipe from Cookie and Kate. If you’d like to add a little protein, toss some shredded rotisserie chicken on top.
Ingredients:
- 1 batch easy whole wheat pizza dough or 1 pound store-bought dough
- ⅔ cup marinara sauce or 1 (32-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and crushed with your hands
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups shredded low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup thinly sliced roasted red bell pepper
- ½ cup quartered marinated artichoke hearts, halved
- 15 pitted Kalamata olives, halved
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Optional garnishes
- Torn fresh basil
- Red pepper flakes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange rack in upper-third position. Add a pizza stone to rack, if using.
Divide dough in half and roll each portion into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Top dough rounds with sauce or crushed tomatoes, then top with oregano. Evenly divide mozzarella, red peppers, artichokes, olives, and feta between two crusts.
Bake pizzas, one at a time, until crust is crisp and cheese is bubbling, about 12 minutes in a regular oven, less if you’re using a stone. Transfer to a cutting board and top with basil and red pepper flakes. Slice and serve.
7. The Ultimate Meat Lover’s Pizza
Most meat lover’s pizzas really don’t live up to the name, featuring only a stingy sprinkling of protein. For true carnivores, a homemade version is definitely the way to go. With bacon, ground beef, Italian sausage, pepperoni, and ham, this version from i am a food blog more than delivers on the promise of meat. And with a total cook time of 30 minutes, it can be yours tonight.
Ingredients:
- 1 ball no-knead pizza dough or store-bought dough
- ⅓ to ½ cup pizza sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 to 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 8 to 10 slices pepperoni
- 1 to 2 slices ham, cut into small squares
- 2 slices bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces
- 1 spicy Italian sausage link, removed from casing and cooked
- ½ cup cooked ground beef
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Red pepper flakes
Directions:
Arrange rack in middle position and preheat oven as hot as it will go, usually 500 to 550 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly grease a cast-iron skillet and dust with cornmeal. Alternatively, grease and dust a baking sheet. Shape dough into a thin round and transfer to pan or baking sheet. Spread sauce over top. Top with garlic, mozzarella, pepperoni, ham, bacon, sausage, beef, and Parmesan.
Transfer to oven and bake until crust is crisp and cheese is bubbling, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with red pepper flakes.
Enjoy your fresh from the oven home-made pizzas in 30 minutes or less.
Bon Appétit...
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Live well,
Yvonne
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