Jill's Greek Tapenade Pizza and Jill's Sundried Tomato Herb Pizza Crus t

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Jill's Greek Tapenade Pizza

1 pizza crust

1/2 c. olive tapenade (store-bought or homemade)

5-10 cherry tomatoes

1 c. or so spinach (optional)

Handful fresh basil (optional but recommended!)

Pinch nutmeg (if you also include spinach)

1/4 c. mozzerella (optional)

2 tbsp. crumbled feta (optional)

 

 

 

 

 

Any pizza tastes best if it is made with a pizza stone. If you have

one, place it on the bottom of your oven (or on the bottom rack if the

bottom has coils) and heat it to 450 F for 15 minutes. During this

time, assemble your pizza.

 

Begin with your crust. I make my own crust so at this stage it is

still raw dough - you may need to adjust your recipe accordingly if

you use a ready-made crust (the package should have instructions).

 

Next, make the tapenade using the recipe below (under Tips) if you did

not buy any at the store. Spread the tapenade all over the crust.

 

Then, add the spinach and basil. You can lay the spinach and the basil

directly on the pizza, but I prefer to steam them a bit (and possibly

shred them up a bit so they spread around the pizza easier) and then

mix in a pinch or so of nutmeg. The nutmeg is what gives the spinach a

Greek flavor.

 

If you are using cheese, add the mozzerella and feta on top now.

 

Last, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and distribute them around the

top of the pizza.

 

Bake on the pizza stone 450 F for 12-15 minutes.

 

JillNotes:

To make your own tapenade, combine 8 oz. drained and pitted olives (I

like kalamata olives), 1 tbsp. small capers, 3 cloves roasted garlic,

1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. lemon juice, and salt to taste in a food

processor. Blend to desired consistency.

 

If you do not have cherry tomatoes, you can use a large tomato. Cherry

tomatoes have a sweeter flavor but any tomato is delicious.

 

You can also add portobello mushrooms to this pizza. Slice them into

small pieces and add them on top of the pizza.

 

Try making a Sundried Tomato and Herb Pizza Crust to add flavor to

your pizza.

 

Author: Jill

Source: Simple Vegetarian Recipes dot com

Formatted by Chupa Babi in MC: 11.13.06

 

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Jill's Sundried Tomato Herb Pizza Crust

3/4 c. warm water

1/2 c. sundried tomatoes

1/4 c. fresh herbs (or more)

2 tbsp sugar, sucanat, or honey

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 c. whole wheat or spelt flour

1 tsp. active dry yeast or instant yeast

Olive oil, for the pizza crust

Flour or organic corn meal, for dusting the pizza peel

 

 

 

 

 

Begin by heating the water. Soak the sundried tomatoes for 10 to 20

minutes. Reserve the soak water, and place the tomatoes in a food

processor. Add the herbs to the food processor and mix until tomatoes

and herbs are in small pieces.

 

Make sure the sundried tomato soak water is 105-115 F and add your

yeast. Wait about 10 min until the yeast " blooms. " Then add sugar,

tomatoes, herbs, salt, and extra virgin olive oil. Mix.

 

Add the flour. Knead the dough for about 15 min. Then set the dough

aside to let it rise (you can do this in a room temperature or warm

place for a few hours, or you can let it rise in the fridge overnight.)

 

When the dough is done rising, punch it down and divide it into two,

three, or four pieces, depending on how large you want your pizzas to

be (two pieces makes two large pizzas, four pieces makes personal

sized pizzas). Take one piece and roll it out on a floured surface

until it is a flat circle. Brush the edges with olive oil.

 

Heat your pizza stone to 450 F for 15 min. Then assemble your pizza on

top of the crust, and place the pizza on top of the stone.

 

Bake the pizza at 450 F for 12-15 min.

 

Prep time: 30 min; Total time: 4 hours

 

Author: Jill

Source: Simple Vegetarian Recipes dot com

Formatted by Chupa Babi in MC: 11.13.06

 

 

JillNotes:

For herbs, I used rosemary, basil, and oregano.

 

You can toss the pizza dough in the air if you want. If you are a

klutz like me, it is not necessary.

 

If the dough rises in a warm place, the pizza crust will have big

bubbles. If the dough rises in the fridge, the pizza crust will have

tiny bubbles.

 

Jazz up your pizza crust with sundried tomato and herbs. If you are

making your own crust, this is a small detail that goes a long way.

 

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