Monday, June 25, 2012

Homemade Pizza on the Stovetop








STOVETOP PIZZA for Vegan Pizza Day

You could call this “vegan pizza” but frankly, the crust, toppings and cooking method are based on a cheeseless pizza/flatbread concept to begin with. So if you add cheese to it, you’re changing it to something it’s not. Rather than the other way around. How’s that for perspective!
Anyhooo.. Good recipe for Vegan Pizza Day! Imparting my dough recipe is not something I do lightly (even though it’s a change-as-you-feel recipe). It is good for a griddle or pan, giving a change of pace to the grilled pizzas that are hopping around all over again this summer (this one is better, it’s practically fried!). It will also basically work for gluten-free, with one caveat- explained below.
This is an easy dough too, with a short rising time and one punch before the roll. So, no worries!
You can make several pizzas with this. And it is an excellent basis for Turkish Pizza, Aremenian Pizza, or other middle eastern styles.
This has passed the taste test in LA, Sacramento, Rosarito Beach/Mexico, Leavenworth/Kansas and Mobile/Alabama, so you're sure to love it too!

Dough:
2/3 C. warm water (more or less as needed)
2 envelopes rapid rise yeast
1 tsp. salt (more or less to your taste)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic powder or granulated garlic
¼ C. cornmeal
2 ½ C. of flour (possibly more), unbleached white is best, or you can make a blend (just make sure it isn’t crumbly- if you’re doing wheat free, it can be the consistency of thick pancake batter, just spread it in the pan with a rubber spatula and flip when the bottom is cooked/browned, then continue following the normal instructions)

Dissolve yeast in warm water and stir, let sit for 10-15 minutes to activate. Mix in the rest, adding more flour if needed to make a pliable pizza dough (if doing GF, use pancake batter method above). Knead for a few minutes, then place in a bowl in a warm place, cover with a cloth loosely and let rise for 45 minutes or more.

Sauce:
½ C. tomato paste
A few tsp. chili sauce
A little oil
Minced garlic and herbs, as you like
Salt and pepper to taste
A little olive juice and balsamic vinegar
Water to bring it to the consistency of a thick marinara
* optional- some soy chorizo mixed in there, it’s quite good
* optional- add 1 or 2 Tbsp. zahter, so good!

Mix together, adjusting the liquidity as you see fit.

Suggested Toppings:
Make sure vegetables that need to be cooked are cooked before adding to the pizza.
I like
Sautéed mushrooms
Caramelized red onions
Chopped olives
Wilted spinach with garlic
Seared broccolini with seasoned salt and red pepper flakes
Thin crispy fried potatoes seasoned with hickory, chili powder and garlic salt
And that makes a good pizza in any combination!
* try a handful of arugula added on there, wilt by covering or have fresh on the warm pizza!

Condiments to Drizzle and Dot:
- Barbecue sauce with marinara
- Vegan cream cheese, marinara, mustard and a little vodka mixed together
- Pureed olives with capers, garlic, herbs and olive oil
- Chili Sauce with vegan sour cream, garlic and lemon juice
- Tamarind sauce, chili sauce and curry sauce mixed together
- Your favorite nutritional yeast, miso, pepper cashew or other uncheese sauce mixed with your second favorite uncheese sauce
- Bechamel with herbs, garlic, onion, maybe a little mustard or whatever else (with a relish to be a bit more like remoulade)
- Pecan-Sage Pesto Sauce or Hazelnut-Basil-Thyme Pesto Sauce
-Mole or
Some beautiful chutney
- Get into preparing and mixing various condiments together, experiment! It’s fun!

To cook:
Roll out a handful sized ball of pizza dough (or slightly bigger) on a floured board with some cornmeal, into about an 11" or 12" circle or square.
Sprinkle with a little garlic powder on both sides as well. Coat a 12” skillet with oil (well coated, but don’t deep fry the poor thing, can also be done without oil) and heat to medium or medium high.
Place the crust on there and cook until the bottom is browned/done to your liking. Now flip the bugger over and the bottom becomes the top. Coat with a healthy layer of pizza sauce, array toppings, drizzle with your sauces and cook until done on the bottom. If the toppings need re-heating, place a bell or upside down pan over the cooking pan for most of the remaining cooking time, and they will heat in a satisfactory manner. A little black on the bottom isn't so bad (but please, don't overdo it), if you're into coal-fired pizzas it will give a familiar taste that you will enjoy.
Just be a little careful when you take it out of the pan, it might appear slightly floppy at first but should still be sliceable. Then you should be good to go and ready to cook another.

2 comments:

Eric Cockrell said...

crazy, we have almost an identical pizza crust recipe. chapeau!

Joshua Ploeg said...

Well, great minds do think alike!
This one originally was based on an Armenian one from the 50's, morphed over the years and made to do well in a frying pan! I love it.
Next time I'm up there I need you to make me a pizza, I'm tired of cooking for myself all the time!