Artichoke & Spinach Pizza

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Do you know what night it is?? Yep, that’s right…Friday Night Pizza Night! We are featuring an Artichoke & Spinach Pizza this week. It’s a hearty pizza with a béchamel-style sauce and fresh spinach that will please any crowd. Check out how to make this delicious, gourmet pizza below!

Ingredients

– Pizza Dough*
– Cornmeal
– Flour
– 8 oz fresh spinach, divided
– 2 Tablespoon butter
– 2 Tablespoon unbleached flour
– ¾ cup milk
– ¼ teaspoon onion powder
– 2 cloves garlic, diced
– 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin olive oil
– 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
– 2 ounces Pecorino Romano, grated
– 1-8 ounce can of marinated artichoke hearts
– Krazy Salt
– Fresh Ground Pepper

 *T.W.O. used pizza dough from VJB Deli.

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Preheat oven to 425ᴼF.

Roll out the pizza dough on a floured/ cornmeal surface. Once the dough is evenly rolled out, transfer the dough to a greased cookie sheet.

In a large sauté pan, heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add ¾ of the spinach and sauté for 3 minutes or until wilted. Remove from heat and place on paper towels. Once some of the oil is drained, chop the spinach and set aside.

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In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and onion powder and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk and increase the temperature to medium-high heat for about 4 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Make sure you are stirring constantly, so the sauce doesn’t burn. Remove from heat and stir in 1 clove of diced garlic, pepper, Krazy Salt and sautéed spinach.

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Chop the remaining fresh spinach and set aside.

Add the white béchamel spinach sauce to the top of the pizza dough. Add the fresh spinach along with the remaining 1 clove of chopped garlic. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella and Pecorino Romano cheese on top.

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Let the pizza rise for about 15 minutes. Note – you don’t want to put the pizza in a cold oven, so make sure your oven reaches 425ᴼF.Once the oven is ready, place the pizza in the oven and watch closely. Do not open the oven door, as you want to keep the heat in. The pizza will take 15-20 minutes. Once done, take the pizza out of the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes prior to cutting.

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Happy Friday Night Pizza Night!

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White Artichoke Pizza

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Happy Friday Night Pizza Night!!

Just got paid…Friday night… and T.W.O. is feeling alright! Our aprons are ready for some pizza making! This week’s pizza is a delicious white pizza with artichokes, mushrooms, garlic and fresh mozzarella.

Ingredients:

– Pizza Dough*
– Cornmeal
– Flour
– Fresh mozzarella, about 9 large round slices
– 2 Tablespoons olive oil
– 1 – 1 ½ cups marinated artichoke hearts, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
– 2 cloves garlic, chopped
– 2 Tablespoons dried basil

 * T.W.O. used VJB Cellars pizza dough which is made with 00 flour.

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Preheat oven to 425ᴼF. Roll out the pizza dough on a floured/ cornmeal surface. Once the dough is evenly rolled out, transfer the dough to a greased cookie sheet. Next take the olive oil and spread it on the dough, making sure you reach all the edges. Sprinkle the diced garlic and basil evenly on top of the olive oil.

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Add your fresh mozzarella, spacing the slices equally so the cheese will melt to the edges. Next, add your sliced artichokes and mushrooms. If you are an artichoke lover like T.W.O.- you can add more as desired!

Let the pizza rise for about 15 minutes. Note – you don’t want to put the pizza in a cold oven, so make sure your oven reaches 425ᴼ. Once the oven is ready, place the pizza in the oven and watch closely. Do not open the oven door, as you want to keep the heat in. The pizza will take 15-20 minutes. Once done, take the pizza out of the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes prior to cutting.

Is it time to eat yet?!

Sure is! Hope you enjoy this light, fresh and flavorful white artichoke pizza on your Friday Night. Don’t forget to pick your movie to go along with your dinner!

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Deep Dish Pizza

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Friday Night Pizza!!! T.W.O. decided to spice up Friday Night Pizza night and make a deep dish pizza. That’s right, pizza pie! T.W.O.’s brother made a deep dish pie a couple weeks ago, which inspired us to try our own version. Grab your rolling pin, pie dish, ingredients and let’s start cooking!

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Ingredients:

– Pizza dough
– Flour
– Cornmeal
– Mozzarella cheese, 1 inch block
– Marinara sauce (T.W.O. uses Molinari’s homemade marinara sauce)
– 1 large head of broccoli, chopped
– 1 can of olives, diced
– 1 small package of mushrooms, diced
– 2 jalapeno, diced

Preheat oven to 425ᴼ.

First, roll out dough on a flour, cornmeal surface. Make sure to evenly roll out the dough in a circular shape so it fits in the pie dish. Once completed, place the dough in the pie dish and pat in place. Add some flour and cornmeal to the bottom of the dough so it will help absorb some of the juices.

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Cut thin mozzarella slices from the block of cheese and lay on the bottom. Next, drizzle some marinara sauce to cover the cheese. Add the cut vegetables to the pie and layer cut slices of cheese in between. Once you have all your ingredients in the pie, top with the remaining marinara. The sauce should fill in the gaps between the vegetables.

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Put the pizza pie in the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes. You will know when the pizza is ready when the sauce is “bubbling”. Take out and top with parmesan cheese.

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Let the pizza sit for about 10 minutes prior to cutting. Once served, sit down and enjoy your deep dish pizza pie!

Happy Friday Night Pizza Night!!!

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Cheers,

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BBQ Chicken Pizza

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Friday Night Pizza night!

T.W.O. had some leftover chicken in the refrigerator, so why not make a BBQ Chicken Pizza?!

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 Ingredients:

– Pizza Dough
– Cornmeal
– Flour
– Chicken breast, shredded
– BBQ sauce
– 1/2 cup olives, sliced
– 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
– 1/4 cup cilantro, diced
– 1/2 cup red onions, diced
– 2-3 cups mozzarella

Roll out the pizza dough on a floured/ cornmeal surface. Once the dough is evenly rolled out, transfer the dough to the pizza stone. Next take the BBQ sauce and spread it on the dough, making sure you reach all the edges.

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Then, add your mozzarella! Take the sliced olives, mushrooms, cilantro and red onions and spread it on the cheese. In a bowl, mix the shredded chicken breast and BBQ sauce. Once mixed, put the chicken on the pizza.

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 Let the pizza rise for about 15 minutes while the BBQ is heating up. Note – you don’t want to put the stone on a cold BBQ. The temperature should reach a medium-high heat before placing the pizza on. Watch the pizza closely; you don’t want your crust to burn! It should take about 15-20 minutes, depending on your grill.

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Bon Appetite!

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Polenta + Tomato Appetizer

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Polenta is a staple of Northern Italy, but has made its debut in all types of cuisine today.  It is most noted for it’s versatility and can be a great addition to your next meal! T.W.O. decided to create an appetizer for their family and let us tell you- it was a hit!!

Ingredients

-Polenta
-Tomatoes
-Fresh buffalo mozzarella
-Garlic powder
-Cayenne pepper
-Ground pepper
-Italian seasoning
-Dried basil

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 First, line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 425°F. Next, cut your polenta into thin, circular slices. Place the polenta on a lined cookie sheet and season with garlic powder, ground pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper. Then, slice your tomatoes into thin circles and place on the other cookie sheet. Season the tomatoes with Italian seasoning, pepper and dried basil.

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Put the polenta and tomato slices in the oven. T.W.O. would recommend putting the polenta slices on the top rack. After about 8 minutes, flip the polenta slices over.  Bake the polenta and tomatoes for another 8 minutes. (You might need to keep the polenta in a little longer depending on your oven.) Make sure that the polenta gets crispy.  When the polenta and tomatoes are done, place a tomato on top of the polenta and add a slice of mozzarella. Continue this process for the remaining polenta circles. Next, turn your oven to broil and place the polenta “stacks” into the oven for about 3 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on the stacks so that they do not burn. Once the mozzarella is melted and slightly brown, take them out of the oven. It’s time to serve!!

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