This morning I was welcomed to another overcast somewhat perfect day to snuggle on the coach with too much coffee and a book....however having recently "gotten back into" cooking and baking and the whole nine yards I decided to make a pizza to start the day....well actually coffee was first (of course)....then got the husband out the door and then this little experiment began to take shape...
Cowboy Pizza
= yeastless crust (leftover steak + onions + green peppers + brown mushrooms) (colby & monterey jack cheese) + (grated asiago)
Yeastless Pizza Crust:
3 cups flour
1.5 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1.33 cups hot water (2/3 + 1/2 of 2/3)
0.375 cups extra virgin olive oil ( 1/4 + 1/2 of 1/4)
Mix the dry ingredients together and then flatten out in bowl, add hot water and oil by drizzling around the entire surface of the dry mixture covering as much surface as possible. Briefly incorporate the liquid into the dry mixture. Put on disposable gloves and knead dough into the bowl, this works well by rotating the bowl with one hand and knead with the other....the dough will mix together well. Do not sift the flour.
Let rest while you prepare the toppings.
This was just another way to use the leftover steak that was grilled this past weekend over the charcoal....so much flavor...
I took the steak and cut it up in small pieces and added to some leftover BBQ sauce that I made over the weekend when grilling shrimp (this is another story for another time....but I do have to tell you that the shrimp wontons were a hit!).....back to the pizza: I thinly sliced the yellow onions, brown mushrooms, and green peppers. I already had these on hand as they were the cheapest at the grocery store, which tells me they are in season! Frugalness prevails....and leaves you with the best tasting food.
I of course did not have enough BBQ sauce so I had to make a little extra...NO PROBLEM!
It's simple: sweet baby rays + can o' tomato sauce + garlic powder + red pepper flakes + little water
I like to add this all to a small sauce pan and let the flavors develop and cook into one another!
As soon as everything was set I spread out the dough, it was still warm and so flexible....I have to admit that I was happy with the result....I also have to admit that homemade pizza dough is always a challenge, and for me, often times a crap shoot as I can do exactly (or what I believe to be exactly) the same thing and it turns out to be rough, non-elastically, tough dough.....if this ever happens, it's OK to through it out and start over! Be not afraid to fail...
Crusty crust comes from adding corn meal to the pizza sheet before spreading out....one day I will be able to do this right and actually have a pizza stone....then I will be able to show you a thing or two.....
Cooked pizza @ 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, then turned down to 347 degrees and cooked another 17 minutes!
Looking forward to enjoying this little experiment for dinner tonight!
Take Care.
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