Remember a few weeks ago I posted this recipe for Grilled Baby Portabella Pesto Flatbreads? They turned out so good that I wanted to go back and make a heartier, meatier version that my husband would be satisfied with for lunch or dinner. Me? I would be perfectly content with the cheese, sun-dried tomato spread and mushrooms. My husband, as good as he is about eating all the meatless meals I crank out for weeknight dinners, really enjoys a little bit of meat on his pizza. And so that’s what I gave him here with my latest naan pizza creation.

I had a package of julienned sun-dried tomatoes in the pantry and with a few quick pulses in my blender (along with some olive oil and garlic), I turned it into a spreadable base for the pizza. I decided to stick with my favorite mushrooms, the baby portabellas, as well as a couple of links of some turkey andouille sausage I recently picked up to kick up the flavor. The flavors worked so well together!

Now, if you want to make things easier on yourself, feel free to pick up a jar of pre-made sun-dried tomato spread. I’ve seen a brand in my produce section that would work, I’m sure most grocery stores have something similar as well. But the sun-dried tomato spread I threw together here was really simple – the sweetness from the tomatoes were incredible and the little add-ins made it a perfect complement to the other ingredients.

I obviously love making naan pizzas (like these killer Grilled Veggie Naan Pizza and Grilled “Stinger” Naan Pizza), and the only problem that I have with them is that they are so darn good you can really go overboard with the calories if you’re not careful. If you look on the package of the bread, you’ll see a serving size is for 1/2 a loaf (at least on the ones I pick up) and if I am not prepared with a big salad to serve alongside my serving, then I might just go ahead and polish off the whole thing. With all the toppings and cheese, that could be considered a calorie disaster…or not. It’s up to you, but if you are watching your calorie intake and don’t want to blow that session on the elliptical or treadmill that morning, stick to just a couple slices and a salad (and save the rest for lunch the next day!).

Enjoy!

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Thank goodness for this recipe is all I can say because it has gotten me past the trauma of almost starting a fire in my oven, in front of guests even (I shudder at the memory). I have accepted that it wasn’t the phyllo’s fault…it was the butter’s fault. Moving on now…

I cooked up this recipe with my Bush’s Beans friends (aka Team Bean) in Montana last month…it was one of about 6 recipes that we cooked up and shared with each other during that trip. It was also one of the recipes (in addition to this chicken one) that I made as soon as I got home.

What’s so nice about cooking in a group, is what you learn from each other. This recipe was created by Connie Gutterson for Bush’s Beans and how lucky were we to actually have her available to walk us through making it step by step. I pretty much told her right away of my phyllo phobia so she really took the time to make sure I walked away feeling comfortable to make this again at home. Mission accomplished Connie!

A few things I learned when working with phyllo:

• Take the time to defrost it the day before you are working with it.
• Unroll it, lay it out on a baking sheet, then keep it covered with a moist paper towel (or two) until you are ready to use it in the recipe.
• When layering your phyllo, spray each layer with nonstick spray (or olive oil spray) and sprinkle panko, breadcrumbs, or finely processed nuts between each layer to create small pockets of air that will help crisp it up and keep it light.
• Work quickly so the phyllo doesn’t dry out! (if it does, you can always mist it with a little water to dampen up)
• Spray the edges of the tart with cooking or olive oil spray for a nice golden crust.

This tart was SO good. I made it for my husband and I one night to munch on while watching a football game (not your typical football fare, I know, but when I’m the one cooking, I decide 😉 ). We both loved it and I enjoyed the leftovers for lunch the next day (it warmed up in the toaster oven very nicely). This would make such a nice dinner, paired with a green salad, or as an appetizer, cut into smaller pieces and nicely plated for guests during the holidays.

Don’t forget to enter my Bush’s Beans giveaway…you have until Wednesday, November 9 at 12 noon (EST) to enter to win a grill pan, apron, spices as well as other goodies from Bush’s!

Thank you to Crackle Photography for all the amazing photos taken at our cooking event!

Mushroom and White Bean Tart

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 sheets (9”X12” each) phyllo dough

For Filling:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 8 cups wild mushrooms, cut in quarters (approximately 24 ounces)
• 2 cups onions, diced
• 2 tablespoons garlic, diced
• 1 can (15.5 ounces) BUSH’S® Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (thyme, parsley or marjoram), chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• Salt and pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup low-fat sour cream

For Tart:

• Olive oil spray
• 6 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
• 16 slices Roma tomatoes, ¼-inch thick
• ½ cup goat cheese

Additional Supplies:

• Parchment paper
• Plastic wrap

Directions:

1. Defrost phyllo dough (allow about 2 hours for defrosting).

For Filling:

1. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and mushrooms. Sauté for 5-10 minutes or until mushrooms release their moisture and begin to shrink, cook mushrooms in batches if necessary. Continue cooking mushrooms until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms start to brown (if mushrooms are too wet, they will soak through the phyllo dough). Add onions, garlic, cannellini beans and 1 tablespoon of herbs. Cook for 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Stir in zest. Season with salt and pepper. Let mushroom mixture thoroughly cool.
2. Beat egg and sour cream. Add egg and sour cream to cooled mushroom mixture (egg will scramble if added to hot mixture). Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For Tart:

1. Lay 1 large sheet of phyllo on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan, keep remaining phyllo sheets covered with plastic wrap. Spray phyllo with olive oil spray and lightly sprinkle with bread crumbs. Place another sheet of phyllo on top of bread crumbs, gently press down. Spray top sheet of phyllo with olive oil spray. Repeat the process with the remaining sheets of phyllo. Work quickly so the edges don’t dry out. Roll up 1-inch of each edge towards the center, forming a rim. The final tart shell should be 7”X10”.
2. Spread mushroom mixture evenly over the phyllo. Top with tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and evenly distribute goat cheese on top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of herbs.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is brown and crispy. Cool on wire rack prior to serving.

Recipe created for BUSH’S® Beans by Connie Guttersen, PhD, RD, nutrition instructor at the Culinary Institute of America and author of “The New Sonoma Diet” and “The Sonoma Cookbook” Sterling 2011.

All photos featured in this post courtesy of Crackle Photography

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One of my favorite go to dinners any night of the week. Flat Out pizzas. It’s one of those meals I can always count on. I can make them my way, their way, everyone’s way. And it’s not too much trouble either.

My latest Flat Out pizza creations are on Babble today. Have a great weekend!

Check out my Pinterest board for more pizza recipes.
Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Pizza & Flatbread on Pinterest.

The post Barbecue Chicken and Chicken Flatbread Pizzas appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Is summer flying by or what? The first part of our summer seemed so slow and lazy…but then July kicked in and phew…it’s almost over!  School is starting here in less than 3 weeks. Craziness!

If I had to pick a favorite meal this summer…it might be this pizza. I made it a couple times last week with some naan bread I took out of the freezer and some leftover pesto I had in the fridge. I used what I had which happened to be yellow bell peppers, vidalia onions and tomatoes for toppings. And freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

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 Since it’s Father’s Day I wanted to share with you a few things about my own dad.

I still call him Daddy. (so what if I’m 35 years old)

He grew up in a small town in Sicily (Castiglione).

He moved to the States to marry my mom in the 1970s when he was about 23 years old.

He was a baker.

He would take me with him to a bakery in the Bronx every Sunday where I would sit on a stool in the middle of a huge kitchen, eating a cookie, while listening to him catch up with his friends (in Italian of course) and watching lots of fancy cakes get made. We’d come home with a big white box tied with red & white string full of Italian pastries and cookies for Sunday lunch. One of my favorite memories of my daddy still to this day.

He has a huge heart, which I like to think was passed down to me.

He makes a mean pizza and calzone and has since I was 4 years old.

He’s been in the pizza/restaurant business for 31+ years…and still going strong.

He’s always taken very good care of his family.

He’s the hardest working person I know, and I’m proud of that.

So in honor of my dad and everything he has taught me, directly and indirectly, about life…I want to share with you one of his best pizzas – his spinach pizza; one that I recreated at a pizza party I hosted in my home a couple of years ago. I tweaked it just a bit (he doesn’t use nutmeg in his sauce) and I’m sure you’ll love it just as much as we do.

Happy Father’s Day to all the awesome dads out there…including mine, as well as my husband, my grandfather, my father-in-law, my brothers-in-law, my nephew, my cousins, and my friends.

Enjoy!

Rocky's Spinach Pizza

Ingredients:

• 2 -3 tablepoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 cups half and half
• pinch of salt, fresh ground pepper and fresh nutmeg
• 8 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• Parmesan Cheese, grated
• Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• Pizza dough

Directions:

To make Spinach White Cream Sauce:

1. Melt 2-3 tb butter in saucepan over medium heat.
   Stir in 2 tb of flour into butter, cook for 1-2 minutes.
   Add 2 cups half and half to butter mixture.
   Add dash of salt, pepper, and fresh ground nutmeg to cream.
   Bring to a simmer, continually stirring to avoid bottom of pan burning. Simmer for few minutes until sauce starts to thicken.
   Take sauce off heat and bring to room temperature.
   Add 8oz thawed chopped frozen spinach to sauce.

To prepare Pizza:

1. Spread spinach cream sauce over pizza dough to edges. Top with cheeses and bake in a 425 degree oven (I bake my pizza on a preheated pizza stone) until crust is browned and cheese is bubbly.

Check out my Pinterest board for more pizza recipes.
Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Pizza & Flatbread on Pinterest.

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Anyway, growing up in a pizza shop family for pretty much my entire life has turned me into somewhat of a pizza addict. I could seriously eat pizza every day. And I like it so many different ways…on traditional pizza dough, on pita bread, english muffins, flat outs… you name it, I’ll eat it. I love to get creative with the toppings. I’m not a big meat eater, but sausage and peppers pizza would have to be my favorite meat pizza. Veggie and more veggie is my other favorite.

I made this pizza one Friday night not long ago and it was amazing. This is the kind of pizza I would love to order out, but am always overruled by the fam (cheese and pepperoni always wins). I love the contrast of the peppery arugula on top of the warm pizza, tastes so fresh and gourmet. This was super easy and fun to make at home and I will definitely be enjoying this again soon.

Caramelized Onion and Arugula White Pizza

Ingredients:

• homemade or store bought pizza dough (I purchase mine from Publix bakery)
• drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• kosher or sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• caramelized onions (see recipe here)
• garlic, minced
• freshly shredded mozzarella
• freshly grated Parmesan
• sun-dried tomatoes
• arugula
• balsamic glaze, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make sure your baking stone is preheating in oven.
2. Drizzle olive oil over your stretched and shaped pizza dough. Sprinkle dough with kosher or sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Sprinkle minced garlic, shredded mozzarella, Parmesan over dough. Add caramelized onions and sundried tomatoes and carefully transfer to preheated pizza stone. (I use a large cutting board dusted with flour when I am preparing my pizza. When pizza is ready to go in oven, I take out hot stone and place on a hot pad near cutting board and transfer on the counter. Just work carefully and patiently.)
3. Bake pizza in 425 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes or until crust is cooked and bottom is crispy. When pizza is done, transfer back to cutting board and top with fresh arugula. Drizzle with a balsamic glaze if desired.

Check out my Pinterest board for more pizza recipes.
Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Pizza & Flatbread on Pinterest.

If you want to make your own dough, try Pioneer Woman’s recipe for her favorite pizza or  Maria’s Whole Wheat Pizza Dough.

Want more pizza?

Spicy Pepperoni Pizza with Caramelized Onions – Two Peas and Their Pod

Margarita Pizza with Ricotta and Prosciutto – Jersey Girl Cooks

Meatball Pizza – Recipe Girl

Spinach, Mushroom & Feta Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust – Recipe Girl

CPK’s BBQ Chicken Pizza – Pioneer Woman

Rocky’s Spinach Pizza – Aggie’s Kitchen

Larry’s Italian Stallion Pizza – Aggie’s Kitchen

Grilled Stinger Naan Pizza – Aggie’s Kitchen

Roasted Vegetable Pesto Pizza – Aggie’s Kitchen

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Don’t forget to enter my “Create your Everyday Escape” giveaway ($75 SpaFinder gift card and Otria Greek Yogurt Veggie Dip goodies!). Giveaway ends Friday, March 4 at midnight (EST).

The post Caramelized Onion and Arugula White Pizza appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Holly blogged about some Naan Pizzas she made.  Naan bread is pretty new to me…had my first experience with it at our local Indian restaurant not long ago and also saw Aarti make pizzas out of it on her final episode of Food Network Star.  These breads make the perfect crust for quick pizzas!  I found these breads in the deli section of my grocery store, near the pitas and other flat breads.

I was inspired by my produce drawer to make these little pizzas into “Stingers”…the name comes from one of my favorite pizzas my dad serves at his restaurant.  Strips of green peppers, onions and garlic…baked first in the oven and then added as toppings in addition to traditional sauce and cheese.  While I was cutting my veggies I actually had a deja vu moment that took me back to the days where my mom would pick me up after school and bring me back to their pizza shop to hang out.  She would keep me busy sometimes by giving me something to do in the kitchen…cutting up peppers and onions seemed to be a job that always needed to be done.  It was so long ago (I must have been in middle school!) and the memory made me smile.

Before I share the recipe for these delicious pizzas I want to thank everyone for all of their votes for my recipes entered into the Pacific Natural Foods Everyday Chef Challenge.  It was a fun experience creating the recipes out of secret ingredients and though I didn’t win, both recipes turned out delicious and the positive feedback from you all who made them is so much appreciated!  The contest is now in the Finals…Elana’s Pantry’s Thai Vegetable Soup is up against Herbivoracious’s Tortillas and Spinach in Black Bean Sauce.  This is a tough competition, both dishes look and sound awesome!  You can vote for either of these two recipes every 24 hours up until Wednesday October 13.  And while you are there, vote for one of the Everyday Challengers that are up for the Culinary Bootcamp Grand Prize as well.   My friends Holly, Merry and Lori along with some other great cooks are all in the Finals and need votes!  Good luck to everyone in the Finals!!

Grilled "Stinger" Naan Pizzas

Ingredients:

• 1-2 green bell peppers, sliced
• 1 yellow onion sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 TB olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper
• pinch of dried oregano
• 2 pieces of regular or whole grain Naan bread (I used whole grain)
• pizza sauce
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• non stick or olive oil spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a glass baking dish, combine peppers, onions and garlic. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through and softened.
3. Preheat grill or grill pan to low heat. Spray or brush both sides of Naan with olive oil and place on grill over indirect heat (or in grill pan). Cook Naan until slightly browned and grill marks show (about 4-5 minutes, keep an eye on it). Take Na'an off grill and start to prepare pizzas by adding toppings onto grilled side. Spread sauce, then cheese, then vegetable mixture onto the Naan and carefully place back on grill. Close grill lid and cook for 5-8 minutes until crust is browned and crisp and cheese is melted.

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Roasted Vegetable Pesto Pizza
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

(Printable Recipe)

store bought or homemade pizza dough
1-2 red bell peppers, chopped
1-2 zucchinis, chopped
2 yellow squash, chopped
red onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed
store bought or homemade pesto
pine nuts
mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper

In a large bowl, toss veggies, olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread evenly on large baking sheet and place in a preheated 425 degree oven. Roast vegetables for approximately 20-25 minutes, tossing about halfway through.

Spread pizza dough out on flat surface. Work dough out, pulling and stretching gently until reaching desired size. I use a pizza stone and try to get the dough just slightly larger than the stone since it does tend to shrink back slightly.

Spread pesto evenly over pizza dough. Spread roasted vegetables over pesto. Top with pine nuts and mozzarella. Bake in 425 degree oven for approximately 15-20 minutes or until dough is golden brown and cheese is melted. Be sure to lift pizza up and check that the bottom is browning as well. If it is not, place on lower rack for a few more minutes.

The post Top 5 Favorites of 2009… #3 Roasted Vegetable Pesto Pizza appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Although I grew up in a family pizzeria, I never really attempted to make my own pizza at home for some reason. I’ve watched my dad make probably a million pies over the years, you would think I would know what to do with my eyes closed. But honestly, it wasn’t until my Grown Folks Pizza and Ice Cream Social that I started to feel comfortable working with dough. Once I saw my friend Dan toss a disc of pizza dough in the air, I decided that I am going to have to step it up and carry on the pizza making tradition in the family. So I’ve been practicing. And it’s been fun.

Now that I’ve got the dough handling down, I wanted to try something new. Grilled Pizza. I have heard about it in blogosphere and even watched an episode on it on Grill It With Bobby Flay the other day. But honestly, the thought of it kinda made me nervous.

I’m here to tell you…don’t be scared to try this. I was so excited about how my first grilled pizza turned out that I can not wait to make it again! The crust is so crisp that you won’t believe you had a part in making it.

Now, I did encounter a slight obstacle while cooking my pizza on the grill. I started off by grilling up the bottom of the pizza so that it would be easier to handle when adding the toppings. I then took the parcooked dough of the grill, added the toppings, placed back on the hot grill rack, and pulled down the cover (all with the help of my sister in law, her husband and a glass of pinot grigio!). The top of the pizza didn’t cook up as quickly as I thought it would so to avoid the risk of burning the bottom of the pizza, we put it under the broiler in the oven for a bit to finish it off. We weren’t disappointed in the results at all…though I am wondering how I could have cooked that entire pizza on the grill without burning it. Bobby (Flay) grilled up both sides of the pizza before adding any toppings, so I will try that next time. Any advice out there?? Please share…

This pizza did turn out delicious, between the wonderfully light and crispy crust and the fresh toppings it was no doubt a winner. This pizza recipe has been featured before in my Foodbuzz 24 post, but it was so good that I had to share with you again!

 

Larry's Italian Stallion Pizza

Ingredients:

• Pizza Dough (I get mine from Publix bakery)
• Olive Oil
• Tomato Sauce
• Dried Oregano
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Prosciutto de Parma, chopped
• Genoa Salami, chopped (we left this out this time)
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Asiago Cheese shavings
• Fresh Basil

Directions:

1. Spread out dough to desired shape and size (don't worry about it being perfect). Brush both sides of dough with olive oil to avoid sticking on the grill (you can also spray the grill to be extra safe). Sprinkle dough with salt and pepper (optional). Place dough carefully on preheated grill rack over medium-low indirect heat.
2. Let dough cook for about 10 minutes, watching carefully for even browning and grill marks. Once you've got your crust nice and crisp, take off grill with large spatula and place onto a baking sheet or pizza stone. Add your pizza sauce, dried oregano, mozzarella and additional toppings. Place in oven, preheated to 400-425 degrees, to finish cooking for about 10 minutes. Pizza is done when cheese and crust are a golden brown.

Follow AggiesKitchen on Instagram and show us what recipes you are making from the blog! Use the hashtag #aggieskitchen - I'd love to see what you are cooking up!

Oh and P.S….

…one of my recipes is a finalist in MyRecipes’ Who Makes the Best Summer Dessert? contest! Please go check it out here and vote for your favorite!! Voting ends Thursday, July 23!

Check out my Pinterest board for more flatbread recipes.
Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Pizza & Flatbread on Pinterest.

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I wish I could tell you that the veggies on this pizza came from my garden…they didn’t, but I am hoping that later this summer I can say they did. I will tell you though, the spring onions I used did come from my grandfather’s garden, it was part of the inspiration for this pizza, so the name does work.

I have been buying a ton of zucchini and squash lately, it’s been looking so good at the market that I haven’t been able to resist. Sometimes I buy a little too much and and before it gets too sad looking I have to scramble to figure out something creative to cook with it. I created this pizza one night a couple of weeks ago playing the “use it up” game that I so often play, and we have made it 3 times since. And I wasn’t the only one requesting it.

This pizza is stacked. And boy is it good. And for those of you who like meat on their pizza…no worries, it’s in there, somewhere.

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Garden Pizza

• Author: Aggie's Kitchen
• Category: Chicken
• Method: Oven

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Ingredients

• 1 pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
  small can of tomato sauce
  dried oregano
  salt and pepper to taste
  shredded mozzarella cheese
  shredded mexican blend cheese
  2–3 spring green onions, thinly sliced
  2–3 links chicken andouille sausage, thinly sliced (I use Amylu chicken sausages I find at Costco)
  1–2 zucchini, thinly sliced
  1–2 squash, thinly sliced

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Prepare pizza dough on stone. Pour tomato sauce onto dough and spread around. Sprinkle dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste over sauce. Add about a cup of shredded mozzarella over sauce. Then add in layers: sliced green onions, sliced chicken sausage, sliced zucchini and squash. Add salt and pepper to top veggie layer to taste. Sprinkle about a 1/4 – 1/2 cup shredded mexican cheese over zucchini and squash.
• Bake for about 20-25 minutes until pizza crust is golden brown cooked through and veggies are browned.

(for a printable version of this recipe click here)

In case you haven’t heard…

Congrats to the ORLANDO MAGIC for
becoming our 2009 Eastern Conference Champs!

We are so excited to see our team in the Finals!! Good luck to Dwight and the team!!

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