The Mostly Homemade Pizza

Although I love baking I really have not experimented too much with it.  When I say baking I mean working with flour.  In the past I have been more interested in fresh foods.  For several years I avoided wheat due to a sensitivity I had to it.  The habit of avoiding it has stayed with me, at least to some degree, and helps me branch out.  I consider using grains that some people wouldn't.  I also practiced a raw diet for a year.  I'll have to blog about that sometime.  There is a story there.  I am more interested in enjoying food nowadays so I don't put any specific restrictions on what I cook.

I imagine you are wondering when the homemade pizza comes into the story.  The mostly homemade pizza.  Being the wheat-challenged person that I am, when I saw that Trader Joes sells already made pizza dough, I grabbed up a bag of pesto pizza dough and plain pizza dough (Marina's choice).  I even managed to wait until the dough was about to expire before getting up my pizza-making nerve.

Why  did I wait so long?  It was really easy and good!  I somehow happened to forget the pizza sauce, and didn't even remember until Luc mentioned it.  Actually it was good without the sauce.  Here is how I made mine.  Consider leaving out some of the veggies on part of the pizza if you are feeding kids.  Or check in with them about what topping they like.  I did this the hard way. 

Mostly Homemade Pizza
1 bag of Trader Joe's pre-made pizza dough, my favorite is the pesto
3 garlic cloves, chopped very small for pizza topping (optional, garlic lovers only)
2 garlic cloves for cooking with the meat
1/2 pound crimini mushrooms
1 green pepper
1/2 can of black olives
mozzarella cheese, grated
pizza sauce (optional)
1/2 pound ground beef
a little butter

Dough:
Take the pizza dough out of the fridge and let it sit in the open for 20 minutes.  Choose a flat baking sheet and lightly oil it to avoid having the pizza dough stick to it.  Using a little flour to keep your hands from sticking to the dough, spread it out evenly in a roughly round shape, or in a square shape.  Fold the edges over slightly to create a crust.  Now the crust is ready for the toppings.

Meat:
Cook the ground beef in some butter with minced garlic and a dash of cumin and oregano.  Break it up so that the meat is in little pieces.  When meat is thoroughly cooked, drain out the liquids (here doggie doggie) and set aside.

Veggies:
The veggies should all be cut thinly.  They will be added to the pizza without pre-cooking and if they are thinly sliced they will cook perfectly on the pizza. If you are using the garlic as a pizza topping, chop it very small, so that it will soften and thus lessen its potency during the baking process.

Putting it all together:
Spread the pizza sauce on the formed pizza.  Add mozzarella cheese.  Now place toppings in order: olives, mushrooms, green peppers, meat, and garlic.  Spread ingredients evenly, place in 450 F oven and cook for 10-20 minutes, watching crust carefully to avoid burning it.  When the bottom of the crust is browned and the veggies look cooked, it is done!  Use a spatula to peak under the crust to check it's color.

Best served with a fresh salad.