Red Pepper Pizza
20 Jun 2013
Pizza is a real go-to around here, not least because I like to pile it high with lots of veggies. And lots of cheese. Everyone knows that it’s the cheese that’s the secret. There have been several pizza obsessions in my day, from mushroom pesto to zucchini tarragon to potato dill. But this one is special. Eric loves red peppers, and I like them pretty well too. But I was unprepared for their magnificence here, thinly sliced and marinated. It’s a pizza we both get excited for. Just look at this gorgeousness. It’s like a gigantic open-faced salad sandwich.
Very high on the list of things I can’t abide: raw onions. But marinated onions? Sliced paper thin? Sign me up. We have been using our mandoline twice a week so far this summer. It’s such an awesome tool to have (thank you, Amanda Lynn!)
The magic of this pizza is that this succulent tower of vegetables and parsley rests on top of the cheese, so the moisture runs off the side instead of making the dough soggy. Genius!
There are not any after-baking pictures of this pizza because it is immediately devoured. I nominate it for pizza MVP.
Red Pepper Pizza
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
3 red bell peppers
1/2 small red onion
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/4 cup basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
2 ounces mozzarella cheese
Pizza dough for one pizza (I use Bittman’s recipe and toss in some chopped herbs if I have some on hand)
-Preheat the oven–with a pizza stone in it–to 450 to 500 °F. [If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can bake this on the back of a baking sheet, sprinkled with cornmeal.]
-Slice the peppers and onion as thin as possible, using a mandoline if you have one, and roughly chop the parsley and basil. Toss in a bowl with the olive oil and the vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Coarsely grate the cheese and set aside.
-Roll out a disk of pizza dough 12 to 14 inches in diameter and place it on the back of a lightly floured sheet pan or pizza peel. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the dough. Spread the pepper mixture on top of the cheese. Slide the pizza directly onto the pizza brick and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the dough is crispy and thoroughly cooked. Slice and serve immediately.
Jun 20, 2013 @ 05:53:20
Hmmm. This might be for dinner. Of course I have no mandoline, or if I do I don’t remember it, so my efforts will be a little more crude. But that’s OK, it will taste yummy.
Jun 20, 2013 @ 20:30:51
It definitely will! If you get a mandoline, I insist on buying you one of those chain metal gloves. Can’t have you chopping yourself!
Jun 20, 2013 @ 06:30:52
Yum!!!
Jun 20, 2013 @ 20:32:16
Oh, it so was. And it disappeared so quickly! I ate the last of it for lunch on Tuesday, and Eric was so sad that it was gone when he got home from work!
Jun 20, 2013 @ 09:56:28
Mmmm. I love red peppers and onions once they go into the oven. So good.
Jun 20, 2013 @ 20:32:25
Me too! This is a keeper.
Jun 20, 2013 @ 10:20:26
This sounds pretty great; you always make the best pizzas!! I also can’t abide raw onions, but marinated ones, as I discovered with an Ottolenghi recipe, are a completely different animal. So you’re liking your mandoline? I was all about getting one, but then I read how they’re one of the top three things that cause kitchen accidents (meat grinders and immersion blenders are the others)…but maybe I allowed myself to be swayed too quickly by journalism–definitely wouldn’t be the first time!!
Jun 20, 2013 @ 20:35:28
Oh, thank you! I think at some point years ago, pizza started to seem do-able, and I’ve never looked back! Oh, the mandoline is awesome! I have definitely lost a few fingernail edges to it, but thankfully nothing more. It can *definitely* do some damage, especially since you’re generally running things over it very quickly. But they also sell these chain metal gloves you can wear while using it that will totally protect you! It seems like a sound investment to me, but for now I am just trying to be super careful. Hope springs eternal?
Jun 20, 2013 @ 16:00:24
You made this?
And where’s your go-to Pizza parlor around here when you go or take-out?
Jun 20, 2013 @ 20:41:48
Yes! I started with bread, and pizza dough is just so much easier by comparison–we make it several times a month. We love getting wood-fired pizza at Neapolis. There’s no comparison to wood fired! We have been wanting to go to Settebello but haven’t made it yet. What’s your favorite?
Jun 23, 2013 @ 12:22:34
I don’t know if I have a favorite in Pasadena. I used to say Village Pizzeria on N. Los Robles. I like Blaze on Colorado/El Molino, but I’m hoping to say one day soon that my fav Pasadena pizza is Krug’s!
Jun 25, 2013 @ 21:53:37
Oh, for sure! We have been wanting to check out Blaze–so conveniently close to Vroman’s for a leisurely weekend stroll:)
Jun 20, 2013 @ 16:14:34
That pizza wins the Internet.
Jun 20, 2013 @ 20:42:05
Wow! Thank you! Come to my town, and I will gladly make it for you;)
Jun 28, 2013 @ 12:36:10
This looks awfully good after an afternoon in the pool, maybe 😉 (I could get a GF crust to use!!)
Jul 01, 2013 @ 21:01:01
Definitely! Or if you know of a recipe or have a preferred GF flour, I can try to whip one up!