Pizza - Sauces

This is one of the easier ways to make yourself a legend in your own lunch time. Rolled wedges of dough and savory ingredients come out of the oven as cheesy, golden "croissants" that taste even better than they look. These can rise a bit (for a chewier snack) or not (for a crispier texture). Make them up, freeze, and bake as needed –they freeze great for school lunches of after school pizza pockets (well, pizza pockets at the next level). Variations include smoked turkey and Swiss cheese, feta and spinach, smoked ham and sharp cheddar. Double the dough and increase the ingredients slightly to make oversized versions to be served as a meal.

This is the low maintenance, perfect yield dough for a homemade, thick crust. cheese and pepperoni pizza. Alternatively, a smear of garlic, drizzle of olive oil, some pepper and fresh herbs make this a super flatbread for dipping.

Centi pelli means "one hundred skins". There are many folds in this unique savory pizza bread. It is layered thin, stuffed with cheese, pepperoni, and other tidbits. Serve it warm or picnic-cold, in huge, satisfying slabs. An easy recipe that is a far cry from the same-old, same old.

No two Chicagoans will tell you exactly the same thing about deep-dish pizza, but these are the basics – three layers of dough, spicy sausage filling, topped with sauce and cheese. Great hot or cold. If you want to speed this up, omit the spinach (and/or if you aren't keen on spinach) and used doctored-up jarred marinara sauce. This is a very hunky pizza - making it perfect for the beach picnic (cold) or on the deck at night, or brown-bagging.

Three dimensions of tomatoes tease your palate: fresh, plum tomatoes, ground up sun-dried tomatoes, and a cup of jarred spaghetti sauce.  Mamma mia !
Say bravo to the zestier, most full-bodied, lively sauce you ever had.

This batch is great for a nice supper, and then toss a bit, each day, with another type of cooked pasta or grill some fish or chicken with it on top. It only gets better as it ages.