Roasted Tomato & Pepperoni Pizza

Mercy me, it's Friday already. How did that happen?

Being it's Friday, it's time for our little family to indulge in beer and pizza again (root beer for the kids, just to clarify), which reminded me I'd better get my petoot in gear and post the pizza recipe a promised you a week ago!

I named it 'Roasted Tomato & Pepperoni Pizza' because, well, that is what is on it, and I usually try to just name my recipes after what is actually in them. However, there are several other names that I'd really like to give this pizza, like...

Pizza Fantastico!

Roasted Tomato Delicioso!

Friday Night Pizzarific Delight!

I love it so.

Hope you do too. And believe it or not, that's about as long-winded as I'm going to be on the subject. Let's make pizza!

The first thing we must discuss is the crust. It is yummy. It is easy. It is not my own recipe.

It's Giada's.

You know, the Giada? De Laurentiis?

I figure she probably really knows what she's doing when it comes to this sort of thing, so I defer to her expertise.

It's taken from the March 2007 Bon Appetit issue, and you can find it here. I could rewrite it again, but why be redundant? Why be redundant when you can just click here and (voila!) there it is? So I shant be redundant. Just click here and you'll be all set to make the crust.

I will say one thing about it, though. I usually make it the day before, let it rise, punch it down, then stick it in an air tight container in the fridge until I'm ready to use it the next day, as Giada says. Before I use it, I let it sit out on the counter for about a half hour before I roll it out so it can kind of loosen up. You don't have to wait a day, however. Do whatever works for you.

I will say one more thing about the pizza dough. After I roll it out, I like to rub a little olive oil on the bottom side of the crust. (The side that will come into contact with the pizza pan.) I just think it adds a little extra flavor.

So, my part in this recipe really comes in with the selection of toppings. Let us begin with...

...the roasted tomatoes. The yumminess that will soon, when paired with parmesan cheese, elicit a tastebud explosion in your mouth. These... are... bliss.

(Pay no attention to that lemon in the background. He's just hanging out until we use him later.)

Take one pint of either grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, and slice them in half.

Except when I look at this picture I remembered that this particular bunch of grape tomatoes were a little large, so I sliced them in fourths. Do whatever works with your particular genre of tomatoes.

Next, put them in a bowl, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and stir gently to combine...

(Again, pay no attention to the lemon in the background, the empty pop can and dirty dishes. They are irrelevant to the process, but a permanent fixture in my kitchen. Gaze only upon the tomatoes, if you would.)

Sidenote on the olive oil: I happened to purchase this Felippo Berio extra virgin olive oil because I had a coupon, and I am now in love with it. It is fragrant and wonderful. You know how Giada always talks about extra virgin olive oil having a really nice 'fruity' aroma? This stuff has it, big time. It smells wonderfully fresh and fruity. I just thought I'd recommend it.

Sidenote on the salt: this much salt makes the tomatoes a little extra salty. I like them like this for the saltiness of the overall pizza. However, feel free to decrease the salt or eliminate it all together if that's what floats your boat.

As I said, give it a little stir. Then, spread them out on a baking sheet topped with parchment paper. NOT wax paper. Wax paper and parchment paper are not the same thing. Some of you may know this, some may not. I don't want any of y'all putting wax paper in your oven on my account.

(Again, pay no attention to the baked-on appearance of the pan. There's a lot of things in these pictures I just don't really want you to pay attention to. If you could just zone in on the actual food, that would be great.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, pop them in, and bake for about 25 minutes.

Mmmmmm. Oh yum. Oh goodness. Oh yum. I shudder to think what would happen to my digestive system if I ate all of these, but I could. To not devour them all before they make their way to the pizza is a considerable act of will power for me. And that's not to mention fending off my hubby and kids.

While the tomatoes are roasting, combine 1/3 cup of mayo (that's right, I said mayo, not Miracle Whip) and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, and whoop it up a bit...

See? This is where the lemon comes into play. That inconspicuous little lemon that was hanging out in all the above photos is now making his move. And let me tell you, to me, the lemon is really the key to the whole pizza. It's that little something that makes you say, "Mmmmmm."

(Timesaver tip: Mix the mayo and lemon zest in the same bowl you used to mix the tomatoes. Won't hurt a thing. Easy peasy.)

Now, spread the mayo / lemon zest mixture over the crust, which should be on your pizza pan...

That's right, we're putting mayonnaise on pizza. I dunno what Giada would think about that one. But I'll tell you one thing: If she tasted this pizza, she'd say, "It is good. Rock on, Farmer Gal."

At least, that's what she'd say in the fantasy in my mind where she comes to my kitchen and tastes my pizza.

Then top with pepperoni to your liking...

Then top with the roasted tomatoes (yum)...

Top with 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (yum x2) and roll up the edges a bit...

Pop it in the oven (preheated to 425 degrees) and bake for 22-25 minutes, remove, let sit for about ten minutes or so, slice, prepare yourself for new levels of deliciousness, and serve!

Pizza Fantastico!

Comments

[Flying Jae's Mom]

May I come over, please?? :)