If his back were against the wall, my hubby would probably tell you that pizza is the world’s most perfect food.
This guy loves his pizza, and for that, he’s getting the best pizza I can produce in my quest toward a birthday that’s as fun as it can be without the kids being home. This pizza better be good. And although we can’t all be together, Dom and I will be traveling to see Nick’s lacrosse game (Go Phins!)…the kids have played a significant role in my pursuit toward pizza-perfection hence happiness ever-after.
As I mentioned in my last post, the five of us were together last weekend celebrating all sorts of good stuff, and as a result, gifts were exchanged which included the soundtrack for The Godfather and the book, The Pizza Bible, by Tony Gemignani. I’m sure Dom will reserve a special spot on the bookshelf in the kitchen for his new favorite book. The kids know their papa.
As a result of reading The Pizza Bible (out loud I might add) during our car ride home (who needs books on tape anyway?), I realized something…it’s about time I master the art of making pizza dough. Am I right? Of course mastery requires time but a girl’s gotta start somewhere. And there’s no better time than now.
Tony G. has a number of dough recipes in his bible, some prepared with starters, some without; he includes recipes for deep dish, a Sicilian dough, focaccia and ciabatta to name a few.
My plan for pizza-perfection starts with a dough that can easily become a staple. I want to have a recipe in my wheelhouse that can be ready in no time; one that doesn’t require a trip to the grocery store, especially for those times when we need pizza and we need it now. Do you have those moments? Please tell me you have those moments… I have modified Tony’s recipe slightly as I don’t keep diastatic malt in the pantry. I will, however, get my hands on this special ingredient as soon as possible as it’s the secret component for promoting great texture and a golden crust in doughs and breads. I’m also modifying the dough’s rest time. Where Tony calls for 24 hours in the refrigerator, I let it rest until the dough doubled in size, about two hours.
I guess you could say Tony inspired this dish but I’ve really gone ahead and tweaked to meet my needs, today.
When I asked Dom what kind of pizza he wanted there was no hesitation.
Meatball Pizza with Extra Cheese, Garlic Oil & Crushed Red Pepper. He had that locked and loaded. Done.
I think I have just about as many pictures of garlic as I do my kids. This could be a problem. I take that back. There can be no problems where garlic is concerned. And I’m sure my kids would agree.
I made garlic oil to drizzle over top the pizza just before serving. I am 100% convinced that the word swoon was created for this very moment. Wouldn’t you expect that such a description would carry with it an extravagant process? Nope. It’s a matter of combining chopped garlic with olive oil and letting it do its thing overnight in the refrigerator. This is the part where the longer it sits, the deeper the flavor. The garlic will infuse the oil to create the perfect complement to our cheesy pizza.
And what about the sauce? Pizza sauce (to our liking) has a light tomato-y flavor, is a tiny bit sweet, and takes its job of tying everything together, very seriously. I prepared what I’ll comfortably call my ‘mini sauce’. What I mean by that is I’ve taken most of what I incorporate in my Sunday sauce and cut the ingredients by about three-quarters and remove the meat altogether. This is a light marinara that includes dried and fresh herbs to create the perfect base for our meata-ball pizza.
And speaking of meata-balls…I’ve shared them ohhh, a few two-three times on the blog, now. Recipes with slight variations but today we’re going with my tried and true baked meatball that uses equal parts ground sirloin, pork and veal. Hey – only the best for the birthday boy. This recipe creates a melt-in-your-mouth experience. And because I’m going to crumble the meatballs, having this lovely baked trio will render tenderness to the highest degree.
Dough. Once the dough is ready for prep, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. You’ll want your oven piping hot to create a heavenly crisp. This I remember from my high school days while working in a deli…hair net and all. The high temperature also helps to brown the crust and cook the sauce quickly so it will not seep through the dough. Shape your dough to match your pan, add the sauce to the center and spread with the back of a spoon until it almost touches the edges. Scatter the cheese mixture which is composed of mozzarella and provolone over top, with another scatter of your crumbled meatball mixture, a shake of red pepper flakes and it’s ready to fly.
Put the pizza on the top rack and let it cook for 20 minutes. When the dough is beginning to firm, move the pizza to the middle rack, lower the temperature to 375 degrees and cook for 15 – 20 minutes longer.
When the pizza is finished baking, remove from oven, sprinkle with grated Romano, and add a drizzle of garlic oil.
Dom will love this.
Happy Birthday to my Big Guy, Big D, Pizza Man, Pops…to my best friend, and the light of my life…
Here’s to you, Sweeta! And 10 extra candles…
Print
Meatball Pizza with Garlic Oil & Crushed Red Pepper
- Category: Dinner
Ingredients
- Garlic Oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Pizza Sauce
- 14 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 2 – 3 large basil leaves
- Baked Meatballs
- 2 – 2 1/2 lbs. total, equal parts ground sirloin, pork, veal
- 1 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley chopped (or 2 Tbsp. dry parsley)
- 2 –3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup fine Italian bread crumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- Pizza Dough
- 3/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1 pkg. dry yeast
- 3 1/2 cups unbleached flour (King Arthur)
- 1 cup ice water
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1/2 lb. mozzarella, shredded
- 1/4 lb. provolone, shredded
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
- Romano cheese
Instructions
- Best if prepared the day before, in a small bowl, combine the chopped garlic with the 1/2 cup olive oil. Cover and refrigerate garlic oil until use.
- Best if prepared the day before, in a medium bowl, combine crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, oregano, olive oil and basil leaves. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate pizza sauce until use.
- To make meatballs, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Shape the mixture into rounds and place them on a very lightly oiled baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the meatball.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- Crumble the meat making it easier to scatter.
- To make the dough, put lukewarm water in a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it.
- Let stand in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes, until a foam forms on top.
- Put the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- With the mixer running on the lowest speed, pour ice water, followed by the yeast water in to the bowl.
- Mix for about 1 minute, until most of the dough comes together around the hook.
- Stop the mixer and use your fingers to pull away any dough clinging to the hook and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the salt and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute to combine.
- Stop the mixer and pull the dough off the hook.
- Add the oil and mix the dough for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Once all the oil is absorbed transfer to an unfloured work surface then knead it for 2 – 3 minutes. You may need to pat a little flour on your hands to avoid sticking.
- Knead until smooth.
- Place dough in a large bowl and cover with a damp dish towel and let rest at room temperature for 1 -2 hours, until doubled in size.
- When dough is ready, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Remove dough from bowl and and flatten with your hands until it forms a circle.
- Rub 1 Tbsp. olive oil onto the surface of a large pizza pan.
- Arrange the circle of dough on the pan.
- Add the pizza sauce to the center of the dough and spread it close to the edge.
- Scatter the mozzarella and provolone over the entire dough.
- Top with crumbled meatballs and a shake of red pepper flakes.
- Place pizza on top rack and cook for 20 minutes.
- Lower heat to 375 and place pizza on middle rack for another 15 – 20 minutes.
- When the dough is golden and cheese bubbly, it’s done.
- Remove from oven, slice and drizzle with garlic oil and grated Romano cheese.
Ciao!
I think im coming over to grab a slice!!! My lord this is fantastic
We have leftovers…. 😉 Thanks, friend!
Mmm those pizza looks amazing! Homemade pizza is always the best pizza by far!! Pinned 🙂
You are so right, Christina…nothing like homemade! Thanks, friend!
Wow! What a stunning pizza – gorgeous color and perfectly browned! I totally agree with your husband – pizza very well may be the perfect pizza 🙂
Oh yeahhh…and he’ll fight anyone who doesn’t agree! Haha! Don’t you just love mozzarella – it blisters so beautifully! Thanks, Kathleen!
I agree with Dom, pizza is indeed the world’s most perfect food. And with the meatballs on it. . .it’s as if you combined a meatball sub (the second world’s most perfect food) with pizza. And BAM. . .the dish of my dreams! Your photos are making me very hungry for pizza. Is it okay to eat pizza for breakfast?
I say YES to pizza for breakfast! Many a morning have I started my day with this breakfast of champions… 😉 Thanks, Lynn!
Ooo I’m going to have to get that book! We eat a LOT of pizza, and I do have a favorite dough recipe, but I’m always open to trying something new! Definitely going to have to give this a try with veggie “meat”balls. Love how garlicky it is!
That’s a great idea. Veggie meatballs would be perfect! Check out the book…I think you’ll like it!
I absolutely love pizza and could live off of it! This pizza looks so incredible, Annie. I can see why he loved this pizza too!
This is a keeper! Thanks, Danielle!
Oooh, this sounds amazing Annie! I kind of want to put garlic oil on everything after reading this! Off to make some now 🙂
Yes!! Enjoy!!
Monday night is pizza night at my house – this one is definitely on the list!
That is fabulous! Enjoy, my friend!
Wow! This looks so fabulous, Annie! I love the idea of garlic-infused olive oil…it seems like that needs to become a household staple. Happy Birthday to your hubby, who is one lucky guy!
It is too easy to go through the garlic oil…dangerous, actually! Thank you so much for your kind words, my friend!
You’re crackin me up Annie… ‘more pictures of garlic than that of my kids…’ LOL! Homemade pizza is a staple at our house and you’re right, when I want it, I want it! Like your 2 hour rise trick.. a quick way to get pizza in my belly! OMG and the drizzle of garlic oil after the pizza comes out of the oven… whaaaaa/!??! I’ll take it! I need to get Tony G’s book on my shelf, postehaste! Did Dom have a happy birthday?! xo
I highly recommend the book! It is excellent! And that garlic oil? Forget about it! Thank you, my friend…Dom is having a great day!
That pizza looks wonderful! I love pizza, and that garlic oil is definitely swoon worthy! That sounds amazing!
Thank you, Stacey!! It’s a great combination of flavors!
This pizza looks absolutely spectacular! I’m seriously drooling right now (cause I haven’t had breakfast yet!). This book sounds interesting and I can’t wait to get it, as I love making pizza. 🙂
I know you’re a pizza girl! I was actually thinking of you as I was working on the dough! Thanks so much, friend!!
Wow – this pizza looks fantastic, Annie. I like a light marinara on my pizza also. And the garlic infused olive oil sounds like a wonderful topping – I’d have to make sure to make extra since there are some many things you could drizzle it on. Definitely looking forward to trying this, Annie. Happy B-Day to Dom to!
You are right on! I can see many many uses for the garlic oil! Thank you so much, Geraldine!
Happy Birthday Dom! What a fantastic bday pizza! The garlic oil at the end is genius!
That little drizzle of liquid gold was a wonderful touch! Thanks, dear!
I love every part of this pizza, but especially the meatballs! My favorite!
Oh yeah!! I was so happy when he requested meatball! I’m always in the mood! Thank you, Christin!
Aaw this is the sweetest post, Annie! Happy Birthday to Dom! This pizza looks absolutely perfect and it does show how much LOVE was put into creating every single component. I am definitely swooning over the garlic oil and all the flavors! *Drools
Thanks, Kelly! That garlic oil was the proverbial icing on the cake!
Love the recipe Annie. I must admit I made a new kind of pizza last night – Barbecue Chicken with blue cheese sauce. I have never gone non-traditional making beloved “pie” in my house but let me tell you it was great! Cheers.
Gosh, that sounds good! I’d love your recipe! Thanks, Tracy!
Annie – This pizza looks too good. We’re huge pizza fans as well, but don’t order out too much. I love making homemade pizza. This is definitely looking like a recipe I need in my life. I’d substitute in some turkey meatballs since I don’t eat red meat. I love all of that red pepper.
I was so happy with the dough…there was a perfect crunch on that crust. And I’d add red pepper to almost anything! Thanks, Erin!
Unbelievable! This is the BEST pizza I have ever eaten! This is from a guy who has eaten a lot of different pizzas all over the world! I know what your secret ingredient is….LOVE! Thank you so much for all you do for all of us! Love you, Dominick
I understand there may be a little bias involved but I’ll take it! Only the best for you, Sweeta! Love you!
Happy Birthday Dom!
This pizza sounds amazing, Annie! I’m totally craving this for breakfast right now. I love the meatballs and garlic on here. Sounds so flavorful!
This pizza is all about layers of flavor, for sure! Thanks, Gayle!