No Yeast, No Bake, Stove Top Pizza Made From Scratch- Caramelized Onions and Salami

Stove Top Pizza?  Yes, stove top pizza hahaha.  Such a far fetched idea huh, but often times, far fetched ideas often churn out surprises.

I thought to myself, what are the most important factors that makes a pizza a pizza?  After reflecting back on my alternate pizza recipes (made with other starches such as sliced bread and baguettes), I've decided that an actual dough recipe, crispness of crust, and a melted baked cheese texture were the determining factors in making anything worthy of being called a pizza.  

Cheese and Salami

Surprisingly, after a lot of experimenting in my kitchen, I was able to churn out something that was worthy (in my eyes) of being called a pizza. I love this pizza so much that it will take some convincing to get me back to ordering delivery pizza.

This pizza recipe is for those who love their pizza crust and cheese thin and crispy.  O, another gauge for determining if this recipe is for you, is, do you like cheese-its?  If so, this recipe is for you.

You know how on some delivery pizzas, some cheese spills out to the edges of the pan... and gets baked and turns into crispy goodness, in other words, cheese-its? Imagine loads of it on a pizza.  This pizza is that kind of pizza.

You can definitely tweak this recipe to your liking.  Have fun with it. The possibilities are endless.  

First Attempt. Caramelized Onions and Cheese-  The pizza sauce on this one was grilled along with other ingredients. Messy deed but fun!

~7 Mini Pizzas; 25-35min

Ingredients:

Dough

2 cups sifted flour (I bought pre-sifted flour, Purity Brand with pig on front of cover)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

2 small eggs

1 1/2 cup water

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Sauce

4 cloves garlic minced finely

1 tbsp oil

1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce (I used Magic Time Mamma Mia Traditional)

1 tsp white sugar

1 tsp dried parsley 

1 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp tomato paste

Toppings

2 small onions caramelized (good for 3 pizzas)

salami

sharp cheddar cheese
sprinkle ground black pepepr

(Fresh Basil would've been great but I didn't have any)

Directions

1.  Prepare dough. In a bowl, mix flour, salt, sugar, baking powder.  Make a well in the middle for wet ingredients.

2.  In the well add eggs, water, and vegetable oil. stir to incorporate. Try not to over mix. Let set momentarily while you prepare sauce.

3.  Prepare sauce. In a pot heat up oil.  Medium low heat. You don't want garlic to burn as it will become bitter. Stir garlic constantly for ~2 min to cook out raw taste.

4.  Add spaghetti sauce, sugar, parsley, basil, pepper, and tomato paste. Mix well.

5. Simmer sauce for about10-15min allowing for it to thicken and develop in flavor.  You may want to cover it as it may splash out.  After cooked, set aside and bring to room temp.

6. Cook dough. In a non stick pan (essential to caramelize cheese), heat medium high heat. When heated, add about 1/3 cup batter at a time (if you have a standard sized pan. try keeping batter from touching sides. this will trap moisture, not allowing dough to get crispy). as you're pouring hold pan up tilting in a circular motion to create a circle (as flat as you can get it).

7. Let cook for about 5-7 min on one side on medium low heat until bottom browns. Once browned, flip and cook other side the same way.  

8.  Add toppings adding cheese last (exclude tomato sauce for a crisp crust). Flip and pat down with spatula. let cook 2 min allowing for cheese to turn into a cheese-it texture.  Start scraping all around pizza towards center of pizza to get cheese to lift off from pan.  Once free, press down on pizza moving it in a circular motion.  Take a look under to see if cheese has hardened.  

9. Transfer to a cooling rack, add room temp. pizza sauce, and serve immediately.  If you want to preserve the crisp texture of the cheese, you can dip your pizza in the sauce as you go instead of putting sauce on all at once.

*tip: try not to overload toppings.  the moisture needs to be kept to a minimum in order for cheese to caramelize.  you can add them after. 

*no need to add extra oil. salami and cheese have plenty of natural oils

*you don't have to cook all pizzas at once. you can refrigerate dough in a sealed container

*the dough should be thin enough to spread out by tilting pan

Savory Caramelized Onion Cabbage Pancakes

I grew up with traditional pancakes just like almost everyone else who lives in America, not savory pancakes.  Pancakes were all that was really offered-at  Denny's, IHOP, McDonalds, and almost every other breakfast/brunch eatery place you can think of.  So naturally, pancakes became part of my collection of most cooked foods.  It was only until I grew up and watched numerous TV series of the Food Network that I discovered the art turning sweet into savory- I discovered the world of Savory Pancakes.  For once... something that tastes as good as it sounds.  They soon became one of my most favorite, most satisfying foods to cook.

Traditional pancakes are definitely delicious but there comes a point where enough is enough and the sugar becomes overwhelming.  If and and when the time comes, the savory version is the way to go.  Call it a fresh breath of air.  They're so versatile that they can be tweaked to fit into any kind of meal- breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.      

Some Ideas:
Breakfast: add in sausage, bell peppers, and cheese. Top off with Sour cream and hot sauce.
Lunch: Add your favorite cold cuts, tomato, and onions. Dip into ranch, sour cream, or my dipping sauce.
Dinner: Add Chives, Garlic, Chicken, and your favorite veggies. Serve with your favorite sauce.

Have fun with it!

2-3 servings; 15-25min
Ingredients:

ingredients can be found at IGA

Pancakes
3/4 cup flour ( I used pre-sifted)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white sugar
dash cayenne pepper (for heat)
1 egg for batter; 3 extra for topping (optional)
2/3 cup water
1/2 lb cabbage diced (~ 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium shredded carrot (a little under 1 cup)
1 small onion caramelized
3 salami deli slices chopped
oil for frying

Dipping Sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp white sugar
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp grated ginger


Directions
1. Caramelize onions. Click HERE to learn how to cook them.
2. Prepare batter- In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, Cajun seasoning, black pepper, salt, white sugar, cayenne pepper, egg, water. stir well but don't over mix. Adjust if necessary to make consistency similar to pancake batter (a little thick).
3.  Add in cabbage, carrot, and onions. Stir to incorporate.
4.  In a separate bowl, prepare dipping sauce. Mix vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, red pepper flakes, and ginger. Mix to dissolve sugar.
5. Heat a non stick pan on medium high heat.  Add ~1/2 tbsp oil for each pancake.  As soon as oil is hot, spoon in 1/3 cabbage mixture. You don't want to make too big of a pancake because doing so will trap in moisture, preventing pancake from browning.  Make sure you make an inner circle.  Flatten out pancake with spatula using tip (sweep across pancake while tapping down with tip).
6. Add you favorite meat on top of uncooked side. I used salami. it taste great fried.  (tip: if using something else, cook uncooked meats before placing on top)
7. Right after bottom side has browned, crack a raw egg on top of uncooked side and immediately flip with wide spatula.  Cook for another 3-4min or until other side has browned.  Pat down pancake with spatula to release any batter trapped inside.
8. Cut up and serve on top of rice with dipping sauce.
9. Enjoy!

 

Cheesy Hearty Herb Chicken Noodle Soup

MmMmMmm there's nothing that hits the spot more than cheesy hearty soup.

I constantly think about Mexican food, being that I grew up in a predominantly Mexican culture and was exposed to and ate many types of Mexican dishes.  The dish for inspiration in making this hearty soup was tortilla soup, a tomato based soup typically topped with tortilla chips and cheese.

My Mexican neighbors always cooked this soup, in hot and in cold weather... heck, they would still eat it even if they were in blazing hot weather, just to give you an idea of how much they loved it.

To my benefit, they were very giving (bless their hearts) and always shared their food with me and my family.  That fact that I've grown up with this soup is part of what makes me love it, but then again, if I were  introduced to it as an adult, I'm pretty sure I would love it just the same.

The potato and macaroni gave a little body to the soup and made for a nice mouth feel and the thyme infused within the soup so well and brought out the flavor of all of the other ingredients. A hint of spice, with a little sweetness and tang, this soup has everything going on.  It's like it's having it's own fiesta and I was invited.

So if you want to have a fiesta of your own, all you have to do is make this soup.  Toss in some tortilla chips and/or make a grilled cheese sandwich for more fun and action. hahaa. As always, enjoy!

4-5 servings; 23-30 min
Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1lb chicken thighs cubed 1/2''
3 cloves garlic minced finely
1/4'' ginger minced finely or grated
1tsp salt
1tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1tsp dried parsley
6 cups water or chicken stock ( I used water)
5 sprigs fresh thyme tied with rope (IGA or MNIB)
1 small carrot shredded
1 small potato cubed 1/4''
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/4 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
3/4 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp butter

Topping: sharp cheddar cheese and lime juice

Directions
1. Heat small pot over medium high heat. Add oil. Add chicken thighs in a single layer. don't stir. let cook for 2 min. until one side browns.
2. add garlic, ginger, and spices. stir for another 2 min.
3. Add water, herbs, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and corn. Stir and bring up to boil.
4. Add macaroni and bring heat back down to medium low heat.
5. occasionally stir to prevent macaroni sticking to pot. cook until macaroni is just cooked. ~25-20min
6. add butter and sugar. stir to dissolve. bring up to boil for another min or so. Turn heat off. scoop out bundle of herbs and dispose of it.
7. Serve in a big bowl and top with a splash of lime juice and shredded cheddar cheese. Butter toast, rolls, or cheese sandwiches pair well with this dish. Enjoy.