Friday Night Pizza

The best kind of weekends start with a Friday that feels like a Friday. You know, when you wake up and think “TGIF!” After a long week at work I was happy to see Friday yesterday and it turned out to be a great day. The weather was beautiful, I had a great walk to work, I went out for lunch with my cubemates, had the gym all to myself and then came home and made a delicious pizza.

My favorite Friday night meal, if we’re not eating out, is a hearty, home-made pizza with a side salad, topped with a creamy dressing I usually try to avoid during the week, all washed down with a glass of wine. While there are lots of great places to eat-in and grab a pizza, I find that it’s pretty slim pickings if you want something ordered in around these parts.

Making pizza at home is fast and easy anyway, and there are plenty of short-cuts you can to make it even easier — like picking up a ball of pre-made dough at the grocery store. I especially like Whole Food‘s dough, it’s the perfect size for two people. Or, if you’re brave, which I’m not, you can always make your own.

This pizza was the best combination I’ve ever come up with. It was inspired by Pizzeria Libretto‘s Salami pizza, a fantastic pie I recently had at my brother’s place, and leftovers in our fridge. As you can tell from the crispy basil in the photo, it was a bit of an after-thought before I put it in the oven. I thought the pizza was looking a little red and needed a different colour on there.

What’s your favorite combination of pizza toppings?

Salami & Goat Cheese Pizza
For two

Ingredients:

1 ball whole wheat pizza dough, approximately 525 grams
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup shredded stretch mozzarella cheese
4 slices hot Genoa salami, cut into bit-sized pieces
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes
Handful of fresh basil leaves

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F.

2. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. I prefer a thin crust, but you can roll out as thick as you wish.

3. Transfer to a baking sheet and spread the pizza sauce over the dough, leaving an inch around the perimeter for a crust. Arrange basil leaves and top with mozzarella, salami, sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese.

4. Bake on middle rack for 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese is melted. Broil for 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese on top. Allow pizza to cool for a few minutes before slicing.

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