Sunday, February 15, 2009

.sun-dried tomato, kalamata olive, and feta pizza.


Yes... we are cliche. We had heart-shaped pizzas on Valentine's Day.  I have been craving feta and kalamata olives the past week.  At the bakery, we used to make pizza as part of our lunch menu, in addition to salads, sandwiches, wraps, and soup.  This was by far my most favorite thing to eat.

The saltiness of the olives with the tanginess of the feta... nestled on baked dough and warmed garlic sauce?  Oh man.  Can you smell it?  (it's fantastic!!!)


Melt 3 Tbsp butter in a saucepan and add 1 clove minced garlic.  Saute for a minute.










Add 2 Tbsp flour and whisk.  Let the roux cook for a few minutes on low heat.  Keep stirring to keep from burning.










Add 1 1/2 cups milk and kick up the heat a little.  Make sure you whisk while adding the milk so you don't get lumps.  Keep stirring this and it will begin thickening.








The sauce needs to be slightly thicker than a gravy.  Season with salt and pepper and I even add a little parmesan cheese.









The main ingredients.  Feta (check!), kalamata olives (check!), and sun-dried tomatoes (check check!).

My tomatoes are julienned.  If yours aren't, you'll need to slice them up into thin strips.  Chop up some olives.  Make sure you get pitted olives otherwise you'll have to try and rip the flesh from the pit and chop up.  That's no fun.



Take your pizza dough and divide in half or in thirds.  Since my family doesn't really like this pizza (read: they hate olives), I made it smaller so it was all mine!  ALL MINE!!!

I formed my pizza into a heart shape.  Awwww... 

Spoon on some of the garlic sauce.  Top with the olives, tomatoes, and feta.  I also put a little parmesan and mozzarella on top.

As you can see I put a little sprinkle of cornmeal around on the pizza peel.  If you don't have a pizza peel, don't worry.  Just use a cookie sheet that doesn't have a lip.  You do want to use a pizza stone though.  You can find them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or if you know someone who sells Pampered Chef, get one of those!  They have a better warranty.

If you're using a stone, put it on the lowest rack in your oven about 30 minutes before you start rolling out your pizzas.  Turn your oven to 475* and let that stone heat up real good.  That's key for giving you a nice crispy and chewy crust.  Mm mm mm. 

Carefully shimmy the pizza onto the stone once it's hot.  Sometimes I have to use a pancake turner to push it off without losing all my toppings.  Bake for about 10-15 minutes.  The top will be nice and golden brown and your crust should be all puffy and beautiful.  Let sit for a few minutes before slicing and eating.

4 comments:

Ronda said...

Yummy Suz, Looks so good! Funny, I have been on a Greek kick lately. You introduced me to it in Issaquah, remember? I've been looking for a good Hummas recipe. Do you have one? I also want to make PITA's. I also am trying to make GYROS and Baklava. Have you done any of these before? I'd love for you to show me how.....

Ronda said...

OOps! I just went and looked and you do have GYROS and Pita on here. THANK YOU! I'm going to make these soon. Sounds so good. I don't know if I'll use lamb though.

heidigoseek said...

yummy, yum, yum!
thanks for your advice with the pies. when i finally got my slice last night, it wasn't grainy at all. must have totally dissolved overnight. sooo good!

Darleen said...

suzanne!! i love the look of your new blog!! i haven't been on it in forever!!! of course, its because i haven't actually "cooked" in forever!!! i miss you!!