Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Pizza Sauce 101

Pizza is the most comforting, feel-good food out there. And for the first time last night, I actually made my first one. I bought the ready-made pizza dough at Trader Joe's, along with fresh mozzarella, grated pizza cheese, pepperoni and fresh basil. At home, my sister-in-law left an entire package of Sugar Plum tomatoes, so I decided to make the first 15 Minutes Pizza Sauce! The sauce was very rich and quite good. The tomatoes gave it a sweeter flavor and the oregano really kicked it up. First I started with my pizza sauce. In a large 10" skillet, I sautéed 3 minced garlic cloves and 1/4 cup chopped red onion on medium heat, just until translucent (about 3 minutes). Then I added a container (about a pint) of halved Sugar Plum tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, and a dash of sugar. I turned the heat to medium-high and cooked the tomatoes for about 10 minutes more. Then I added 2 julienned basil leaves and let it cook in for another 2 minutes. YOUR SAUCE IS DONE. Once the sauce cooled, I placed it in a food processor and processed it until smooth, but still a little chunky. Next, I rolled out the pizza dough and placed it on a pizza stone. You can use a regular pan; just make sure it's well oiled. I topped off my pizza with the cooled pizza sauce, about 1/4 cup of cubed fresh mozzarella, a nice helping of a mixed shredded cheese, pepperoni, and more shredded cheese again. I baked it at 450 F. for about 14 minutes, or until the crust turns golden brown and the cheese begins to melt. Mmmmm, I just got hungry again just thinking about the pizza!

MANGA!

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