Ash-covered soft surface ripened goat cheese, mozzarella, spinach and bacon pizzas

Around here Friday night is pizza night. Not very original and not something I ever thought I would do, but I never knew small children could be so easily pleased by such a thing as pizza night. In my younger and more judgemental 20s I looked down on "events" designated for certain days without fail as uninspired and lacking in spontaneity. I have also never been an avid fan of pizza in the way many are, even as a child, but the kids are so gleeful on Fridays I do not have the heart to mix it up. Sometimes I make risotto for the grownups, but I am also celebrating the end of the week and am not very interested in cooking 2 meals. This past Friday I made a particularly good pizza. I was in a bit of a rush and decided to crack open a jar of strained tomatoes to use as the sauce base for the pizzas. I sprinkled the tomato sauce with crispy bits of bacon as compensation, but I was still a little worried the sauce would be too acidic. I should not have worried because the pizzas were delicious. Or as my husband stated: "This is the best pizza I have ever had!" Prepared tomato sauces, even organic, are usually very high in sugar and salt so to have the pizza turn out so well with such a simple tomato sauce base was a very nice discovery. Although the truly delicious addition to the pizzas was an ash covered soft surface ripened goat cheese.

Ash-covered soft surface ripened goat cheese,
mozzarella, spinach and bacon pizzas
Makes 4 individual (8 inch) pizzas

• Pizza Dough Recipe (I have used this Joy of cooking recipe for ever)

• 3/4 cup / 180 ml strained tomatoes
• 8 slices of bacon, chopped and cooked until crispy and golden
• 4 cups / 1 l lightly packed baby spinach leaves, blanched and excess liquid squeezed out
• Sufficient quantity mozzarella cheese, grated
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
  
• 100 g / 3 oz ash-covered soft surface ripened goat cheese (like the award winning Le Cendrillon), sliced in medallions
  

Make your dough according to the recipe in link above. Separate the dough in 4 and form into balls. Lightly oil 4 bowls and let each dough ball rise, covered with plastic wrap, until doubled in size.

Pre-heat the oven to 450F or 425F convect.

Form the pizzas on a parchment large lined baking tray leaving a few inches between each pizza. Spread the sauce on the pizza dough, then sprinkle with the bacon, separate and evenly distribute the spinach. Cover generously with mozzarella. Add the tomato slices and finish with the goat cheese. Cook in the lower rack of oven until mozzarella is melted and beginning to turn golden, and crust is cooked (about 10 minutes).

On fridays I often make plain cheese pizzas and serve vegetables seperatley with dip before hand. The kids eat a lot more vegetables that way and everybody is happy.

Arugula on Pizza

Too hot to blog...too hot...thump. That's me falling over. There will be no baking in my kitchen today, and tonight food will be cooked outdoors again. But last week in cooler times we enjoyed pizza with arugula (otherwise known as rocket) scattered across the top. I lay the leaves over the pizza when it comes out of the oven and let the arugula wilt a bit. The arugula comes from our garden and its' peppery bite has long made arugula one of my favorite edible leaves. My daughter says its too spicy in a salad, but was happy to eat it over pizza. The tomatoes on this pizza are confit. I have styled a pizza with micro arugula and although the micro greens have less bite they are visually appealing. Baby spinach would also add a nice touch of green if arugula cannot be found.

The pizza dough recipe is my tried and true Joy of Cooking recipe. It makes 2 large pizzas.

Pizza dough recipe and remembering good take-out

Tonight I made pizza. My kids are getting old enough and sleeping through the night often enough for me to find the energy and return to making my own pizza dough. I have faithfully used the Joy of cooking's version because it works well, tastes right and looks good. I have used it countless times at work when food styling, and even adapted it by using spelt flour for a health food store. I am not a fan of whole wheat or spelt pizza dough myself but it has it's fans and so I leave them to it. I don't think I could have handled eating a frozen store bought rising crust pizza for very much longer. Soooo much sodium and the meat is always a little suspect. If you have a good pizzeria near you that delivers then by all means just order pizza! I would if I could but I live in the sticks and we can have rotisserie chicken delivered quickly and at almost anytime of the day or night but my husband is not a fan (the fries are awful), and how many times can you order chicken anyways? The answer to that one is a lot in the first year of my second child's life.

When we lived in Verdun we were a short walk a way from a very authentic and cheap Thai place (now closed). The chef was from Bangkok and was obviously proud of his restaurant and the quality of the food. I miss Mexican and Indian to. Andes on St-Laurent (in Montreal) near the corner of Mount-Royal had the best tamales. Friends sent us to Malhi Sweets on Jarry (in Montreal) for some of the best Korma we have ever tasted. I also wish for a sushi restaurant that doesn't think cream cheese is a wonderful addition to a roll. You cannot have everything. We live in nature and enjoy the fresh air and a water view daily but we have a very poor selection of takeout. This weekend we may take our kids to the Saint-Patrick's day parade in town and if so we are going for dinner! Oh the excitement.