Favorites Friday - Tony and Lisa's Awesome Pizza of Doom

We stumbled across a specialty pizza at Mellow Mushroom one time, and it had a load of toppings that sounded delicious.  I think it was called "Hey Dude"?  Well we loved it, and decided to make our own version at home, with some personal touches.  This is typically what we make now when we do pizza from scratch.  I tried to think of what to call our pizza a while back, and in a moment of silliness I wrote down "Tony and Lisa's Awesome Pizza of Doom" and that's what I've called in in my head ever since; though in real life we just call it "our pizza".

Tony and Lisa's Awesome Pizza of Doom

Ingredients
(Use your judgement for amounts, based on your personal preference)

• Pizza dough (we like Publix or Trader Joe's)
• Olive oil
• Garlic, minced or garlic powder
  
• Grated parmesan or romano
• Pizza sauce  *see note
• Mozzarella
• Pepperoni
• Bacon bits
• Chicken, shredded (or canned)
• Buffalo sauce
• Jalapenos (optional)
• Onions, diced (optional)

Instructions

Let the dough rest at room temperature, as instructed on package.  Prepare/preheat your pizza stone (if using one).  Mix chicken with some buffalo sauce.  Roll out the dough into a large circle, and place onto the greased pizza stone or pan.  Brush (or Misto) the edges with olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic and parmesan/romano on edges.  Layer sauce, cheese, and toppings in order listed, finishing with a drizzle of buffalo sauce swirled on top. 

All prepped and ready to go in the oven!

Bake at 400°F for about 18-24 minutes (check what your dough package says), until cheese and crust turn golden brown.

 

 

 

 

Fresh out of the oven!  (No jalapenos or onions on this one)

 
We recently tried a variation using some leftover garlic butter spread from Publix, melted and brushed on the crust instead of olive oil.  It was even better!  But it's not something I keep around all the time.

*We have tried many different pizza sauces, some of which have been pretty good, and some have been downright icky.  The best ones we have found so far have been Trader Joe's fresh sauce (found right next to the pizza dough) and Classico jarred pizza sauce.  Publix brand jarred sauce wasn't bad, either.  Avoid Ragu at all costs.  There was also another one that I found was just too chunky, but for the life of me, I can't remember what brand it was.  (I know...helpful, right?)

Enjoy!

Classic Stromboli

This is another recipe from Publix, but it is not available online so I only have the recipe card.

Classic Stromboli

Makes 2 Strombolis (4 servings)

Ingredients

• 1 lb pizza dough (I used the fresh dough found in the Publix Bakery)
• 1/4 C flour (or less, for dusting surface)
• 1/2 C ricotta, divided
• 12 slices pepperoni, divided (I used more)
• 1 C cooked sausage crumbles, divided (I used Jimmy Dean Italian sausage)
• 1 C shredded Italian cheese blend, divided
• 1/4 C fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• Pizza sauce for dipping

Prep

• Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand 1 hour (up to 1.5 hours).  (Do not remove from bag until after stand time is complete.)
• Preheat oven to 400F.  Grease baking sheet.
• Chop basil

Instructions

1. Divide dough in half; turn each half of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into approximately 6x12-inch rectangles.
2. Spread 1/4 C ricotta cheese over each half of dough, leaving a border; top with pepperoni, sausage, shredded cheese, and basil.  Starting on the long side, roll dough tightly around filling; pinch edges to seal and place seam side down on baking sheet.
3. Bake 18-20 minutes or until browned and thoroughly heated.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Slice Stromboli; serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Another option:

Roll pizza dough into approximately 12-inch circles.  Spread cheese and toppings on one half of each, and fold empty half over top, sealing edges.

I tried making it each way.  One was just a circle folded in half, the other was rolled (but I realize now that I messed up and rolled it in the wrong direction).  I left the basil out, because I forgot to get fresh basil while I was at the store.

A note on the pizza sauce: we have tried several different sauces on our homemade pizzas, and we have found some good, and some bad.  Trader Joe's makes a pretty good pizza sauce, found in the refrigerated section.  Prego is also pretty good.  This time around, we tried "La Famiglia DelGrosso" pizza sauce, and thought it was good as well.  Classico was too chunky for my liking.  The one I would really avoid is Ragu...it just tastes too fake, has no real texture, and doesn't have good flavor.

Not bad.  It didn't wow me, though.  Personally, I think I could use more cheese. (Who can argue with more cheese?!) In my opinion, the cheese should ooze out of a Stromboli when you cut into it, and this just didn't ooze.  I would at least double the ricotta in the recipe.  Tony suggested using a spicier sausage.  I used Italian flavor, but I agree: spicy sausage might work better.  I think it could have used some more flavor in general, and leaving out the basil was a mistake.  I would probably add some Italian seasonings (oregano, garlic, pepper?)  into the ricotta cheese, and spread that blend onto the Stromboli. 

The Verdict

In the end, it wasn't bad, but I would add more cheese and seasonings if I made it again.  It would be worth another try.