Spicy Italian Pizza

One of my favorite things about going out to dinner with Currey is when he leans over during a meal and tells me that I could recreate whatever it is we are eating at home.  It’s a boost of confidence and reassuring that he thinks I can recreate restaurant dishes at home.  The best part is that he not only believes that I can make the dish but also that mine will taste better.  Yes, I love him!

There’s a restaurant that we like called Go Roma.  It’s a fast Italian place and the food is always good.  We usually split a margarita pizza and chicken Parmesan.  We often go after church with friends so there is always food to share.  Currey tried someone’s Wise Guy Pizza and immediately requested that I make it at home.  For this Spicy Italian Pizza, I used my favorite pizza crust as the base then added some tomato sauce, layered sliced pepperoni, fresh sliced mozzarella and crumbled Italian sausage.  What takes this pizza to the next level is heaping spoonfuls giardiniera.  If you aren’t familiar with giardiniera, it’s simply chopped onions, celery, carrots, peppers and cauliflower  pickled in red- or white-wine vinegar.  Currey loves the stuff and we’ve found lots of uses for it in our home.  It’s hot, spicy and adds a unique twist on traditional pizza.  If you are looking for a new spin on pizza toppings, give this one a try!

 

Wise Guy Pizza

1 Batch pizza dough

1/3 cup pizza sauce

4 oz fresh mozzarella

8-12 sandwich slices of pepperoni

¼ cup Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled

4-5 Tbsp giardiniera

 

Preheat the oven to 500.

Starting in the center of the dough, roll pizza dough out into a circle until it’s about 1/4 inch think.  Spoon sauce over dough and spread in a thin layer.  Top with pepperoni, mozzarella and sausage.  Spoon giardineira on top of other ingredients.

Bake pizza for 10-12 minutes or until the edges and cheese are beginning to brown.  Let pizza cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring it to a cutting board for slicing.