Pizza is one of the easiest meals you can make at home. I most always prefer to make my own crust but nothing wrong with a purchased one or some focaccia bread pizza crust. Once that crust part has been taken care of, its really just a matter of topping the pie with all your favorite ingredients and waiting for it to come out of the oven.
But of course, there are a number of things that can go wrong even so. You might think that there’s no such thing as too much cheese …. but there is. Cheese normally means a lot of grease, your pizza could fall apart under the weight of all that dairy.
Too many toppings can cause overly cooked crust or under-cooked toppings. Another thing I find super important, is making sure the toppings are sauteed so they are not releasing too much moisture into the crust.
Since Brion & I are both lovers of marinated artichokes, putting them on a pizza sounds real good. Artichokes are technically the flower buds of a thistle plant that hasn’t blossomed yet. Its kind of amazing to think we can enjoy these odd little culinary treats in so many ways.
Print Recipe
Marinated Chicken & Artichoke Pizza
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Ingredients
Pizza Toppings
- 150 grams chicken breast, cut in strips
- 2-170 ml marinated artichoke hearts, drained
- 200 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 or 70 grams onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp butter,
- 200 grams 100% mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/4 tsp EACH dried oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic powder & black pepper
- dash of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 30 grams (6 pieces) sun-dried tomato, chopped
- 1/3 cup black olives, drained & sliced
- 1/2 cup purchased Marinara sauce
Ingredients
Pizza Toppings
- 150 grams chicken breast, cut in strips
- 2-170 ml marinated artichoke hearts, drained
- 200 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 or 70 grams onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp butter,
- 200 grams 100% mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/4 tsp EACH dried oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic powder & black pepper
- dash of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 30 grams (6 pieces) sun-dried tomato, chopped
- 1/3 cup black olives, drained & sliced
- 1/2 cup purchased Marinara sauce
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Pizza Dough
Cook potato, peel, mash & cool. Combine yeast with lukewarm water; whisk until yeast is dissolved. Let stand about 3 minutes until foamy. Add butter, salt, sour cream & potato, mix well.
Stir in flour, one cup at a time. When dough is completely blended, turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough about 10 minutes, until smooth & elastic. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap & let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Pizza Topping Prep
Slice chicken into strips, saute in some drained artichoke marinade until most of it evaporates. Set aside.
Saute mushrooms & onions in a teaspoon of butter until moisture evaporates. Set aside.
Shred cheese. In a small dish combine spices.
Drain sun-dried tomatoes & black olives, blot on paper towel & slice tomatoes.
Cut each piece of (drained) artichoke in half.
Assembly
-
On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll or press dough into a 16-inch circle. Transfer on paper to a baking sheet.
Carefully spread the 1/2 cup marinara sauce over the bottom of pizza. Season with spice mixture. Sprinkle with a bit of cheese then layer with mushrooms, onion, chicken, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives & remaining cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven & slice. If you prefer, brush the top of the outside (dough) ring with artichoke marinade either before or after baking.
Recipe Notes
- If you like, press pizza dough into a 16 X 12-inch rectangle instead of a circular shape.
Over the years, Brion and I have vacationed many times in the Carmel / Monterey area on the California coast. As a rule, we make Pacific Grove ‘home base’ and from there do numerous day trips. About a 20 minute drive inland from Monterey Bay is the tiny agricultural town of Castroville. It is surrounded by robust fields of artichokes. When you enter into the town you will see a sign that says ‘Artichoke Center of the World’.
As the Italians migrated in large numbers to the United States in the early 1920’s, they brought with them some of their cherished and favorite foods. One of them was the globe artichoke. Landowner, Andrew Molera was approached to grow artichokes. The idea was encouraging because they were very expensive and looked like he could make better money than with his current crop of sugar beets.
The loamy, well drained soil and cool foggy summers were a good match for this crop. More than nine decades later, nearly 100 percent of America’s fresh artichoke supply comes from California and nearly two thirds are still grown in Castroville.
Today, I’m using artichokes in a quiche with a potato pastry. This type of pastry was very popular during WWII, as rationing was tightened. It enabled homemakers to stretch their flour ration with potatoes from their gardens. I think potato pastry makes the perfect crust for this kind of quiche. The Red Pepper Puree is the ‘icing on the cake’, as they say.
Print Recipe
Salmon / Artichoke Potato Crusted Quiche
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Ingredients
Quiche Filling
- 250 grams salmon fillet, cooked (canned salmon can be substituted)
- 170 ml marinated artichoke hearts, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 250 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 100 grams Gruyere OR Swiss cheese, grated
- 30 grams Parmigano - Reggiano cheese, grated
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp fresh basil
- 1/2 tsp EACH dry mustard, dill weed, garlic powder, & onion powder
- salt to taste
- 300 ml roasted red peppers, drained & rinsed
Ingredients
Quiche Filling
- 250 grams salmon fillet, cooked (canned salmon can be substituted)
- 170 ml marinated artichoke hearts, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 250 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 100 grams Gruyere OR Swiss cheese, grated
- 30 grams Parmigano - Reggiano cheese, grated
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp fresh basil
- 1/2 tsp EACH dry mustard, dill weed, garlic powder, & onion powder
- salt to taste
- 300 ml roasted red peppers, drained & rinsed
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Potato Pastry
-
In a bowl, combine potato, flours & salt. With a pastry cutter, add butter. Knead dough lightly on a floured work surface. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes then press into quiche pan. Preheat oven to 425 F. 'Blind' bake until lightly golden.
Quiche
-
Reduce oven temperature to 375 F. Place salmon fillets on a lightly oiled foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 14 minutes. Flake cooked salmon & set aside. In a large skillet, saute mushrooms, onions for about 5-7 minutes. Dice artichokes into quarters & add to skillet along with garlic; cook 3-4 minutes & remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, fresh basil & spices.
Quiche Assembly
-
Spread half if the Gruyere cheese on bottom of quiche crust. Top with flaked salmon & sauteed vegetables. Carefully pour egg/milk mixture over all. Top with remaining Gruyere & Parmigano-Reggiano cheeses. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until quiche is 'set'.
-
Meanwhile, place the roasted red peppers in a food processor & process until almost smooth. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Serve with quiche.
Recipe Notes
- A nice alternate crust would be one made with cheddar cheese.
