With Passover starting tonight, I had to squeeze in a pizza night over the weekend, so we could get our fill before emptying the house of yeasty things for the week. I have been making homemade pizza since my children were small, using a basic pizza dough. I replaced some of the white flour with whole wheat in recent years to make it a little healthier and also give it a richer, slightly nutty flavor. Though I have used a pizza stone, and love the charred flavor of grilled pizza, a hot oven and a cookie sheet work perfectly well and make a delicious, chewy pizza. One of the best things about making your own pizza is choosing the toppings. You can spread on tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, of course, to make the basic, but the options are limitless. In the summer, I load it down with thinly sliced zucchini and bitter greens. In the winter, I make oven-roasted cherry tomatoes (tomatoes, slivered shallots, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper roasted in a 400 degree oven until soft and browned) and pair it with olives, onion, arugula and shaved parmesan cheese. If you don’t feel like making your own crust, many grocery stores carry pre-made crust, sometimes even whole wheat versions. Either way, homemade pizza is delicious and perfect with a big glass of red wine!
