Recipe: Pizza in a Hurry, Quick Pizza Crust, and Tomato Pizza Sauce (food processor)

PIZZA IN A HURRY
Makes 1 (14-inch) pizza

It takes no longer to make this pizza than to wait for one you order to take out.

1 (14 inch) pizza crust (recipe follows)
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, at room temperature
2 ounces pepperoni, cut into 3 pieces
12 ounces Mozzarella cheese, very cold
1 small onion, peeled, ends cut flat
1 medium green pepper, cored, seeded and cut flat at stem
1 medium tomato, cored and cut flat at ends
1 cup Tomato Pizza sauce (recipe follows)
Pinch of sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and place rack in lower third.

Bake pizza crust for 6 minutes.

IN THE MEANTIME, PREPARE FILLING:
Use metal blade to process Parmesan cheese and pepperoni until coarsely chopped. Reserve.

Insert shredding disc and process Mozzarella cheese. Reserve.

Insert standard slicing disc and slice onion. Reserve.

Slice green pepper and reserve. Slice tomato, using light pressure. Set aside on paper towels to drain.

Use rubber spatula to spread tomato sauce evenly over crust, leaving rim exposed. Separate onion slices into rings and distribute them over sauce. Distribute shredded Mozzarella over onions. Arrange tomato slices over cheese and sprinkle with pinch of sugar and pepper. Distribute Parmesan cheese and pepperoni mixture, then green pepper slices, over tomatoes. Sprinkle evenly with basil and oregano.

Return pizza to oven and bake for 18 minutes, or until rim of crust is golden and bottom is deep brown.

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BASIC PIZZA DOUGH

With this dough, you can make large pizza crusts to serve several, or small ones to serve a few.

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup warm water
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons oil
Vegetable oil for pan
1 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal for pan

Stir yeast and sugar into warm water and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Insert metal blade, put flour and salt in work bowl and turn on machine.

Pour yeast mixture through feed tube and process about 45 seconds, until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Add oil through feed tube and process 60 seconds longer.

If dough sticks to sides of bowl, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing 10 seconds after each addition, until dough leaves sides of bowl but remains soft.

Roll dough on floured surface into circle, rotating and turning dough often and using enough flour so it doesn't stick. If dough resists rolling, let it rest for a few minutes and try again. Roll dough into 15-inch circle for flat 14-inch pizza pan, or into 10-inch circle for flat 9-inch pizza pan.

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TOMATO PIZZA SAUCE
Makes 2 cups

2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and quartered
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/4 cup canned tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Use metal blade to coarsely chop tomatoes about 6 times. Add remaining ingredients and pulse 4 times to mix. When this sauce stands, liquid may accumulate on the surface. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons, then stir well before using.

Source: Cuisinart