When I was 13, maybe 14, I spent a summer in Bar Harbor, ME, with a friend. What a unique place. I remember walking into a little shop and seeing T-shirts boasting the “lifestyles of the young and aimless” as being the town's motto. It certainly seemed that way.
In the park in the town square were drum circles and singing neo-hippies, punk rockers smoking under trees and skateboarders on ramps. To a teen girl it was like heaven on Earth. The second night of our trip my friend’s parents took us out to eat at a little pizza shop on the square. It looked like any other pizza shop on Earth, that is until the pizza came. They served it on these huge, ornate trays. After one taste I knew why; that pie deserved to be put on a pedestal.
It is funny that out of all the fun on that trip it would be the pizza that I would be thinking about after all these years. Now, don’t get me wrong, we have plenty of great pizza around here. Even some gourmet pies if you are willing to pay for it. Therein lies the problem: I am not willing to pay for it. Why pay $20 for something that I can create at home or that you can create at home.
What I have today are several recipes for the best gourmet pizza I could come up with (on short notice and a $20 budget). I wanted to see how many tastes and pies I could make for the cost of one really good restaurant pizza or delivery pizza, for that matter. The answer is four. Twenty dollars covers all the ingredients and you will have four great dishes worthy of a family pizza night or a night of fun in with friends. Now the $20 does assume that you are weird like me and keep Marsala cooking wine in the fridge and Masarpone cheese on hand. If you are a normal person and do not, then it may be a little more than twenty but call it an investment in an extra six bucks that can result in many other tasty recipes. Now ...
Let’s cook and bring the pizzeria home for the night!
Equipment List
1 large skillet
1 pizza pan or stone
pizza cutter
very hungry people
Ingredient List
4 pre-made pizza shells
2 cups quartered baby portabella mushrooms
2 medium-sized onions, sliced thin
1 bunch or bag fresh spinach
5 strips diced prosciutto or bacon
1 ½ c mozzarella cheese per pie (2 bags)
1 c sliced pepperoni
½ c Feta
3 tbsp Masarpone cheese
½ chopped fresh basil
¼ c Balsamic glaze (remember, make your own)
½ c Marsala wine
2 tbsp sugar
¼ c butter or margarine
Olive oil
Your favorite pizza sauce
Options: If you really want sauce on the white pizza then buy some Alfredo, your favorite. Or use super easy cream sauce from last week. That’s one cup of chicken stock to one brick of cream cheese and a little salt and pepper.
Putting It All Together
First, prep the ingredients. In the large skillet, start by caramelizing the onions in the butter and sugar. Cook them low and slow until they turn caramel in color. Spoon them out into a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, on medium high heat cook the mushrooms. Drizzle them with a little olive oil, about a teaspoon, and add in the Marsala plus a dash of S&P. Cook until they are soft but not mushy. Spoon the mushrooms out into a bowl as well, leaving the liquid behind. Cook the spinach in the broth left behind in the skillet. Once it is done you are ready to assemble. If you are making the cream sauce, do it now.
On one shell, with the back of a spoon, smear the Masarpone cheese all over. Drizzle with the white sauce of your choice if you want it. Top with cheese, then the prosciutto and bake until the cheese is melted and the prosciutto is crisp. Top with the fresh basil before serving.
On another shell spread the cream sauce, then the mozzarella cheese. Top with the mushrooms and spinach and finally the feta. Bake for 15 minutes.
For the kids or for a more traditional taste, make the pepperoni and cheese or just plain cheese. For a twist at my house we sometimes put sliced leftover meatballs in place of the pepperoni. It is really, really yummy.
Get creative with this. There is truly no limit to what can be done with pizza.
