Creole Pizza Recipes

BASIC CREOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in celery, onion, green bell pepper, carrot, and garlic; cook and stir until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Stir tomatoes with their juice, water, chicken bouillon cubes, and bay leaves into the vegetable mixture.
• Stir in red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, saffron, oregano, basil, thyme, orange zest, clam juice, and white wine.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the flavors have blended, at least 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Allow the sauce to cool completely.
• To store, pour into pint glass canning jars, cover with lids and rings, and place into freezer. Sauce can be frozen up to 3 months before using.

SHRIMP CREOLE AND SMOKED MOZZARELLA PIZZAS

Steps:

• Make the dough:
• in a large bowl dissolve sugar in water. Sprinkle yeast over water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups flour and salt and blend mixture until it forms a dough. Knead dough on a floured surface, incorporating as much of remaining 1/4 cup flour as necessary to prevent dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• (Alternatively, dough may be made in a food processor. Proof yeast as described above. In the food processor process yeast mixture with 2 cups flour and salt until mixture forms a ball, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if too dry or some of remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if too wet, and knead dough by processing it 15 seconds more.)
• Put dough, prepared by either method, in a deep oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Let dough rise, covered with plastic wrap in a warm place 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk, and punch down. Dough is now ready to be formed into pizza.
• Make the pizza:
• In a medium heavy saucepan cook onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in oil, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring, until celery is softened, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and juice, thyme, and cayenne and simmer, uncovered, stirring, until mixture is very thick, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Stir in shrimp and cook sauce, stirring, until shrimp are cooked through, the liquid they give off is evaporated, and the sauce is thickened.
• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Sprinkle cornmeal on an oiled 14-inch black steel pizza pan or black steel baking sheet. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a 14-inch round and fit into pan. Sprinkle dough with half of mozzarella and top with shrimp Creole, spreading mixture evenly, and remaining cheese.
• Bake pizza in lower third of an electric oven or on floor of a gas oven 10 minutes, or until crust is golden.

CREOLE PIZZA

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat oil until hot. Saute green pepper, celery, onion and garlic for 4 to 6 minutes or until vegetables are almost tender. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaf, paprika, thyme, salt and cayenne pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sauce is thickened.Divide sauce and other ingredients in half. For each pizza, cover crust with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Spread with sauce. Top with shrimp, then artichokes and mushrooms. Sprinkle with 1 1/4 cups of the mozzarella cheese.Bake one pizza on a hot baking sheet in a 400° oven for 15 minutes or until cheese melts and is bubbly. Bake second pizza on hot baking sheet.