I tried something last night. Something I was sure would fail. But I had no choice, if I wanted Pizza. Sure I could have ordered in, but I wanted MY Pizza, the way I make it. Nothing else would slake my craving. But there was one hitch: I didn’t have a drop of Marinara Sauce in the house…
Rich, red, tasty Quick Pizza Sauce. If you like it thicker, just keep cooking it down…
And, as this photo shows, you can use fresh Herbs if you’ve got them!
I had everything else I needed: Flour, Olive Oil, Salt, Sugar and Yeast for the crust. I had Red and Green Sweet Peppers, Olives, Onions, Mushrooms, Bacon and Mozzarella Cheese for toppings. O even had a block of Romano Cheese to grate over the finished pie… But I needed a sauce for the base, to tie all the other Flavours together. And I don’t do White Pizza or BBQ Sauce! It’s just not right.
So I dug in my pantry and fridge and came up with the following:
What you need…
2 ripe, fleshy Tomatoes (Beefsteak preferred; or 3-4 Romas), diced
2 tbsp. / 30 ml Onions, finely chopped
1 tsp. / 5 ml Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 cup Beef Stock, unsalted
1/2 tsp. / 2.5 ml Oregano
1/2 tsp. / 2.5 ml Thyme
1/2 tsp. / 2.5 ml Rosemary
1/2 tsp. / 2.5 ml Fennel Seed, ground
1/2 tsp. / 2.5 ml Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 tsp / 2.5 ml Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp. / 2.5 ml Salt
1 good pinch Black Pepper
1 tbsp. / 15 ml Bacon Fat, from the Bacon you’re crisping as a topping
I recommend you not use Sugar Cured or Maple Cured Bacon for this. The result will be too sweet.
What you do…
I know it looks like a lot of ingredients and bother, but any good cook with a well-organized kitchen should have all the stuff we need at his/her finger tips. And he procedure dirt-simple!
Place the Onions, Garlic, Herbs, Spices, Salt and Pepper and Olive Oil in the bottom of a small sauce pan which you’ve pre-heated to medium. Let these ingredients sauté until the Onion is transparent and you can smell the Garlic.
Add the Bacon Fat and combine with the other ingredients. Cook a minute or so longer.
Add the Tomatoes and stir to combine evenly with the other ingredients. It’s perfectly fine to leave the Tomato skins in; we’re whacking the Sauce with a stick blender later.
Add the Beef Stock and Balsamic Vinegar and stir well. Cook over medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes, until the Tomatoes have broken down. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking or burning.
When the mixture us well cooked and the volume has reduced by 25 to 30 per cent (concentrating the flavours), Remove from the heat and blend with a stick blender (or place in a bar blender) and buzz until the Sauce is smooth and creamy. There should be no ‘standing water’ around the edges of the pot on on top of the Sauce.
To build the Pizza…
While the Sauce is cooking down, you’ve been preparing your toppings. The Pizza Dough you started and had rising before you got into the Sauce prep is now ready to be pressed out into a Crust.
Drizzle a little Olive Oil on the completed raw crust and spread your Sauce generously around the bottom of the Crust. It doesn’t matter if you get a little on the edges, but it doesn’t look as professional, either! The Oil keeps the Sauce from soaking into the Crust, making it soggy.
Add a first, light coating of Mozzarella on top of the Sauce.
Distribute the Bacon Bits evenly over the whole Crust and add another light layer of Mozz.
Next, add the Veggie Toppings: Red and Green Sweet Peppers, Olives, Onions and Mushrooms.
Add a heavy layer of Mozzarella over the Veggies and bake in an oven pre-heated to 400 F until the Edge of the Crust is Golden Brown and the cheese on top is starting to brown.
Let the Pizza rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Grate as much Romano or Parmesan as you like over top of the hot pie.
Slice and enjoy!
~ Maggie J.