Pizza — it's not just junk food anymore! A few weeks ago, I took my two Monte del Sol mentorship students out to dinner at Raga. This is a great Indian restaurant on Agua Fria which serves really well-prepared and tasty Indian food. They do the best and most reasonably priced lunch buffet in town. Anyway, we basically stuck to the classics but we did try one of the special appetizers of the night which was a naan pizza. This was the only disappointing thing we had. First of all, it was served cold. Second, it was not that interesting. But the idea was great so I worked on developing it in a way that worked for me, and this is what I came up with.
Indian Pizza
Ingredients1 small block paneer cheese, about 1 cup, chopped into small pieces
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp curry paste or powder
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 cup pizza sauce seasoned with 1 tablespoon of Harissa
1/4 cup mango chutney
1/2 cup wilted and chopped fresh spinach
4 frozen naans
Handful cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges to finish
Procedure
Start by making the sauce. Combine the tomato sauce with the yogurt and the chutney. Add the curry, garlic and ginger. You can add some heat at this point if you want. Put the naan straight from the freezer onto a sheet pan. Top with sauce, then add the cubed cheese, some dabs of spinach and some cilantro. Put in 400 degree oven for 7-10 minutes, till the cheese melts. Then when it comes out, sprinkle with more salt and pepper, fresh chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. Yum!
Breakfast pizza
Ingredients1 naan or flatbread
1/2 cup puntenesca sauce, or any other red sauce you prefer
1 cup shredded cheese (I used 1/2 Gruyere and 1/2 parmesan)
1 egg
a few thinly sliced rings of onion
1 teaspoon canola oil
a few shakes of hot sauce
salt & pepper to taste
chopped fresh basil for garnish
Procedure
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. In a skillet, heat oil on medium heat and fry up onions with a pinch of salt till translucent. Set onions aside. In a skillet on medium heat, cook the naan on both sides lightly. Place naan on a baking sheet. Spoon sauce on top to your liking and cover with cheese & fried onions. Crack an egg gently on top of the pizza. Make sure the oven is at 500 degrees, then place baking sheet with naan in the center. Bake the pizza for about 8-10 minutes total, and rotate 180 degrees halfway through. Take it out when the cheese is melted and the egg is cooked. Garnish with chopped fresh basil and let the pizza cool slightly. Add salt & pepper and hot sauce to your taste.
