Friday, June 1, 2012

Shallot, Sausage, Basil Pizza


So this is definitely best pizza I've ever made. How many pizza's have I made, you ask? Well that's not the point. The point is that this pizza has mouth-watering caramelized shallot, fresh basil, and veggie sausage chunks lightly coated with Sriracha-the goddess of all condiments. 


Not to mention that its still got the basics: bread and cheese. Oh yeah, that makes you happy doesn't it? Me too. For the bread part I used this recipe and I highly recommend it. Alternatively, if you're feeling not-so-ambitious just grab a ball of dough from Whole Foods! Or even Boboli! Don't worry, I won't tell! :P 





As for the cheese, I used mozzarella, but am tempted to ask...does it really matter? I mean of course I wouldn't go with gorgonzola or brie...but if you want to throw on some cheddar or parmesan or asiago or goat (yummm) in addition to the mozz, I would say you are a wise individual. Couldn't you just talk about cheese forever? No? Ok fine, then I suppose I'll mention the sauce. It was not thrilling, but definitely did its job. A jarred pasta sauce will be what I use next time instead, I think. 

This pizza. It's seriously yummy. Go make it. It's a real crowd pleaser...and I'll actually be able to say that with some authority after I make it tonight for the boyfriend and his housemates! Austin and I have a deal going that while I'm cooking, he has to work on the enormous stack of dishes festering in the sink. Little does he know how long caramelized onions take to make themselves delicious ;) Booya! Maybe we'll actually have a mildly clean kitchen in this house full of 5 guys and me...it could happen...right?? 

Makes 1 pizza (about 8 slices)
Ingredients
1 cup freshly chopped basil
~2 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
1 large shallot, sliced
1 tbsp butter
4 Morningstar vegetarian sausage links
~1 1/2 tsp Sriracha chili sauce
1 (8 ou.) can tomato sauce
1 pizza crust


Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Toss your sliced shallots into a pan with 1 tbsp butter at medium heat and let them caramelize for at least 15 minutes, agitating them every couple of minutes. You want them to get nice and brown.
3. Cook the sausage links according to package instructions (I just nuked them).While they're still hot, break them up into either little sausage chunks or slices. Then toss them in a bowl with the Sriracha chili sauce.
4. Assemble! First spread out the tomato sauce on the pie, then add the cheese, shallot, sausage, and basil on top. 
5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese and crust are golden brown. 


Enjoy!