The best pizza in the Bean Town... [Dominic's White Pizza]

I've got two favorite restaurants here in the Bean Town - Viva Maria and Thai Jasmine. Pizza/pasta and Thai noodle dishes... what can I say, I like carbs.

Much to my demise, Viva Maria closed a few weeks ago! They opened a small quick-service stand in the mall, and I have been told they are "searching for a new sit-down location." Either way, I was totally bummed.

My absolute favorite dish to order at Viva Maria was the Dominic's White Pizza, topped with fresh garlic, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, ricotta, and mozzarella cheese. The best bite was the thick chewy crust with the sweet ricotta cheese. Man, I miss that pizza.

Last week, I decided that I just couldn't live without the Dominic's White Pizza, so I re-created it myself. And while this pizza wasn't exactly like Viva Maria's, it was pretty darn close! It definitely satisfied the craving.

Stolen from my Instagram account... I need to bake this pizza in the daylight so I can take some nice pictures of it. Or I could just wait until summer... Ohhhh summer nights where the sun stays out past 5:30pm.

The good thing about this pizza is that it's actually pretty healthy! It's covered in fresh vegetables, and there's no added fat from processed meats. (Not that I'm against processed meats; pepperoni's one of my favorite pizza toppings... just not so great to have it every week. Because, you know, pizza is at least a once-a-week occasion at our house.) And all the cheese gives you protein! Riiiiiight.

Give this pizza a try on your next pizza night!

[Click to PRINT]

Servings/Yield

1 pizza

1 recipe pizza dough (my favorite is Annie's Eats)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1-1½ cups broccoli florets
3 cups spinach
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½-¾ cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Method

Preheat oven to 500*F. Place baking stone in hot oven; let stone preheat for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle a piece of parchment paper with cornmeal. Stretch pizza dough into a 12-inch circle; place on parchment.

For sauce, combine melted butter, olive oil, garlic, and parmesan cheese. Spread onto prepared pizza dough.

To prepare toppings, place broccoli with 1 tablespoon water in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until just crisp tender; about 2 minutes. Place spinach in a microwave-safe bowl with 1 teaspoon water. Microwave until wilted, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Squeeze off extra water.

Top dough with broccoli, spinach, and diced red pepper. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, and then top with dollops of ricotta cheese.

Very carefully, remove hot baking stone from oven. Slide the parchment (with the pizza on it) directly onto the baking stone. Return to 500*F oven and bake 8-10 minutes until cheese is golden brown.

Source: Inspired by Viva Maria Pizza & Pasta

Hot Off the Press... [Chicken Bacon Bleu Panini]

So I totally forgot to post a panini recipe last Thursday... whoops. I'm sure you were all waiting with bated breath and were very disappointed. Well, never fear, because I've got a fabulous panini recipe tonight! Tangy bleu cheese and salty bacon come together to form a delectable sandwich. It comes from the panini cookbook I received for Christmas, 200 Best Panini Recipes (thanks Mom!) . The Chicken Bacon Bleu panini : grilled chicken, crisp bacon, and bleu cheese on sourdough with a spread of barbecue sauce and sliced red onion. I had never thought of putting bleu cheese on a panini before I saw this recipe. I feared there wouldn't be enough ooey gooey cheese! But bleu cheese actually melts pretty nicely. It's no Velveeta, but it added a great tang to the sandwich. First, spread the bottom piece of bread with a bit of barbecue sauce, and top with some grilled chicken. I actually used my panini press to grill my chicken for the first time, and it wa

The Arrival of Something New...

Woo hoo for the last Friday of the school year! And only one more day of school next week. (And then a couple teacher workshops...) Another reason to be excited? Our fridge came today!! Isn't she a beauty? It is so nice to have a fridge again. You don't realize how much you miss a full-size refrigerator until you go a couple weeks without it. A bit bare... but that can be solved easily. Bottom-drawer freezer, containing the essentials: moose tracks & Diet Dew trying to get cold asap. Anyways, I'm just popping in to share my beautiful new appliance. The baking monster has taken over, and I'm in the midst of making 150 cupcakes for a graduation party tomorrow. First big baking project in the new kitchen! I'm loving all the counter space. Mmm... chocolate buttercream! Making good use of the baking nook! :) Adios!

Red Velvet Cake... Donuts

So this whole Valentine's Day coming up soon is definitely just an excuse for me to bake ridiculous things. Case in point: Red Velvet Cake Donuts . A few weekends ago, my Business Man and I visited the new Tim Horton's here in the Bean Town for the first time. I'd never set foot in a Tim Horton's before, and was pretty much enamored with all the flavors of donut holes, or "Tim Bits". Instead of just having to settle on one or two donut flavors, I got to pick 10 different flavors for each of the Tim Bits in my 10-pack. (Well, I don't think they had 10 flavors... maybe only 6 but you get the idea.) They came in such a cute little package too! (Yes, I am a marketer's dream...) While I went the Tim Bit route, my Business Man went the traditional route - with an old fashioned sour cream donut. And then he went the not-so-traditional route... with a Red Velvet Donut! And he said it was absolutely amazing. (I had a bite, and thought it w

Livin' the Dream in Lima

Search This Blog