Over the last couple years my home has turned into a regular pizzeria. My family loves pizza (who doesn't?) and especially loves homemade pizza (can you blame us?)
My sister introduced us to a new recipe from Annie's Eats for Shaved Asparagus Pizza, which became the featured pizza for last week's pizza night. I made three adjustments to this recipe- I used my own pizza dough recipe, added sliced mushrooms to the pizza and created a cream cheese mixture to replace the Boursin Cheese (something you can't find in my hometown). The results: Heavenly Deliciousness! Tuesday night I was in the mood to try another new-to-our-home pizza recipe (No, we don't typically have pizza every week. Weekly pizza night...not a bad idea though!) There is a restaurant just 25 minutes from our home that my husband and I love. They feature wood-oven pizzas on their menu and our absolute favorite is the "Hawaii Five-O" pizza. Let me start by saying, I don't like Hawaiian pizza. Pineapple on a pizza? Yuck! However, this one is to die for! Seriously!! Let me tell you why:
-Start with a pizza crust (my traditional recipe or your own family favorite
-Brush the entire thing with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Pile on the mozzarella cheese
-Top with Canadian Bacon (my favorite is "Land O Lakes" because it's nice big slices)
-Top with grilled, fresh pineapple (see my recipe for grilling pineapple here, except omit the brown sugar and grill the fruit plain) that you've diced small
-Top with crispy cooked and crumbled bacon (my addition to the original)
-Top with caramelized onions (Here's a great how-to, except replace the oil with butter. Trust me!)
-Top with crushed macadamia nuts (Unless you have some horrible macadamia nut allergy, trust me on this one and just go with it.)
-Drizzle with Teriyaki Sauce (I found this fantastic Teriyaki Glaze recipe. I doubled the brown sugar though, and cut the recipe by half.)
I have to brag now and say how incredibly impressed I was with my ability to re-create this delicious pizza. My husband is now requesting it for our next pizza night!
Pizza/Breadstick Dough
2 c. warm Water (101-105 degrees) 2 Tbsp. Oil
2 Tbsp. Yeast 2 tsp. Salt
4 Tbsp. Sugar 4-6 c. Flour
Proof water, yeast, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add oil and salt and slowly add flour until dough pulls away from sides and no longer sticks to the bottom of the bowl; knead smooth (about 4-6 minutes). Makes 2 14-16” pizzas.
To use as a breadstick dough simply divide dough into equal balls and shape into breadsticks. Place breadsticks on baking sheets and brush with egg wash (1 egg & 1 Tbsp. water beaten together). Bake immediately at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Brush breadsticks with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt; bake until golden (about 3-6 minutes more).
Cream Cheese Blend (To replace Boursin)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1-2 Tbsp. milk
1/2-3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (or combination of basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary and sage)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. coarse salt
1/4 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
Blend all ingredients until smooth. You want a light consistency without it being runny.
