“Sometimes A Girl Just Needs To Be Bad Pizza” from her granddaughter Maureen has been added to Mom’s Recipe Box

“Sometimes a Girl Just Needs to be Bad Pizza” from Maureen 

Award Winning Pizza ~ by Maureen Muriel Lucas

What I love about this recipe is the blending of flavors between the sauce and the toppings. I’ve enjoyed cooking and baking all my life. My Mom, Muriel Anna Bennett Lucas taught me the love of cooking, as well as, baking. My Mom was an amazing woman. A great teacher of life. Along with my daughter, Kathleen, we would prepare wonderful, loving creations together. Always an adventure to try something new.

I enjoy making a recipe my own, so I experiment. A recipe is just a guideline ~ is my motto ~ when cooking in the kitchen. Baking ~ you need to be precise. I find that cooking or baking is quite therapeutic, as well as, enjoyable. The wonderful smell of the flavors permeating the house. 

This pizza smells wonderful baking. The satisfaction of seeing your loved ones enjoying what you created is one of the most wonderful feelings in the world. Hope you enjoy creating this pizza as much as I do. It’s fun to create with your children, no matter what their ages. Bon Appetito !

*A bit of family history that I asked Maureen if it was okay to share and she said “yes”. Growing up Maureen was known as “Dolly” to the family. It was a nickname given to her by my father, her grandfather, “Big Johnny”, because she was as pretty as a doll. And, he often sang the song “Hello Dolly” to her ! ~ JB

Looks great ! Yes- indeed – sometimes a girl just needs to be bad !

Enjoy award-winning homemade pizza! Homemade dough, homemade sauce with onions, garlic, hand crushed tomatoes, whole milk mozzarella ( whole) ricotta (half) Margherita turkey pepperoni less fat, less sodium (half), sprinkle of Italian seasonings. .~ MML

Toppings : one half cup of Part Skim Ricotta, one and a half to two cups Whole Shredded Mozzarella (I shred from the block), 4 oz Margherita’s Turkey Pepperoni (less fat and sodium ~ surprise, it tastes great!), one cup tomato sauce (recipe below ~ use more if you’d like), 4-6 Roma tomatoes (depending on size), Italian seasoning ~ shake on desired amount.

Pizza Dough : one package pizza active yeast pack, one cup warm water. one tsp sugar, one tsp salt, 2 tsp vegetable oil (I prefer Mazzola), two and a half cups all-purpose flour (King Arthur’s is best)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Tomato Sauce : one jar of your favorite sauce, 4 Roma tomatoes ~ blanch then remove the skin, one half cup of chopped sweet onion, one tsp of chopped garlic (fresh makes a difference), one tsp butter, one – 2 tsp of Italian seasoning, fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

In medium Dutch oven melt one tsp of butter, place the onion into saute until translucent. Then add garlic until soft (it cooks fast). Then add jar of sauce, and crush by hand the blanched Roma tomatoes. Then blend together. Let it come to a soft boil then add the other tsp of butter, then turn down to a high simmer. Once it is at a nice simmer add Italian seasoning and salt/pepper to taste. Let it simmer one half to a full hour. This allows the sauce flavors to blend together.

Pizza Dough : Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in remaining ingredients; beat vigorously for 20 strokes. Let rest about 5 minutes. When ready press on to baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If necessary use rolling pin. Shape to size of pan. Then begin your creation !

Smooth sauce on top of dough. Not too much ! Make sure you have the crushed Roma tomatoes spread across, as well as, onion and garlic. Then sprinkle some of the shredded mozzarella cheese to lightly cover. Next place ricotta about the pizza; just press or spread lightly. Then top with the rest of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on top as desired.

Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Removal will be easy with the parchment paper. You will have a nice award-winning pizza.

Buon Appetito !  

*Look for “Mom’s Recipe Box” as an occasional feature on newsandviewsjb where recipes are added to the Cecelia G. Bennett Collection to honor the memory of my mother