I remember visiting my grandparents house as a kid, and Nonna Anna making pizza in a cast-iron skillet on the stove top. She called it 'Clean Out the Fridge Pizza.' No two pizzas were alike because of that. Whatever meats, cheeses or veggies in the fridge topped the pizza. Were there a few pieces of salami or capicola, a piece of leftover pork or chicken? Some cherry peppers or banana peppers? Maybe a bite of mozzarella, provolone or asiago cheese? Yep, it all went on the pizza. I can still smell the heavenly aroma of homemade bread dough crust, all thick and puffy golden brown hills and valleys topped with marinara sauce and melty cheese over the top. My Nonno Giuseppe particularly enjoyed 'Clean Out the Fridge Pizza.'
I've wanted to duplicate nonna's skillet pizza for awhile. But, I like my pizza crust thin and crispy. I've tried making different pizza dough recipes over the years and bought many varieties of dough until finally finding one that fits my crispy crust requirements. (My top-pick is the thin pizza crust recipe from comfycook.com.) So grab your favorite pizza dough and your cast-iron skillet for a real treat!
It's fun to come up with toppings for the skillet pizza, and using nonna's 'Clean Out the Fridge' principle, I've come up with some idea starters in the recipes that follow. But, step one is cooking the crust. Whether you make a recipe or buy the dough, add 3 Tbsp olive oil to a cast iron skillet over medium heat and let the oil get hot. Roll out the dough to a thin 9-inch round and cook on one side until golden brown. The dough may bubble on the uncooked side, just poke down any bubbles with a fork. When side one is done, flip the crust to cook the other side. While this side is cooking, go ahead and top with the following toppings or create your own topping combos.
Mushroom & Onion Skillet Pizza with Roasted Garlic Sauce
SAUTEED MUSHROOM & ONION SKILLET PIZZA WITH ROASTED GARLIC SAUCE
Makes 2 9-inch pizzas
For Roasted Garlic Sauce:
1 head garlic
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp each salt & ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
For Mushroom & Onion Topping:
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz. button or cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
salt & ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated asiago
1 cup grated mozzarella
2 strips bacon, cooked & crumbled
1. Cut top off garlic head, drizzle with olive and a sprinkle of salt. Wrap in foil and roast in a 400 oven for 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter over medium-high heat in a saute pan. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Add milk a little at at time and continue whisking until smooth. Add seasoning, salt and pepper. Off heat, stir in Parmesan. Add the roasted garlic by squeezing out 3 to 4 cloves and stir to combine. Mixture will be thick. Remove to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
3. Heat olive oil in the saute pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms are lightly browned. Add onion and cook until onions are soft, about 3 minutes.
4. Spread each cooked pizza crust with about 1/3 cup of the roasted garlic sauce. Top each crust with 1/2 of the mushroom-onion mixture. Add cheeses. Place skillet under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Top with bacon. Slice and serve while warm.
Salami & Tomato Skillet Pizza
SALAMI & TOMATO SKILLET PIZZA
Makes 2 9-inch pizzas
1 cup prepared marinara sauce
sprinkle of dried oregano and black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
salt
4 slices genoa salami, cut into quarters
1 cup grated mozzarella
julienned fresh basil
1. Top each cooked pizza crust with 1/2 cup sauce. Sprinkle with dried oregano and pepper, then add grated Parmesan. Arrange tomato slices and sprinkle with a little salt. Arrange salami and top with grated mozzarella. Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Top with julienned basil. Slice and serve while warm.
Chicken & Veggie Skillet Pizza
CHICKEN & VEGGIE SKILLET PIZZA
Makes 2 9-inch pizzas
For Pizza Sauce:
1-28 oz can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
salt & pepper to taste
For Pizza Topping:
1 medium tomato
1/4 small yellow onion
4 banana pepper rings
6 oz rotisserie chicken, chopped
1/2 tsp each dried oregano & basil
1/4 cup grated romano cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella
1. Make quick pizza sauce: place tomato sauce in small saucepan and add seasoning, Parmesan, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil and continue to simmer while fixing other ingredients.
2. Cut tomato and onion into thin slices. Chop banana pepper rings. Chop the chicken and place in a separate bowl with 1 cup of the quick pizza sauce and stir to coat. Place 1/2 cup sauce-chicken mixture on each cooked pizza crust. Top with veggies and sprinkle with dried oregano, basil and romano cheese. Top with mozzarella. Place under the broiler 3-5 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Slice and serve while warm.