Frugal Foodie Friday - Sicilian-Style Pepperoni Pizza

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's frugal Friday and this week's feature is a delicious Sicilian-style pizza that's inexpensive to prepare when all the elements used to make it are homemade.  Those elements are quite easy to make, so I am including recipes for both the dough and sauce in this post as well. I had hoped to share the classic Sicilian pie with you, but the ingredients needed to make it were simply to expensive to be a frugal Friday feature. Most pizza lovers think that any square pie with a thick and chewy crust is Sicilian. Taint true McGee! A true Sicilian pie is neither saucy nor cheesy. It has a thick crust that is, instead, topped with a mixture of cooked onions and tomatoes that receive a flavor boost from melted anchovies and a healthy sprinkling of oregano. It is a real treat, but quite unlike an America pizza. The pie I'm featuring tonight is not truly Sicilian. It does have a thick square crust, but it's toppings are decidedly America. The pie is lightly covered with tomato sauce, cheese and a very small amount of pepperoni. I diced the pepperoni in an attempt to trick the eye into thinking there was more of it that was actually the case. The pie is easy to prepare and it makes a wonderful meal for those who are trying to control their food expenditures. All the recipes needed to make it are below. I hope you enjoy the pie and I also hope you'll be back this afternoon. I still have Irish recipes to share with you. In the meantime, buon appetito!

Sicilian-Style Pepperoni Pizza...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Family Circle magazine

Ingredients:
2 pounds commercial pizza dough, at room temperature, or one batch Basic Pizza Dough (see below)
1 cup marinara sauce (see below)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 ounces sliced pepperoni (about 1/3 cup)

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 500 degrees F. Coat a 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2) On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15 x 10-inch rectangle. Gently roll up onto a lightly floured rolling pin and unroll onto prepared pan. Push dough into corners.
3) Spread sauce evenly over dough to within 1/2 inch of edge. Sprinkle oregano over sauce. Scatter cheese over top. Place pepperoni slices over cheese. Bake at 500 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes or until nicely browned on bottom. Remove from oven. Cool slightly before serving. Yield: 12 slices.

Basic Pizza Dough...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Family Circle magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
1 package (2-1/4 teaspoons)dry active yeast
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided use
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
1) Place water in a small bowl and stir in yeast. Let stand 5 minutes.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together 2-1/2 cups of the flour, sugar and salt. Make well in center and add yeast mixture and olive oil. Stir until dough comes together and forms a ball. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, adding as much of remaining 1/4 cup flour as needed. Form into a disk and place in a bowl that has been lightly coated with olive oil. Turn disk over and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for 2 hours.
3) Remove dough from bowl and punch down. Roll out into desired shape.

Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Family Circle magazine

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can (28 ounces) San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
In a medium-size saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, cook 1 minute, stirring so garlic does not burn. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, oregano, basil and salt. Bring to a boil. Cook, with lid ajar, for 30 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Yield: 2 cups.










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Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple pasta has the makings of a great family meal that will appeal to young and old alike. The dish has three basic elements; pasta, a rich tomato sauce and cheese. The sauce can be quickly made from canned or fresh tomatoes and the cheese can be served on the side or folded into the marinara if you want a creamy sauce. This is a perfect dish to serve on a busy school night. It can be made in stages. The tomato sauce, which freezes well, can be made days before its needed and rewarmed when you are ready to use it. For reasons that still elude me, cooks back in the 50's and 60's thought marinara sauce had to simmer for hours before it could be served. Imagine the looks on their faces if they were to learn that these days we make it in 20 minutes. Would they call that progress? I love the appearance of this dish. It has a spare elegance that I find appealing. The dish also makes me smile. When my children were quite young they called spaghetti worms and rigatoni whistles. I wonder if the food mainstream is ready for a dish called Whistles in Red Sauce. This basic tomato sauce is the one that introduced most of us to Italian cooking and I think we still love its simplicity. I hope those of you who make this recipe, which was found in a special issue of Gourmet, will enjoy your own walk down memory lane. Here's their recipe for Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce.

Rigatoni with Creamy Tomato Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of the special publication, Gourmet Easy Dinners.

Ingredients:
3 pounds fresh plum tomatoes or 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice
2 large garlic cloves, crushed with side of a large heavy knife
Pinch of hot red-pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1-1/4 tsp salt
4 fresh basil leaves, torn into bits
1 pound rigatoni
1 cup ricotta (about 8-ounces; preferably fresh)
Grated Pecorino Romano

Directions:
1) If using fresh tomatoes, cut a shallow X in bottom of each with a paring knife and blanch tomatoes in 3 batches in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling water, 1 minute per batch. Transfer blanched tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, peel, beginning from scored end, with knife, then halve lengthwise and seed. Chop tomatoes (fresh or canned), reserving juice (from cutting board or can).
2) Cook garlic and red-pepper flakes in oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 5 minutes. Discard garlic, then add tomatoes with their juice and salt and simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil and salt to taste.
3) Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of well salted boiling water, uncovered, until al dente, then drain in a colander.
4) Toss pasta with warm marinara sauce in a large bowl. Serve with ricotta and grated Pecorino Romano. Yield: 4 servings.

Cooks’ Notes: Sauce can be made ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered, up to 5 days or frozen in an airtight container for 2 months.

If using canned tomatoes, whose sodium content varies, use only 1/4 teaspoon salt then season your finished sauce with additional salt if desired.

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