How I Love Pizza!!!

I can't say it enough - the.best.food.in.the.universe. Nuff said! I love trying new dough, sauce, toppings combinations, so here's another. The only down side to my pizza making is that I am so messy - anytime flour, dough and cornmeal is involved, so is is a big cleanup. I was going to grill it, but the skies weren't so friendly, so I baked it on my pizza stone. This time I experimented and created a new pizza sauce - so good!

Pizza Dough
Dave Lieberman, Food Network

This dough recipe works great for thick crust pizzas and calzones.

1 package active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water, about 110 degrees F
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
1 teaspoon salt

**For my toppings, I grilled and sliced two lean tukey Italian style sausages, some pepperoni, sliced mushrooms, diced red onion, part skim mozzarella cheese & topped with frehsly torn basil.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together yeast, warm water, sugar and olive oil. Let sit for about 3 minutes to fully dissolve and activate the yeast.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt.
With a rubber spatula, gradually mix the yeast mixture into the flour until just combined and dough barely holds together. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter surface dusted with flour.

Knead the dough with flour-dusted hands until the dough has become smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. The surface should be tight and silky and bounce back slightly when pressed.

Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with olive oil and place the dough in it. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

Once doubled, punch the dough down and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Knead each 1 slightly to form a uniform ball. Set aside and cover them with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap to rest for 30 minutes.

Cook's Note: Dough can be made the day before and refrigerated overnight once it is divided. Keep covered tightly in plastic wrap or in a sealed food storage bag.

Roasted Garlic Pizza Sauce

6 oz tomato paste
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1.5 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp parsley
1/2-3/4 cup water (depending how thick/thin you want it)
1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of roasted garlic

In a bowl, add the tomato paste and olive oil, and slowly stir the water. Mash the garlic cloves till
it forms a paste, and add to the bowl. Add remaining ingredients, spread on dough, or refrigerate.