Brat Bagel Pizzettes; Athenian Pizza

The bagel pizza called for mini-bagels, but I couldn't seem to find them at Cub.  I have said this before, but it bears repeating... Shopping is not my strong point.  I don't mind one trip to the grocery store, but I absolutely detest having to go to more than one place in the same day (as far as shopping and errands are concerned).  So, I was not about to go to another grocery store to find mini bagels.  I found bagel chips and deemed that a perfect substitute.  Also, it called for Canadian bacon and at one point, I had purchased a whole pile of Canadian bacon, because it was on close-out at Cub.  I bought a bunch and froze it all.  I was positive that I had several more hunks of it in my freezer.  But, when I came home from work on Thursday, I could not find any.  now, that doesn't necessarily mean I don't have any left, but I wasn't about to go digging this late in the game.  besides, I had leftover cooked brats in my refrigerator, and I thought those would work just fine.  And, slices of them were the perfect size for the bagel chips.  I also used red chili sauce I had made for a previous pizza and froze...  Simple, easy, and everybody loved them.  There were no leftovers.

BRAT BAGEL PIZZETTES

Adapted from The Everything Pizza Cookbook by Belinda Hulin

6oz bag bagel chips (such as New York Style Roasted Garlic Bagel Crisps)

3/4 cup red chile sauce

4 bratwurst links, cooked

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Red Chili Sauce:

10 nuevo mexican chiles (3 ounces)

2T olive oil

3 ½ oz yellow onion

3T chopped garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

14½ oz can petite cut tomatoes, drained

14½ oz can chicken broth

Sauce:  Roast chiles at 400º until slightly toasted on all sides.  Remove from oven and cool until they can be handled.  Discard stems.  Split the chiles open lengthwise and discard seeds and membranes.  Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic and oregano and saute for a minute longer.  Add the roasted chilis, the tomatoes, and the broth.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the chiles are very tender, about 30 minutes.  Transfer the chile mixture to a food processor or blender.  Puree until smooth.

Assembly:  Spread the bagel chips on a greased cookie sheet.  Top each with a couple of teaspoons of sauce.  Top the sauce with a couple of slices of the cooked bratwurst.  Cover with mozzarella.  Bake at 350º F until the cheese has melted and starts to brown in spots.  Serve immediately.

The other pizza we made this week was Athenian.  It had all of the lovely flavors I associate with the Mediterranean area.  Salty feta cheese contrasted with the tangy, bright pickled peppers, red onions and oregano.  Kalamata olives reenforce the salty flavor of the feta, adding a little bit of fruitiness.  

ATHENIAN PIZZA

Adapted from James McNair's Vegetarian Pizza

Crust:

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3¼ cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup olive oil

Toppings:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

6 ounces baby Portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1 cup sliced pickled cherry peppers

3 cups feta cheese

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Make the crust:  Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in a medium bowl.  Set aside for about five minutes to allow the yeast to form a thin layer of foam on the top of the water.  Meanwhile, combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Add the olive oil and yeast mixture and run at medium speed until the dough comes together and begins to cling to the hook.  Remove from the mixer and form into a ball.  Place the ball in a medium-sized, greased bowl.  Cover loosely with a towel or a piece of waxed paper and set aside to rise. It should double in size in about an hour.

Assemble and cook:  Preheat the oven to 500º F with a pizza stone inside.  Once the dough has risen, roll it out to about a 16 inch circle on a pizza peel or wooden board dusted with cornmeal.  Shake the board or peel to ensure that the crust is not sticking to it.  If it is, add some more cornmeal underneath the dough.  Brush the dough all over with olive oil.  Top with onion, mushrooms, olives, and peppers.  Sprinkle with the feta crumbles and scatter the oregano over the feta.  Transfer pizza to the preheated stone and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown or melt a little.  Let rest for five minutes. Slice and serve.

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