Just because I’m not a football fan doesn’t hold me back from feasting on what I think of as ‘football food’. This hot and saucy dish combines the best of two perennial favorites: wings and pizza, with some greens on top to round out it. The crust is thin and crispy, improvising for the lack of breading on the wings, but giving the same textural thrill. Serve it as an appetizer or indulge in it for dinner.
Crisp Pizza Crust
Makes 1 12-inch crust
¾ cup warm water
¼ teaspoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
In a small bowl, combine the water, agave and yeast. Stir together and set aside until bubbly, about 3 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Stir together then knead on a lightly floured work surface for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and cohesive. The dough should be soft but not sticky, so add additional flour as needed. Shape dough into a ball.
Lightly oil a medium bowl. Place dough in bowl, and turn over so that the oiled side is up. Cover with a towel and let rise 1 to 1 ½ hours in a warm place until doubled in size.
To bake, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. If using a pizza stone, place in oven. Roll out on a lightly floured surface or a lightly floured piece of parchment paper to a 12-inch round. If using parchment paper, transfer crust on paper to a large baking sheet. Prick with a fork. Add topping and bake until done, about 15 minutes.
Buffalo Wing Pizza
Makes 1 12-inch pizza
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
8 ounces chickeny seitan, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 cups quartered cremini mushrooms
1 ½ cups arugula, julienned
2 carrots, shredded
½ cucumber, diced
1 Crisp Pizza Crust
Ranch Dressing of choice*
In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, hot sauce and liquid smoke. Mix and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add the seitan and mushrooms and cook on medium high for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft. Turn heat off and transfer the sauce to the seitan/mushroom mixture. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Make sure an oven rack is in the lower 1/3 of the oven.
Roll crust as in crust directions. Transfer to a baking sheet or pizza stone. Prick with a fork. Spread seitan/mushroom mixture over crust. Bake 15 minutes or until crust is golden and crisp. Top with arugula, carrots and cucumber. Drizzle with dressing and serve extra dressing on the side.
*Everyone seems to have their favorite ranch style dressing, so I’m not posting a recipe for one.
Don’t wait for a football game to give this one a try. It’s that good.
Coming later this week: Another book contest! Get ready!
