Darren and I had a bunch of people over last night for pizza and whiskies (it works somehow, I swear) and the pizzas were such a big hit, I had to share. I can’t post the dough recipe, since it’s.. y’know… copyrighted. But since I don’t really know as many people motivated enough to do from-scratch dough, I figure it’s not a huge deal. Go with your favorite brand of premade dough, and I’ll give you the sauce and toppings. =)

The sauce:
1/2 large onion, diced.
1 Tablespoon minced garlic (from a jar is fine)
extra virgin olive oil, roughly 1-2 Tablespoons.
2 large cans crushed tomatoes
dried oregano, thyme, basil, and crushed red pepper flakes
3-ish oz any old red wine you have left over (it was Sangiovese for me. Also, this is optional. If you don’t have or want wine, just add a couple pinches of sugar to combat the acidity of the tomatoes.)

The method:
heat olive oil in a medium saucepan, add onion and garlic and saute until translucent.
Dump in tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it hits a bare simmer.
Add seasonings to taste, and your wine.
Simmer for maybe 10 more minutes, or until the flavors all come together.

* I should note that this recipe makes a ridiculous amount of sauce… Like enough to top 8 pizzas, easily, for me. But I go skimpy on the sauce for my pizzas, so if you’re a heavy sauce-er or like to have extra dipping sauce on the side, it’ll be less for you. The sauce is a generic marinara, so you can also re-use it over pasta or breadsticks or whatever you like. =)

The pizza toppings:

BBQ Chicken Pizza – diced cooked chicken (grilled or broiled, probably best), about 1/2 onion diced, mozzarella, and drizzle some good BBQ sauce over the top.

Veggie Pizza – mozzarella, sliced mushrooms, diced onion, diced green bell pepper.

Darren and D’s “THE PIZZA” – mozzarella, pepperoni, sliced cooked eggplant (I grilled mine, but it should probably be pan-fried if you want it crispy)