Artichoke Pizza on the Fly
On Saturday, while I performed my weekly-ish refrigerator dump to clear the way for new groceries, I threw two heels of Parmesan and three nearly depleted bags of shredded mozzarella on to the counter. Who knows how or why, but as clear as day, a voice inside me announced: Artichoke Dip. Even though it was before noon. And even though I wasn't entirely sure if I had a can of artichokes in the pantry. And then, after removing a Trader Joe's pizza dough from the back of the second shelf, sitting next to the yogurt that expired back when I was still wearing shorts, another voice declared: Pizza. It's still such a mystery how this stuff happens, but when there's divine intervention of the food kind, I don't ask questions, I just get to work.
You know the artichoke dip I'm talking about -- the hot, cheesy one that I'd guess originated in the Midwest, and that has no doubt graced a Super Bowl party dip spread at some point in your life. When I asked Andy "What do you think of turning that melty, cheesy dip into a pizza?" He replied, of course, "Well, it's not going to be bad."
No, it wasn't bad. It was freaking delicious, as those of you who followed me on instagram might've seen. I didn't even measure the ingredients, I just kind of winged it, and it came together in about 20-25 minutes, which is good for a weekend lunch, but, like, crazy good for a weeknight dinner. And in this stretch of last-minute holiday madness, when you need to conserve your energy (both psychic and physical) for the major feasting days, I thought you'd appreciate the details.
. (Phoebe sure appreciated the details!)
. Cheesy Artichoke Pizza There's really no reason you shouldn't stir in thawed frozen chopped spinach (squeezed completely dry) if you want to kick up the green quotient here.
1-2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1 16-ounce ball store-bought pizza dough, at room temperature 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 1/3 cup mayonnaise (preferably Hellman's or Duke's) 1 cup shredded mozzarella 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Heat oven to 475°F. In a small bowl, mix together olive oil and garlic powder. Brush a thin coat of oil mixture onto a 17-by-12-inch rimmed cookie sheet. Drop dough in the middle of the sheet, and using your fingers, press out to the flatten the dough so it spreads as close as possible to all four corners. (As you can see, I lost patience and didn't spread it very thin, which is fine, it only means that the crust will be more Sicilian-style and take a little bit more time to bake.) Brush crust with the remaining olive oil, paying particular attention to the perimeter.
In a medium bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Spread artichoke mixture into a thin layer over your crust Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden. (Keep an eye on it.) If you want to get fancy, top with fresh chopped parsley.
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