St. Catherine of Alexandria Pizza Wheel

For St. Catherine of Alexandria's feast today we made a pizza wheel.  St. Catherine was an early Christian martyr.  She was set to be tortured on a spiked wheel but at her touch it miraculously broke apart. She was then martyred by beheading.  The wheel is one of the symbols associated with her. This is a variation of a traditional pizza with the center cut and "wheel spokes" folded over to form a wheel shape dough. It could be made with a sweet filling as well and served as dessert or breakfast. In this recipe, we went with a traditional pizza. The red of the sauce recalls her martyrdom as well. This recipe will make a large size pizza or two smaller crusts . We made a luncheon size today with half the recipe.

Dough ingredients:
2 1/4 t. yeast
1 1/2 t. salt
3 t. honey
1 1/4 c. warm water
3 T. olive oil
3 1/2 c. flour

Directions:
Combine yeast, salt, honey and water in bowl. Add the flour and oil and mix with dough hook. Add flour until dough comes together in a solid ball.  Grease a bowl with oil, add the dough, cover and let rise in warm area until doubled (about 1 hour).

Spread dough on parchment paper. Cut center into eight sections like picture - leaving approximatley 3 inches around outside uncut. Spread sauce, cheese and toppings as desired around uncut part of ring.

Fold over each "spoke" and attach to outer edge by pinching dough together.

Transfer to baking sheet or stone. Cook at 400 degrees for 12-18 minutes.

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Snake-Bite Calzone

This past weekend we celebrated my daughter's 8th birthday!   One of the recipes I made was a Snake-Bite Calzone, at the suggestion of Charlotte's daughter!  (Thank you Shortcake!)   I thought I'd post the recipe here, since I'm planning on making another snake dragon calzone (maybe adding a few spikes, wings and feet) for my children to eat slay on today's feast of St. George!  It would also be perfect for the feast of St. Patrick.

Snake-Bite Calzone

adapted from Kraft

Ingredients:

• 1 can (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza dough
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 31 pepperoni, divided
• 1 egg white
• 1 drop each yellow and green food coloring, divided
• 2 manzanilla olives
• 1 cup pizza sauce

Directions: 

Heat oven to 350°F.  Unroll the pizza dough on lightly floured work surface; roll or flatten to 17x10-inch rectangle.

Cut 1 pepperoni slice to resemble a snake's tongue; set aside. Arrange remaining pepperoni slices over dough rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border around all sides.

Combine cheeses. Top pepperoni with spoonfuls of the cheese mixture. 

Roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion, starting at one long side; pinch seams together to seal. Place, seam-side down, in "s" shape on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray to resemble snake.

Insert olives into one end of dough for the snake's eyes. Add pepperoni tongue.

Beat egg white and yellow food coloring lightly with fork; brush about half over dough. Add green food coloring to remaining egg white; brush randomly over dough to resemble a snake's splotched skin.

Bake 30 to 35 min. or until golden brown. Meanwhile, heat pizza sauce just until warmed.  Serve the calzone with the pizza sauce.

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Argentinian/Italian Inspired Pizza

On March 13th, the day of Pope Francis' election, I told the children that in honor of our new Pope they were going to "cook their own" dinner, just like Pope Francis!   I modified our dinner plans and decided that we would have an Argentinian/Italian inspired pizza!  I did help make the sauce and pizza dough, but they had so much fun assembling the pizza and choosing the toppings.  I also picked up some wine imported from Argentina which we ended up saving for today, the feast of St. Joseph and the Installation Mass of our new Holy Father. 

Pizza Dough:
(Adapted from our Deep-Dish Pizza Recipe)

This pizza dough is our favorite!  We have been making it frequently for both regular and deep-dish pizzas. The following measurements will make one thick-crust pizza.  Our family doubles the recipe for 2 thick crusts or 3 thin crust pizzas.


Ingredients:

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups Better-for-Bread flour

Directions:

Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water. Stir in the sugar, salt, vegetable oil, and flour. Knead the dough for 3 minutes by hand, or using a mixer with the hook attachment, like we did. Roll out the dough on a greased or well-seasoned pizza stone.


Pizza Sauce:
(Adapted from Hubpages)

"In the US we are more accustomed to a pizza sauce that is made from crushed tomatoes and has crushed red pepper flakes.  In Argentina, the sauce is thinner and less spicy."

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic, minced or thinly sliced (I used my garlic slicer.)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• crushed red pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons italian spice mix (I used a mix of oregano, thyme, and basil) 
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 2 cans tomato sauce

Directions:

In a sauce pan, saute the garlic in olive oil over medium heat .   Add the spices and tomato sauce.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside until you are ready to assemble the pizza.

Pizza Toppings:

Spread the pizza sauce over the dough.

Sprinkle with grated Mozzarella cheese.

Add your favorite toppings. We enjoyed researching what some of the common pizza toppings are in Argentina.  On one website we read that  "The old standby is the classic mozzarella, always topped with at least one olive. Other popular pies are the Neapolitan (with tomatoes and garlic) and the Calabrese, protagonized by chorizo (course meat sausage). Typical extra toppings include red pepper, anchovies, eggs, blue cheese, artichoke hearts and pineapple. The American classic, peperoni doesn’t exist in Argentina." We also discovered that Green Olives and Hearts of Palm are common toppings (and we happened to have some in the cupboard) so we used those on one of our pizzas.

My children topped their second pizza with their own favorite toppings - pepperoni and black olives. 

Preheat oven to 425˚F and bake for 15 to 25 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned and the cheese is melted.

Interestingly enough, I had the children "make their own pizza" the night I started creating our Papal Lap Book!   That night we used the same dough recipe, baking the pizza's in 9x13 stones/baking casseroles for some Italian style Deep Dish Pizza.

 Either way it is made turns out delicious! 

A Prayer for the Pope 

by Pope Leo XIII 

O Lord, we are the millions of believers, humbly kneeling at Thy feet and begging Thee to preserve, defend and save the Sovereign Pontiff for many years. He is the Father of the great fellowship of souls and our Father as well. On this day, as on every other day, he is praying for us also, and is offering unto Thee with holy fervor the sacred Victim of love and peace. 

Wherefore, O Lord, turn Thyself toward us with eyes of pity; for we are now, as it were, forgetful of ourselves, and are praying above all for him. Do Thou unite our prayers with his and receive them into the bosom of Thine infinite mercy, as a sweet savor of active and fruitful charity, whereby the children are united in the Church to their Father. All that he asks of Thee this day, we too ask it of Thee in unison with him.

Whether he weeps or rejoices, whether he hopes or offers himself as a victim of charity for his people, we desire to be united with him; nay more, we desire that the cry of our hearts should be made one with his. Of Thy great mercy grant, O Lord, that not one of us may be far from his mind and his heart in the hour that he prays and offers unto Thee the Sacrifice of Thy blessed Son. At the moment when our venerable High Priest, holding in His hands the very Body of Jesus Christ, shall say to the people over the Chalice of benediction these words: "The peace of the Lord be with you always," grant, O Lord, that Thy sweet peace may come down upon our hearts and upon all the nations with new and manifest power. Amen.

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Saint Francis, Italian-American Style

This post was written by past Catholic Cuisine contributor Amy.

Like many kids, when I was young I imagined I was adopted. I can recall asking my sister, who was ten years older than me, if I was. She told me flat out good luck. I looked way too much like the rest of family to even pretend I was adopted.

Having to give up that, I decided I wanted to be Italian. I figured I loved Italian food so much I had to be Italian… and maybe I was… I could have been adopted after all. Over the years this love of Italian food really consumed me. Anything Italian was generally ok with me! I also began to develop my own recipes, usually variations on marinara sauces.

One of our family favorites, however, has become our Sunday night pizza. There is nothing like homemade pizza and once you realize how relatively easy it is, it won’t be worth all the trouble of calling for cardboard with some tomato sauce slapped on top!

Since today is the Feast of Saint Francis, an utterly cool saint I must add, I thought I would share my recipe for pizza with you!

My recipe is really just a variation off my bread dough recipe. Just a little different. Roll it out, toss it on the stone (if you are lucky enough to have one) and cover it with goodness... and there you have it: PURE JOY.

Amy's Pizza Dough

3 cups of warm water
1 Tablespoon of yeast
1 Tablespoon salt (I prefer Kosher)
1/4 cup olive oil (you can use others, but olive is the best)
Flour (white, wheat, whatever floats your boat)

Let yeast dissolve in water add salt (if you feel like being fancy you can add some garlic salt instead or add a nice dried herb like basil, just don't overdo it) and oil. Add enough flour to make dough smooth and elastic (you need to make sure you do not add too much flour, as this will make it impossible to stretch out). If you have some cornmeal sprinkle it on your stone or pan, and stretch dough out to fit the pan you are using. This recipe usually can make**two to three** pizzas depending on how big you want it. Bake at 425 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

**CORRECTION 10/9/2008**

That is it.

Now, it is a main consensus that you need a really hot oven to make a decent pizza, but I have yet to test this. You do not know how scary a room full of five kids and husband can be when looking at a charred and burned pizza.

I generally cover the dough with my homemade sauce (unless I am lazy and then I only sprinkle it with some tomato sauce), whatever is in the kitchen or garden, and some mozzarella cheese. Oh and make sure you don't overload the pizza! It will make it very hard to eat and the dough might not cook well.

Amy's Homemade Sauce:

1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
1 7 ½-ounce can of diced
tomatoes, undrained
½ cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon basil
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon oregano
2 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1 Teaspoon garlic salt)
Salt to taste

Bring to boiling and then lower heat and simmer
for about 10 minutes.

Voila!

One of our favorite topping combos is spinach, feta, mozzarella, and tomato (I will even add pineapple sometimes). Another favorite but highly less uptown is Taco. Skip the sauce, cover dough with refried beans, a little salsa, and cheddar cheese. Cook and then cover with tomatoes, lettuce, and crushed Doritos chips. Top all that with a dollop of sour cream. That one is definitely a slice you will need a fork for!Since this is the Feast of Saint Francis you can be even more creative and toss some truly Italian toppings on that dough and sauce. Anything goes! What about Sundried tomatoes and a variety of Italian cheeses? Parmigianino and, of course, mozzarella?

The key is to have fun with it!

This is a pretty easy way to enjoy a great meal and generally these are all things you have around the house, so no special trip to the store! I think Saint Francis would approve!

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