Greek Pizza | How Sweet It Is

Greek Pizza.

September 6, 2011

It all started with the creamy feta.

Let me tell you… that cheese has ruled the last 3 months of my life. It’s single handedly responsible for draining my bank account and destroying my (non-disposable) contacts. And no, I won’t wear gloves when roasting jalapenos.

I’d rather have my skin burn off in the name of tangy dip.

This end of summer has me craving one thing: carbs. Carbs in anticipation for fall and hibernation. Carbs in anticipation of jeans and cozy sweatshirts. Carbs because I’m hungry and carbs because I just think I’m hungry. Carbs because nothing goes better with football than chips, soft pretzels and beer, which are all, well… carbs.

And now I’m about to convince you that anything can be thrown on pizza and called dinner.

Bacon frequents my pizza. Chicken does too. Sometimes chocolate and frosting and strawberries make an appearance. I can even do vegetables on top of a cheese stuffed pie, but only if they are roasted and caramely… and blanketed in more provolone than humanly allowed.

Sometime I physically ache for a taste of some traditional Greek flavors, and there was no way a salad was cutting it this past weekend. I wanted feta, spicy garlic, artichokes, briny olives and BREAD. Sounds kind of dreamy if you ask me.

With all of those flavors piled high on a crispy crust, I was sure that this completely meat-free pizza would be mine… all mine. So I was shocked when my husband took down three slices the first day and finished off the last two yesterday. That was weird. I’m now questioning his identity. But if he loved it? You will too.

Greek Pizza

makes one pizza

1 batch of your favorite pizza dough

1/2 batch of creamy feta

1 head of garlic, cloves removed and peeled

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup fresh dill

3/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese

1 15-ounce can of artichoke hearts, chopped

1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives

1/2 red onion, sliced

3-4 campari tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 roasted red pepper, cut into slices

Prepare your pizza dough as instructed. While dough is rising, prepare the crazy feta (or do this before hand – your preference). As I roasted the garlic for the crazy feta, I also tossed the loose garlic cloves listed above in the ingredients list in a tiny bit of olive oil and “pre-roasted” them for 15 minutes. I also took this time to squeeze out the moisture in the artichokes with a dish towel.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Once your dough is ready, roll into your desired shape and brush with olive oil. Top with a bit of fresh dish, then layer on mozzarella cheese, artichokes, olives, red onion, red peppers, tomatoes and crazy feta. Scatter the semi-roasted garlic cloves over top. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cheese is golden and crust is crispy. Top with a handful of fresh dill before serving. Serve with hummus for dipping if desired.