Newark Natural Foods

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Conventional pizza topped with tomato sauce and cheese is a standard favorite, but you can make gourmet pizza that will impress dinner guests and have way more nutrition than the old standard.

Here are some things to consider:

You want a pizza that isn’t going to be hard to eat. Two things contribute to ease of eating. The sauce and the cheese. If you don’t want to use tomato sauce, try pesto, white sauce or a tapenade. Taco sauce, bar-b-que sauce, mustard and hoisin sauce can be used if you looking for something really different.

Cheese- not really necessary, but yummy for sure!  There are so many choices for cheese, I won’t bother to try to list them. But do experiment! The co-op has a great selection of cheeses. Provolone seems to go with most toppings. If you use feta, don’t expect that it will melt and help keep your toppings glued to the crust..in fact- it will just be one more ingredient toppling off your crust if you do not plan well. If using feta or no cheese, use slices of tomatoes instead of small pieces or be generous with your sauce. You can mix your cheeses with great success. There are some herbed cheeses that really add flavor to your pizza. Of course, adding some mozzarella will give you that stringy gooey texture you may expect from a pizza. You can grate, crumble or slice your cheese. Some like a sprinkling of parmesan as well.

Toppings are where you can get the most variety. If I’m not serving salad with my pizza, I like to make sure there are some green veggies on the pizza. Sauteed spinach or chard work nicely. Blanched or lightly steamed broccoli makes a nice addition if you are not into leafy greens. Try topping with grilled eggplant,onions and zucchini. Mushrooms, olives, artichoke hearts, fresh or sun-dried tomatoes and peppers of all types are popular. And you may also add meat or faux meat to the mix.

The last element to consider is seasoning. You may choose not to add any. But dried and fresh herbs will add some depth. And I always love any excuse to use fresh basil!

Make your own crust or buy pre-made. If you have pre-made crusts on hand, you can have gourmet pizza in minutes!