North by Northwestern

While perusing my favorite grocery store the other day I found a new love: freshly-made and ready-to-be-rolled-and-baked pizza dough for only 99 cents! I excitedly popped the yeasty and oh-so-squishy bags of goodness (in whole wheat and white flour) into my basket, and headed home to see what I could create.

After hours of fun in the kitchen, I came to the realization that pizza is not just a college student’s best friend, it is one of the culinary world’s blank canvasses. It can be molded, shaped, stretched, and folded, and can easily traipse through the savory world and right on into the sweet pastry zone. Making pizza can also provide delicious entertainment. Buy a few balls of dough, have your friends bring a bunch of their favorite ingredients, and see what endless combinations you can come up with. Start by trying these:

Whole wheat flatbread

Cut this into little squares and you can kick boring cheese and cracker appetizers to the curb. This flatbread has all the crunch, all the cheese, and a whole lot more. Do away with cheese spreaders and slicers.

What you’ll need:

• 1 package store bought whole wheat pizza dough
• 1 zucchini, sliced into ribbons (use a vegetable peeler to finely slice pieces of zucchini)
• 2 cups white button mushrooms, sliced into ¼ inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced and separated into 2 equal piles
• 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes (in olive oil)
• 4 oz. ricotta salata cheese (this cheese is not expensive and can be found in the cheese department of any grocery store or market, but you can substitute with feta if you prefer)

1. Allow your dough to come to room temperature, if it was frozen when you first purchased it. Once it’s at room temperature, roll it out to about a ¼ to an 1/8 inch thick and then place it on a greased baking sheet.
2. Set aside and cover with plastic wrap or a moistened dish towel.
3. Sauté the zucchini ribbons in a large skillet in olive oil and one clove’s worth of chopped garlic over medium heat. Sauté until the ribbons are translucent and very pliable, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the zucchini from the pan but keep the pan over medium heat.
4. Immediately add the mushrooms and another clove’s worth of garlic. You may need to add more olive oil as well. Sauté the mushrooms until they are fully cooked and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Once the mushrooms are finished, remove from the pan and allow to cool slightly.
5. Drain the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, making sure to reserve the oil they were stored in. Use that oil to coal the base of your pizza dough.
6. Sprinkle the oiled dough with a generous amount of kosher salt.
7. Artfully place the zucchini ribbons, sundried tomatoes, and mushrooms all over the pizza.
8. Slice or shave thin pieces of the cheese and place them over the vegetables.
9. Season with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until the exposed dough is a deep golden brown, the vegetables are light brown, and the cheese is fully melted.

When you are done, Slice into squares and serve as an appetizer or slice into larger pieces and serve with a salad as a main dish.

Spinach calzones

No one says you can only use pizza dough to make pizza. These calzones are a great alternative. A little bit healthy, and a whole lot cheesy, they’re as satisfying as a slice of pizza. Plus they’re easy to dip and transport, making this a perfect study snack.

What you’ll need:

• 1 package store bought pizza dough, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 package frozen spinach, thawed and fully drained
• 1 15 oz. container part-skim ricotta cheese
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped

1. Place the thawed spinach and ricotta cheese in a large bowl and use a fork to evenly combine the two ingredients.
2. Add the garlic, parmesan cheese, and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper to the mixture and combine until fully blended.
3. Roll the eight pieces of dough into circles about a ¼ inch thick and place an even helping of the spinach mixture in the center of each round.
4. Top with an even helping of mozzarella cheese and fold the dough up over the mixture and on top of the first layer of dough, forming a filled semi-circle.
5. Use a fork to crimp the edges of the dough and seal in the mixture.
6. Place the formed calzones on a greased baking sheet and place into a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
7. Serve with your favorite tomato sauce and dip away!

Caramelized onion and pear pizza

Sweet and savory, this one can double as dinner and dessert. The pears can easily be substituted for apples, or if you want to add a little tang, crumble a little goat cheese on top before baking. However way you do it, your guests will be swooning in culinary delight.

What you’ll need

• 1 package store bought pizza dough, rolled out into a circle about a ½ inch thick
• 3 large pears, peeled, cored, and sliced into 12 slices each
• 1 large white onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• ¼ cup water

1. Place the onions in a large skillet with about a teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Once the onions are a light golden brown, add the white sugar and continue to cook until the onions have deepened in color a bit more.
3. When the onions are a deep golden brown, cover the pan and reduce to medium-low.
4. Continue to cook to onions for another 20-25 minutes until they are translucent and caramelized. Be sure to stir frequently to ensure that none stick to the bottom of the pan.
5. Place the pears and water in another sauce pan over medium-high heat and sauté until the pears start to brown slightly.
6. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cinnamon and brown sugar.
7. Stir until the pears are coated and add a touch more water if there is no more liquid in the pan. Cover the pears and cook for about 15 minutes, until the pears are fork tender but haven’t fallen apart.
8. Brush the pizza dough with a thin layer of olive oil and evenly sprinkle the pears and onions on top.

**If you would like your pizza on the sweeter side, sprinkle with a light dusting of granulated sugar. If you are more into savory flavors, sprinkle the pizza with a generous amount of salt and pepper.**

9. Place the pizza dough in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the pizza edges are golden brown in color.