Olive Pizza Appetizer Recipes

OLIVE, PEPPERONI & MOZZARELLA BITES

Steps:

• Slice Mozzarella cheese into 1/2" x 1/2" cubes. Drain olives from liquid. Using a toothpick, skewer an olive and push 1/3 way up the toothpick. Fold a piece of pepperoni into half or quarters and skewer next. Finally skewer mozzarella. Do not push toothpick all the way through mozzarella, only half way through as you do not want guests poking themselves in the mouth with the toothpick. If making ahead of time, arrange on tray and cover with saran wrap so that it does not dry out. When serving, serve plain or with a drizzle of pizza sauce on platter.

OLIVE OIL PIZZA DOUGH -- NO KNEADING NEEDED! --

Steps:

• Mix the yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil with the water in a 5-quart bowl or a lidded (not air-tight) food container.
• Mix in the flour without kneading using a spoon, a large capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook). If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour. I use the spoon/hands combination.
• Cover (not air-tight) and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
• The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (again, not air-tight) container and use over the next 12 days.
• HERE ARE SOME BASIC COOKING INSTRUCTIONS TO COMPLETE YOUR OWN PIZZA USING THIS DOUGH:.
• Thirty minutes before baking, preheat a baking stone in your oven to 500°F.
• Instead of kneading this dough, you're going to "cloak" it, which (and this is VERY important), should take no more than 30 seconds for the whole process from grabbing off a hunk of dough to the end of cloaking. This is done after the 2-hour rest. Sprinkle a little flour on the surface of the dough you've made and pull or cut off a grapefruit-sized ball. This will be for one pizza. Sprinkle a bit more flour on the top of that ball and with the entire length of the sides of your thumbs, gently stretch the top surface around to the under part of the ball. Gently! You're not actually tearing the dough, but think of it as lengthening the fibers on the very top surface of the ball by stretching it just a bit. Then go ahead and roll out the dough for your pizza.
• Brush the thinly rolled out dough with garlic oil, sprinkle on your favorite prepared toppings and bake for 6 minutes. Give it a 1/2 turn and continue baking for another 6 minutes being careful that the crust doesn't burn. Remove from oven, let rest for 1 minute, slice and serve.

APPETIZER PIZZAS

Steps:

• Brush one side of each tortilla with oil. Place oiled side down on grill rack. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until puffed. Brush tortillas with oil; turn and top with pizza toppings. , For Traditional Pizzas: Top three grilled tortillas with pepperoni and cheese. Cover and grill for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into wedges; serve with pizza sauce. , For Mediterranean Pizzas: Top three grilled tortillas with tomato, olives, feta cheese and onions. Cover and grill for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is heated through. Cut into wedges; serve with hummus. , For Margherita Pizzas: Top three grilled tortillas with tomato slices, mozzarella cheese and basil. Cover and grill for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into wedges; serve with pesto.