Pita Pizza Recipe, Revisited

I posted my recipe for veggie pita pizzas quite some time ago, but I thought i'd update with a reminder recipe. This evening I'll be adding some chicken sausage to half the pizzas, as my carnivorous father is in town and he likes excuses to eat animals (his wife is vegetarian).
The house is a bit bare of ingredients - but i try and keep pitas and tomato paste on hand at all times, as pita pizzas are a great 'use what you have on hand and i can't think of anything else for dinner' quick fix. The husband and i have decided 2 ingredients are must haves for the best pita pizza, however - so i'll be running by the store to pick up: canned pineapple (in juice not syrup) and black olives. Hubby is always disappointed with a pizza sans pina.

So here we go again, tonight's version of
Miranda's Pita Pizzas

Sauce:

• 1 can tomato paste (small for two people, large for 4)
• Splash red wine
• Finely diced garlic cloves to your preference (i use lots)
• Dashes cayenne, salt, pepper, basil, oregano
• Optional rosemary

Pitas (i like Toufayan and local Pheonicia, choose pitas that aren't "pocket" pitas)
Toppings - whatever you like! Here are some suggestions:

• Onions - raw or sauteed briefly
• Mushrooms
• Bell peppers
• Black olives
• Diced pineapple
• Sausage or pepperoni
• Homemade mozzarella 
• Fresh basil leaves
• Tomato slices
• Feta
• Jalapenos
• Zucchini
• Etcetera!
• Shredded cheese - any variety

I try to stick with things i have on hand or in the garden. But as i said - we really love that pineapple!

*Note that there is no pineapple on this board. I had pineapple on one list, and went grocery shopping with another list. I forgot the pineapple. 

I failed.

But it was still good, and husband was  happy since i replaced the pineapple with chicken sausage!

Preheat to 425. I usually make these in the toaster oven, but tonight i'm cooking for 4 and will be using the big oven. That heats unevenly. We'll see how that goes. Mix up the sauce - you can do this ahead of time. I like lots of sauce, and it keeps in the fridge just fine - so don't be afraid to make a little more than you might need. Set out the pitas on a baking sheet, or directly on the oven rack (not while it's in the oven, obviously). Slather on as much sauce as you'd like (more sauce needs a bit more time in the oven to crisp the pita, less needs less time). I like to sprinkle just a tiny bit of cheese first, then add the toppings, followed by more cheese. I skimp on the cheese for my pizzas - i really don't think it needs much to be tasty, and load on more for the husband or hungrier guests.

Place in oven and cook for 12 - 20 minutes depending on your oven, rack placement, crispness preference. I often take them out too soon for fear of burning- ending up with a soggier pizza. Don't be afraid to peek inside and lift the pita to see the underside - it can get a little brown on it and it should be firm so that the whole pizza lifts when you lift an edge. Pizzas are easier to cut when crispy, and i just prefer a crispier pizza.  (Cooking on two racks on cookie sheets in oven - rotating the sheets top to bottom half way through - my pizzas cooked perfectly at 13 minutes).

Cut with a pizza cutter and slide onto plates. I served the pizza tonight with side garden salads - i grew every last thing in that salad, besides a cucumber and the olive oil and vinegar of course.

Yum yum yum!

Have you ever gone shopping with the intent to purchase a specific something, and that one thing is the thing you didn't get??? C'mon, tell us your story.

"Canada Goose" Loaf

No, we're not actually eating a "honker" as i grew up calling them. My husband wanted to eat something themed with the hosting country of the Olympics, this year that's Canada. I couldn't think of anything we had on hand or could get cheaply or easily that would fill that roll (elk, caribou, moose?), so i'm making a turkey meatloaf with ground turkey meat i had in the freezer.
I'm making this up as i go along, but my mom says that's the best way to do it. Here's what i ended up with:

• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves + some jarred diced garlic
• 1/2 12.oz can of tomato paste
• assorted herbs and spices to taste + salt and pepper
• splash Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup(ish) chicken stock
• 2 eggs
• 1 package lean ground turkey
• ~1 cup oats

Saute the first 6 ingredients until onions are soft. Add more chicken stock if the pan is simmering dry. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a loaf pan with nonstick.

In a bowl, mix together turkey and oatmeal. Add the sauteed onion mixture (let it cool first!) and mix thoroughly, add the 2 eggs, scrambled first and mix it all up until it's well blended. I could have added more oats and have the loaf be oatier, but this turned out moist and meaty. Spoon the meat mixture into the loaf pan and top with remainder of tomato paste. Cook for about 1 hour, or until toothpick (or chopstick in my case) comes out clean.
Next time i think i'll use two packages turkey with a bit more oats and see how it turns out.

 

Served with freshly picked and steamed broccoli from the garden.

This was SUPER delicious, and happened to time out perfectly (between mixing and rising bagel dough and simmering herbal hair rinse) to eat during the opening ceremonies. The husband reviews: "some of the best meatloaf i've ever had. It's true." That's a good review, if you ask me!
Don't feel limited to the ingredients i listed. This would be great with mushrooms, hot peppers, sweet peppers, corn, you name it. This mixture turned out smooth, moist, and evenly textured. I look forward to sandwiches with the last little bit left (we had a hard time not eating the whole loaf!)

Did you make anything special for the Olympic opening cermonies?