$6 Pizza

We eat quite a bit of pizza. Generally not the stuff you get from a roving truck in Fishtown, but more of the good thin crust style that Philly is quickly becoming saturated with. Zavino, Stella & Tacconelli's are three of my favorites. Sometimes though it's nice to just make pizza at home for an easy and cheap dinner and not spend the $18 that these places charge for a pie. I present to you the $6 pizza, made at home in 20 mins. 

Conveniently enough, most supermarkets sell their own store made dough now - I picked up ours at Genuardi's for $1.90. Veggie toppings should run you no more than a dollar or two. We used mozzarella & goat cheese (because we put goat cheese on pretty much everything), and both are readily available and cheap. 

To make the best pizza, you're going to need a few pieces of equipment. First is a good wooden pizza paddle. We just got one a few months ago, and I don't know how we ever made pizzas without it. Next you should get yourself a good pizza stone. Don't ever use soap on this - it'll leave a funky taste of Dawn detergent on your next pie. A good pizza cutter is also helpful - check out the one I got for christmas from the fiancée! It's a little circular saw!  

Toppings for this weeks pizza included onion and yellow peppers sauteed in a little olive oil with some garlic and salt & pepper. You want to get the onions just barely translucent. Don't put the garlic in too early or it will burn. Pull the pan off the heat once the onions and peppers are done and allow them to cool.

Get your oven screaming hot - 500° or as high as yours will go. Place your pizza stone in the bottom third of the oven.  

Sprinkle your pizza paddle with a little corn meal, and spread out the dough. Use your fingers to work out any air bubbles (unless you like pizza blisters). Brush a little olive oil on the dough and sprinkle with some garlic powder. Add your sauce and toppings - along with the onions and peppers, we used mozzarella and some fresh goat cheese we picked up from Almanac market on 4th & Poplar (absolutely love that place - best cheese counter in NoLibs).  

Slide the pizza off the paddle (the cornmeal helps it from sticking) and right onto the hot pizza stone.  Bake for 10-12 mins, but keep an eye on it.  When the cheese is bubbly pull that bad boy out.  

Let it cool a few mins, then hit it with your pizza cutter and enjoy.  Mmmm....$6 pizza.