Restaurant chains like California Pizza Kitchen or Wolfgang Puck’s make a killing out of gourmet pizza creations, and it is pretty fun to explore different flavor combinations that veer off the standard pepperoni and cheese combo. The problem is, most of these gourmet pizza creations are not by the slice. So, if you’ve got a family of four, you’re pretty much stuck with ordering just one or two … and most likely if you’ve got a husband like mine, one of them is bound to be sausage and pepperoni.
Instead of going out to eat pizza, we have pizza parties at home. I know many of you love to make your own pizza dough; sometimes when you’re pinched for time or are lazy (me), another alternative is to buy pre-made flatbreads or naan bread. The naan flatbread is personally my favorite. It’s got that nice satisfying chew similar to pizza crust.
I’ll lay out an entire table full of aspiring pizza toppings, and each person can make their own mini pizza. The kids have a blast assembling their own me!me!mine!domyself! dinner (are your kids in that stage too?).
My husband … well … he’s forced to go all wild and crazy with artisan pepperoni and chicken-apple sausage. What a good sport—he plays along anyway—but I know he’s thinking: “Meat. Woman. Just want plain meat.”
So I wanted to throw out a few global pizza ideas for toppings. All of them start with flatbread brushed with olive oil all over, which is then baked in the oven for 7-10 minutes at 400F.
Japanese (photo above)
Sauté a combo of thinly sliced shallots and Japanese mushrooms, like enoki, white beech, shiitake, or king trumpet with a little butter and a touch of soy sauce. Assemble the pizza with a base of shredded cheese and then sauteed mushrooms. Bake and then sprinkle julienned shiso leaf (or a basil/mint combo) on top. Shiso is a Japanese fresh herb also known as perilla.
Thai
Saute chicken breast strips with a bit of soy sauce and honey. Assemble the pizza with cheese of choice, then chicken. Bake and top with chopped peanuts, crunchy fresh bean sprouts and fresh cilantro.
Moroccan
Brush a thin layer of harissa sauce (a Moroccan red pepper sauce that you can find at gourmet markets) and cheese of choice. Add whole roasted garlic, olives, sliced red bell peppers and maybe sliced dried apricots that have been rehydrated in warm water (and drained). Bake.
Argentinean
Hmmm … how about sauté sausage with bell peppers and onions, then assemble the pizza with cheese, followed by the sausage/peppers. Bake and before serving, drizzle just a bit of chimichurri sauce on top.
Tell me more! I want to hear your global pizza ideas!
Here’s a list of countries. GO!
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Jaden Hair is a food writer, television personality, and food photographer based in Tampa Bay, Florida. Find more of her recipes in her blog, Steamy Kitchen, where you can also read more about Jaden’s new book, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, and the rave reviews it’s received!
74 Comments
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Crystal on 3.25.2010
These are great ideas. The most unique pizza I’ve made is Pesto Spinach Feta Pizza. It would be a Mediterranean Pizza.
Amy L. on 3.25.2010
We make a French pizza with thinly sliced boiled potatoes, leeks and rosemary.
Shelly on 3.25.2010
Canadian would be ….. a deep dish pizza of hambureger, cheddar cheese, carmelized onions
French ……thin crust, thinly sliced jambon, thin sliced pear and brie, baked (acompanied by a nice red wine)
Spanish has to be ……. thin crust, sliced tomatoes, basil and fresh mozza drizzled with olive oil just before serving. (Served with a big jug of fresh Sangria)
Nicole on 3.25.2010
Meat. Woman, just plain meat! Jaden, that just cracks me up.
Pizza night at my house is not something to be messed with. There must be pepperoni! If I want to make a “fancy” pizza the rule is that there will be two pizza nights that week!
MS Hospitality on 3.25.2010
Another favortie was a New York Greek Pizza made in a Mississippi restaurant…. How international is that? LOL!
The naan bread would be a good base for this pizza. Spread about 1/2 cup of alfredo sauce on the bread. Add julienne sliced fresh spinach (packed cup), Viadalia(sp?) onions (about 1/3 of the onion), quater slices of artichoke hearts( about a cup) and feta mixed with mozzarella cheese to top it off. Bake as usual.
Gracious, this was delicious as well!
MS Hospitality on 3.25.2010
Oh Jaden! Great Post! You have my taste buds ajumpin’… that’s Mississippi talk for watch out mouth, something good is about to happen!
We lived in Athens, Greece for 2 years and the local pizza guy made the very best pizza I have ever eaten. The wood burning oven he cooked the pizza in was most certainly a factor, but we have made the following recipe in our regular oven as well.
First, roll your pizza ball in white sesame seeds, then roll the dough into your pizza shape. Next add a sundried tomatoe puree… just enough to lightly cover the pizza base. Next add feta cheese. Cover the top with fresh spinach leaves chopped into jullien pieces. Sprinkle with kalamata olives, thin slices of fresh tomato and red onion. Another little sprinkle of feta to hold the spinach down and bake. The feta acted as glue on the top and bottom…. OMGoodness… it is so good!
Amy S. on 3.25.2010
I know this isn’t global, but I will make my own crust and pre/partial bake it early in the day and save it for that night or I will put it in the freezer for impromptu pizza lunches, you can also form the mini pizza’s and freeze the dough before it’s baked. I usually put each stretched out piece of dough between parchment paper or waxed paper. Then when the pizza urge strikes we can just pull it out and make them for lunch etc. I really like BBQ chicken pizza with bbq chicken,bacon, monterrey jack, sauted red onions and mushrooms. Yum!
YDavis on 3.25.2010
Mexican Chicken Pizza – we use salsa instead of tomato sauce. Top with grilled/baked chicken stips, roasted peppers(hot and/or sweet), onions and mexican cheeses. Delicious!
Sara on 3.25.2010
I’ve made a couple of interesting pizzas lately, both with caramelized onions. The first was roasted duck breast and fontina, no sauce. The olive oil from the onions lubricated the crust nicely. It was truly fantastic, if I do say so. And this week I used leftover barbecued chicken with slices of fresh mozzarella. For that I did put on a little pizza sauce. For me, the caramelized onions just put both of these over the top. Yum!
Liza on 3.25.2010
I’ll make it German style: mustard spread on the bottom, topped with cabbage and some thinly sliced bratwurst or weiswurst
tallgrasskitchen on 3.25.2010
Jamaica – perfect for summer time and hotheads. Make a traditional jerk seasoning mix (or buy it) and a marinade for your chicken (vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, scotch bonnet peppers, spice mix). Brush unused marinade on crust, top with cooked jerk chicken, peppers, onions, and use a light hand with the cheese.
I think this would also make an excellent grilled pizza.
rachelhockey on 3.25.2010
I’m not sure what you would consider this one… but we added arugula leaves to Ree’s tasty Prosciutto and Caramelized onion pizza that she featured on her blog last week. Yum yum!
Marjorie on 3.25.2010
Living in the South, I love bbq. One of my favorites is barbecue chicken pizza: chicken breast, red onions, smoked cheese, and luscious bbq sauce. Now, I’m hungry!
calamityjaym on 3.25.2010
Flatbread for Pizza Crust! Brillz!
My clan likes the BBQ Chicken Pizza – Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ for the sauce, cooked chicken breast, red onions, and cheddar and montery jack cheeses.
They also like the White Sauce Chicken, Spinach, & Bacon Pizza- Alfredo Pasta sauce on the crust, a little minced garlic, fresh spinach, cooked bacon, red onions, and cooked chicken breast.
erica on 3.25.2010
i guess you could call it an italian pizza, but we make a chicken caesar salad version. we put caesar as the sauce, cover w/ italian blend cheese and chicken. while it bakes i get a ziplock bag and put some romaine lettuce in it with a little caesar dressing and water then shake it up until everything is covered. when the pizza is done baking i pour the salad on top then cover with parmesan cheese. so yummy!
Kara on 3.25.2010
We do a Mexican pizza sometimes — enchilada sauce base, with drained and rinsed black beans, corn, tomatoes, and red peppers, topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheese. That’s some nomeriffic stuff.
I’m also a big fan of topping the cheese with diced baby ginger from the Asian market. Or putting nuts on top and letting them get all brown and delicious, particularly walnuts or pine nuts.
kitchenbeginnings on 3.25.2010
I would say it’s a bit Italian but I’m not sure. This week I made a bleu cheese, proscuitto, fig and balsamic pizza. It was to die for
JenniferA on 3.25.2010
Armenian! Super thin dough topped with spiced meat – no sauce or cheese and none needed.
http://valleyvictuals.wordpress.com/2007/07/04/adventures-in-armenian-cooking/
ivoryhut on 3.25.2010
I once had a Filipino Breakfast pizza. It had spicy longanisa (breakfast sausage), beef tapa, garlic, Filipino white cheese, the crust had a slight pan de sal taste to it, and instead of anchovies, there were bits of Spanish sardines. It may sound weird, but man that tasted good.
My son’s favorite is bacon or pepperoni with pineapple, and then he eats it with hot sauce and ketchup (which he learned from me). In Trinidad, the pizza places all offer mustard, ketchup, and different kinds of hot sauce as condiments. I don’t remember seeing any curry chicken pizzas, though. Which actually would go quite well with the naan flatbread. Hmm …
Jimmie on 3.25.2010
All-American Bacon Cheeseburger (I know, not very global…but it’s a favorite around my house!):
French’s yellow mustard as the sauce – lay it on thick, as it seems to soak in, and you lose a lot of the “sauciness” if you spread it too thin
Toppings: Marble jack cheese, ground hamburger meat, crispy bacon crumbles, diced onion, and finely-chopped dill pickles. Yum!!
Jasmine on 3.25.2010
Costa Rica
Toast shredded coconut in your oven. On a tortilla crust, top with fresh tomatoes, toasted coconut, shredded chicken and a little mozzarella cheese. Bake, enjoy, and then fall to pieces.
Sandy ( Your Life, Organized ) on 3.25.2010
Thank you for all of these great ideas! It is 8am and I want pizza :-0
Jessica @ How Sweet on 3.25.2010
I am making homemade pizza tonight, so this came just in time! That Thai sounds delicious. I have to admit that rarely do we globalize pizza in my house, because my husband only wants to eat pepperoni, steak or chicken. But many times I make 2 separate pizzas – a plain, boring one for him, and a greek inspired or chicken/bacon/creamed spinach for me!
popeama on 3.25.2010
Mexican – refried black bean (fat-free could be used), ground taco beef, mexican blend cheese, a few Rotel tomatoes, some Mexicorn, then after the pizza is out of the oven, add lettuce and taco sauce. The combinations are endless.