Say Cheese for Pizza

I love pizza. Having a slice takes me back to my youth, when my mom would take us out to dinner and a movie. There was a great pizza place right next to the theater. I love melted cheese, dripping off the sides of the pizza. I love scooping the remnants of cheese and goodies off the pizza platter. I also love a flavorful pizza with zing but no sauce.

However, nowadays, I can't just waltz into a pizza parlor because I'm gluten-intolerant. Yes, there are a couple of places that offer gluten-free pizza, but really, I can't be sure. I haven't had much luck coming out of a pizza place after eating what the owners claimed to be gluten-free. Why? Flour flies everywhere.

So I make a pizza every now and then at home. I need my fix. While there are gluten-free pizza crusts that you can buy in the freezer--and the one sold in the Whole Foods freezer is really good--I love the flavor of fresh-baked bread. So this week, I bought a box of gluten-free pizza dough mix, made a fresh pizza pie, and topped it with some of my favorite things. Yum.

I made this particular pizza without the sauce and used Asiago cheese.

Asiago is similar to Parmesan and can be swapped out in most recipes. Alpine milk is what makes Asiago special. Alpine meadows have a huge variety of grass species and flowers which help create a better tasting milk.

Do you hear strains of the Sound of Music?

Can you smell the cheese? Nutty, yummy, with a crystalline crumble. Fabulous.

ASIAGO PIZZA

Ingredients:

1 10-12 inch round pizza crust

½ cup tomatoes, diced

½ cup mushrooms

½ cup green onions, diced

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes

8 slices lean salami

8 kalamta olives, halved

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh rosemarry, snipped

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

½ cup Asiago, shredded

Directions:

Bake pizza crust at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

While pizza is baking, grill mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Remove pizza from oven and drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with salt.

Arrange tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, salami, olives on the pizza.

Sprinkle with rosemary and basil

Sprinkle with Asiago cheese. (Yes, you may add more)

Bake in oven for 10 minutes until cheese melts and turns golden.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy.

By the way, The Long Quiche Goodbye is due out any day now, so I've started guest blogging. I've already blogged at Jungle Red. If you want to check out the various blogs, click this link to my event calendar. Leave a comment.

And don't forget...the contest leading up to the launch of the book is going to end next week. So enter and remember, Say Cheese!

My "You Be The Sleuth" Contest!

My first book in A Cheese Shop Mystery series, The Long Quiche Goodbye, debuts July 6. To celebrate its release, I am running a contest from June 9 to July 6! You be the sleuth! Track down the recipe on my website that includes eggs, Edam, and white pepper. Enter your answer by clicking on this link: CONTEST ENTRY FORM.

One of you will win a $25 gift certificate at your favorite bookstore. Two of you will win signed copies of The Long Quiche Goodbye. Three of you will win a Long Quiche Goodbye magnet. You can ask friends for help. Spread the word and share the fun. And while you're there, consider pre-ordering a book on my booksellers page.

Here is the link to my website to help get you started.