Here’s mine, and I haven’t seen it in any pizzeria.
Spread basil pesto over the shell; mine is a 10 x 13 inch rectangle. Crumble soft goat cheese atop the pesto; I use about a half pound. Cut up about a cup of some good olives (Kalamata or something similarly strong flavored) and spread them over the goat cheese. Crumble a half cup of walnuts all over, drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle with grated paremsan or romano cheese. Bake in a 450 oven for 10 minutes. If the crust is entirely baked put it back for another minute or two.
Although I make my own dough (just water, yeast, salt, flour, olive oil), but I see no objection to using a supermarket shell.
I’ve seen goat cheese/pesto topped pizzas at Whole Foods Market. I haven’t eaten there in a while, but I don’t think they do the almonds step. That does sound really good.
My favorite is also available at Whole Foods : they have a really good baked chicken there. You can order a pizza using the Whole Foods marinara sauce (which is amazingly good), with a layer of baked chicken in the placed directly on the sauce layer. Then, on top of that is a mixture of 50% goat cheese and 50% conventional cheese blend. All baked in their stone brick oven.
Delicious. Best I have personally ever had. Think they charged me $20 for it last time I ordered it, maybe it was $25. Certainly wasn’t cheap, nothing at Whole Foods is.
When I was a kid through twenties, I liked ‘supreme’ pizzas. Like the Buddhist, I’d say ‘Make me one with everything.’ Pizzas with everything were a taste sensation (as a commercial for something-or-other used to say). There was the saltiness and the smokiness of the meats, the crunchiness of the bell peppers and onions, the cheesiness of the cheese… Good stuff. Straw Hat was my favourite. When they disappeared, Round Tables seemed to take their place. New fave. We’ve had their ‘supreme’ pizza (In don’t remember what they call it) a couple of times in the last couple of years. Somehow, it’s just not as good as it used to be. Also, good pizza tends to be expensive. (Little Caesar’s: $5.99; Pizza Factory: $30.00.) So I tend to make pizzas at home.
‘What is your favourite pizza topping?’ Pepperoni. Pepperoni is the default and the base.
We usually do pepperoni and mushroom. Sometimes I’ll sneak in (OK, blatantly cover) half of the pizza with anchovies too. Sometimes we’ll have mushroom and olive pizza. Sometimes we’ll have both kinds. I think my favourite pizza topping, when I can get it from a restaurant, is pepperoni, sliced meatballs, and olives.
Italian sausage is my basic pizza. Not really a fan of pepperoni for some reason. If I get more ingredients, they come in this order: mushroom, green pepper, onion.
A friend of mine does something similar with goat cheese pizza on the grill – caramelized onions, maybe some shredded chicken, tomatoes, dollops of goat cheese. I don’t know what all he uses, but it’s the best pizza I’ve ever eaten. If he weren’t engaged to a really nice woman, I’d be using my wiles.
I like a a variety on the pizza but when I would just get one topping my go to was sausage. Not a fan of Pepperoni. It seems to make the pizza greasier. These days, if I have Pizza (which i don’t very often), I get veggie pizza.
Pretty much. Cheese (and fer gossakes, not too much of it), meat, spicy vegetables, olives - it’s all good. Fruit, leaf vegetables, potatoes, and weird things intended to make it a “signature” pizza, not so much.
But I will head for a good, dry-ish, not-overcheesed pepperoni ahead of all others.
My standard pizza order is spinach, feta, and walnuts–similar to the OP, although a different leaf on top, and I like mine with tomato sauce in addition to all this.
The single topping I like most, though, is one I only get when I (very rarely) make my own pizza: pickled red onion. It’s sweet and crunchy and acrid and juicy and works really well on pizza.
More pineapple for me, I guess. Pepperoni, extra cheese, and pineapple is my usual order.
I’d say, “What is everyone’s problem with pineapple?”, but the objections seem to be from people who don’t want it in a “kitchen sink” pizza, and even I agree that pineapple doesn’t really go with anything besides pepperoni or ham.
If I’m limited to a single topping, then it’s sausage. Two toppings: sausage and mushrooms - but only if the mushrooms are fully cooked or canned. Can’t stand raw mushroom texture.
My favorite pizza is the “Supreme” or “Garbage” pizza: sausage, mushrooms, pepperoni (I can take or leave pepperoni, actually, but it’s on everyone’s Supreme, so I deal), onions, peppers, olives.
Second favorite multi topping is Papa John’s Hawaiian Barbeque Chicken: BBQ sauce in place of regular, chicken, bacon, red onion and pineapple. Delicious. I’ve never been as pleased with anyone else’s version, including my homemade attempts.
Goat cheese is too strong for me on pizza. I sometimes order it, thinking I should like it, and then am disappointed with the result.
