Even though pizza is considered the ultimate Italian dish,
it actually originated in ancient Greece.
Ancient Greeks used to cover flat breads with herbs, oil and cheese. Later on, during Byzantine time, they called
it “pita” meaning pie. And the Romans
topped their pizza dough with honey, bay leaves and cheese. Everyone will argue of where the pizza came
from. Greeks can argue that it is their own
invention. Italians can argue that it
originated in their country. In fact, the pizza that we eat today has
originated in Italy. Naples to be
precise. Which leads us to believe that
it originated from Greeks, since the city of Naples (Neapolis in Greek) was founded
by the Greeks.
During the early 1900’s pizza was introduced to
Americans. Even though pizza was
originally Greek, it took a few centuries for Greeks to eat the Italian version
of pizza. When I first had pizza in
Greece, many, many years ago, I was not too impressed. I actually thought that I’d never have pizza
again. But when I tried the American
style pizza I was hooked.
As with everything else, that has progressed, so has the
pizza and its toppings. Traditional
pizzas have the basic tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, but that’s not quite
the norm any more. We can have stuffed
crust pizza, deep-dish pizza, thin crust, round and square shape, toppings like
pineapple and anchovies, or Cajun chicken and pork sausage. As with everything else in my Greek Fusion
cuisine, I had to incorporate something Greek, Italian and American to my
pizza. I give you a Thin Crust Vegetarian
Pizza, with roma tomatoes, artichoke hearts, spinach, and of course mozzarella
and feta cheese. It turned out delicious
and quite easy to do.
Enjoy!
Pizza dough from scratch
This will make two (2) 14 inch pizzas
1 packet dry active yeast
1 ¼ cups warm water
Pinch of sugar
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour
2 tbsp olive oil
In 1 ¼ cups warm water dissolve the dry yeast. Add the sugar. Stir till well blended and let it stand for 10 minutes.
In another bowl, sift the flour and the salt together. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. With an electric mixer that has a dough hook begin blending the yeast/water mixture into the flour mixture. Add the olive oil. Continue beating until the dough is firm and has absorbed all the liquid. You will know that the dough is ready when it pulls away from the bowl.
On a slightly floured surface, begin kneading the dough for about 10-15 minutes, till the dough is smooth, elastic and springy when trying to pull. Put it in a floured bowl and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 ½ - 2 hours. This will make two (2) 14 inch pizza’s. (You can freeze 1/2 the dough before letting it rise. It will last for about 1 month in the freezer).
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving(34.8g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 87
Calories from Fat 12
Total Fat 1.3g
Saturated Fat 0.2g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 98mg
Total Carbohydrates 16.0g
Dietary Fiber 0.6g
Sugars 0.1g
Protein 2.2g
Toppings for Greek style vegetarian pizza from scratch - these ingredients are for one (1) 14" pizza
12 servings – this will make one (1) 14-inch pizza
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp oregano
1 cup shredded mozzarella
4 roma tomatoes sliced (about 1 cup)
¼ cup red onion thinly sliced
1 small can (4 oz) mushrooms
1 cup artichoke hearts quartered (packed in oil or frozen)
1 cup spinach, washed and roughly chopped
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a 15 inch pizza stone. You can use any 14-15 inch round pizza pan.
Preparing the ingredients:
Wash, pat dry and roughly chop the spinach. Set aside. Shred the mozzarella; set aside. Slice the roma tomatoes and set aside. Thinly slice the red onion. If you are using frozen artichoke hearts, make sure they are defrosted and warmed up by heating them in a little bit of water in the microwave. Crumble the feta cheese and set aside.
Roll out the dough to a round shape. No need to use any flour. The dough will be elastic and will stretch to the round shape. If you are using a pizza stone, make sure that it’s already preheated in the oven. If you are using a pizza pan, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use it for a pizza. Some might have a coating on it, and there is no need to brush the pan with oil. If not you might need to, so that the pizza won’t stick to it while baking.
Assemble the pizza:
Brush the pizza dough with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the oregano. Sprinkle with the mozzarella. Spread the roma tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, artichokes, spinach and the crumbled feta on top.
The pizza assembled before it goes in the oven
Return to oven and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about half ( ½ ) hour or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool before cutting it.
The pizza hot out of the oven
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1serving(62.5 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 70
Calories from Fat 41
Total Fat 4.5g
Saturated Fat 2.3g
Cholesterol 11mg
Sodium 141mg
Total Carbohydrates 3.8g
Dietary Fiber 1.4g
Sugars 1.1g
Protein 4.5g
Note: The Nutrition facts are separate for the dough and separate for the toppings.
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