Celebrating National Pizza Month in Style

In case it’s not already on your calendar, October is National Pizza Month!  As a kid, this was never an occasion I would have celebrated.  I was a painfully picky eater, and pizza was totally out of the question.  Luckily my parents, who enjoyed pizza, found a way to make our Friday night dinners at Foodie’s work out for all of us.  They would order a Hawaiian, and I would happily eat a pile of ham and pineapple while they ate a picked-over cheese pizza.

I’ve since come to love pizza, although I’ll be the first to admit I’m a pizza snob.  I decided to go all out in celebration of National Pizza Month this year, with a grown-up take on our old family tradition.  The flavors worked really well together, and this will definitely be added to the ‘make again’ pile!

“Grown Up” Hawaiian Pizza: Maple-Bourbon Braised Pork Belly with Pineapple and Caramelized Onion

For the Pork Belly:

You may have noticed that pork belly has become increasingly popular as of late on the menus at nice restaurants across D.C.   It’s actually a rather inexpensive, fatty cut of meat.  While not carried at all grocery stores, Whole Foods widely carries it in the D.C. Metro area.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pork belly
• 2 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ cup bourbon
• 1 can pineapple chunks
• 1 cup broth (vegetable, chicken or beef will do)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:

1. Sprinkle pork belly all over with salt and sugar.  Wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
2. Prior to cooking, rinse under cold water to remove the excess salt and sugar and pat dry.
3. Place the pork belly in a slow cooker.  Pour in bourbon, broth, syrup and can of pineapple, with juice. Mix liquids around.  Set your slow cooker on low and let cook for 6-8 hours.
4. Remove the pork belly and cut off the excess fat.  Parts of the meat itself are quite fatty; you can use those, but I recommend removing the portions that are pure fat.   Cut pork belly into chunks.  Strain pineapple from liquid and set aside.

For the Pizza Crust:

I used this Spent Beer Grain Crust. Assuming most folks don’t have spent grains on hand, I am including the recipe for a lovely honey wheat crust.

Ingredients:

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp honey

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; let stand until creamy and starting to bubble, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and add honey and yeast mixture. Kneed well to combine. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes to one hour.
3. Roll dough on a floured pizza pan and bake for about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and add toppings.

To Assemble:

Ingredients:

• ½ Yellow onion, sliced
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• Tomato sauce of choice
• Shredded mozzarella

 Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Add onion and cook until caramelized, stirring regularly.
2. Top crust with tomato sauce and mozzarella.  Arrange chunks of pork belly, pineapple, and caramelized onion on top.
3. Bake for another 5-10 minutes until cheese begins to bubble.

 

Want to celebrate National Pizza Month but not up for make-your-own pizza night?  Check out these great slices from around the District:

Northwest:
2 Amy’s  Margherita Extra Pizze D.O.C: Tomato, mozzarella di bufala, and cherry tomatoes
3715 Macomb St. NW

Mellow Mushroom The Caesar! Topped with three cheeses, pesto chicken, and a Caesar salad
2436 18^th St. NW

Northeast:
H &Pizza Farmer’s Daughter with spicy tomato, homemade mozzarella, hot sausage, farm eggs, spinach, parmesan reggiano and red pepper chili oil
1118 H St. NE

Southeast:
Matchbox  Copa Italian Ham & Arugula with peso, ricotta and roma tomatoes
521 8^th St. SE

We are just wondering DC Ladies, where is your favorite pizza from?