When you hear pizza, you’re probably thinking of the Italian-style pizza alleged to be the original. Odds are, you’ve eaten dozens or hundreds of these pizzas over the course of your life. If you’re sick of the norm or want to branch out for a change, here are three exotic recipes for pizza from around the world.
Ethiopian Lentil Pizza
Ethiopian food is notable for its use of lentils and injera, a type of spongy flatbread, in its cuisine. This pizza is a great way to get a taste of those exotic flavors in a familiar medium. First, make lentil stew as a topping:
- * ½ pound of red lentils
- * 1½ cups diced tomatoes
- * ⅓ cup chopped onions
While the lentils are cooking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix a cup of warm water, 2¼ teaspoons of yeast, and ½ cup sugar. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes while the yeast gets busy. Then fold in:
- * 5 cups whole grain flour
- * 1 teaspoon salt
- * 2½ cups water
- * 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
- * 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Cover dough with a clean towel and let it rise for about 2 hours. When the dough feels spongy, start rolling it out and cutting it into serving-sized slices.
Cook for about 20 minutes, remove from the oven, and start spooning on the lentil stew. Sprinkle with chopped herbs or kale and serve.
Thai Tofu Pizza
Spicy Thai peanut sauce, fruits and vegetables, and tofu make this pizza a delicious change from the norm. You can use your favorite pizza crust recipe or simply buy one. The real charm in this recipe is the toppings. For spicy Thai peanut sauce, blend:
- * ⅓ cup peanut butter
- * 1 tablespoon Thai hot sauce
- * 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- * 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- * 1 tablespoon ginger
- * 2 tablespoons lime juice
Pizza topping:
- * 1 teaspoon olive oil
- * 1 cup tofu
- * ¼ teaspoon curry powder
- * ⅓ cup each diced pineapple, carrot, onion, bean sprouts, and tomatoes
- * ¼ cup cilantro
- * Also, one previously made or bought standard pizza crust.
Pat the tofu into small wedges or patties and fry in olive oil on both sides until browned. Sprinkle with curry powder. Add the patties to the pizza crust, top with carrots, onions, tomatoes, and bean sprouts, and cook eight minutes at 450 degrees. Add pineapples and peanut sauce and cook for four to six more minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
German Bacon Pizza
German bacon pizza, or Flammkuchen, is a smoky and delicious take on pizza that takes pride in crispiness and a contrast between robust meat flavors and a cream sauce. Pizza dough:
- * 1 1/2 cups water
- * 1/2 teaspoon salt
- * 1 tablespoon sugar
- * 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
- * 4 1/2 cups of baking flour
- * 1 package bread maker’s yeast
While the dough is rising, mix the topping:
- * 1 teaspoon olive oil
- * 1 cup chopped onion
- * ½ cup small-curd cottage cheese
- * 1 cup crème fraiche (or sour cream or plain yogurt)
- * 2 tablespoons flour
- * ¼ tablespoons each salt and pepper * 12 ounces German bacon
Preparation is simple: preheat the oven to 425, cover the flattened pizza pie with the topping mix, and bake about 20 minutes before serving.
Pizza from Italian restaurants like Ynot Italian are great, but if you’re looking for something out of the ordinary and adventurous, try one of these recipes. You can always experiment with your own ingredients.
