BLT Pizza

In honor of the CPK (or California Pizza Kitchen) that is opening on Monday within walking distance of my house, and our Pizza Friday tradition, I decided to make BLT pizza tonight. Their version is pretty good, with crisp, shredded, mayonnaise-dressed, iceberg lettuce on top, but mine is better. At least I think so. Mostly because I know where all the ingredients came from, made it myself, and ate it on my back deck surrounded by chirping birds, cool breezes and the people I love the most. And honestly, the total cost to make it was probably less than $5 and we didn't have to wait in an unruly line to be seated and served by a newbie waitstaff.

To call it a recipe would be presumptuous, because it's really just a simple cheese pizza with a salad on top. But I'll give you the basic method here, and as always, feel free to give it your own unique spin.

BLT Pizza

one recipe of your favorite pizza dough

1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 clove garlic, grated

1 T oil

handful chopped fresh basil, or 1 T dried

8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 pound baby lettuce

3 T mayonnaise (Hellman's or Best Foods is fine)

2 t white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 C cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Preheat oven to 500 degrees for one hour with a pizza stone on the bottom rack. Let dough rise according to package direction (or at room temp for one hour). Carefully stretch dough to approximately a 14 inch circle and set on a floured surface or parchment paper. Do not roll out, or you will smoosh it and it will be flat, but rather grasp the edges and turn it around as if you are turning a steering wheel. If the dough isn't stretching easily, let it rest for another 15 minutes, covered with a damp cloth. Cover with a cloth and let it rest while you make the tomato sauce.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and stir, then add tomato sauce and basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. I use this simple sauce on nearly all my tomato-sauced pizzas.

Spread about half of the tomato sauce onto stretched dough. Top with shredded cheese and using a pizza peel, carefully lift and slide out onto the heated stone (or bake in a floured pizza pan on top of the stone). Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is a dark golden brown. Remove from oven.

In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar and salt and pepper. Toss in lettuce and tomatoes. Sprinkle on top of pizza, along with crumbled bacon. Slice into wedges and serve.