René and Leslie’s Tomato Pizza

A totally anonymous reader (okay, my brother René) has emailed one of his favorite  pizza recipes. Ah, but here’s René now, smiling as ever! 

René. 

René and Leslie’s Tomato Pizza:

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Have all ingredients assembled and prepared before starting. Roll The Perfect Pizza Crust Version 1 onto a lightly greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Most pizzas start with a good pizza sauce. Vary the proportions as you wish, but René and Leslie’s Tomato Pizza includes a combination of tomato sauce and tomato paste, blended with a little pesto.

To this base, add some or all of the following toppings:

Tomato slices, blotted dry to remove excess liquid 

Cooked bacon, sliced into squares

Red and green bell peppers (capsicum), chopped finely 

Black olives, sliced

Artichoke hearts, blotted dry and sliced

Fresh baby spinach, rinsed, dried, and stemmed

Asiago cheese, grated

Mozzarella cheese, grated

Hard feta cheese, drained, blotted dry, crumbled

Chanterelle mushrooms, sliced, fried, blotted dry, and frozen for use out-of-season 

Red onion, chopped

Deli meats as required and desired!

Bake 16-to-18 min.on middle oven rack for fully loaded pizza in baking pan as shown. Writes René: “When we divide the crust recipe between two 12-in. (30 cm) pizza pans, we bake them one at a time - about 14 minutes for a moderately-loaded pizza.” René and Leslie adjust the time accordingly for less-loaded or more-loaded pizzas. 

With the pizza still on the middle rack, they then set the oven to broil for a further 2 min., or a total of 16 min. per 12-in. round pizza. René and Leslie live at a high elevation not far from the Canadian Rockies. 

Red and green bell peppers (capsicum), chopped finely 

Black olives, sliced

Artichoke hearts, blotted dry and sliced

Fresh baby spinach, rinsed, dried, and stemmed

Asiago cheese, grated

Mozzarella cheese, grated

Hard feta cheese, drained, blotted dry, crumbled

Chanterelle mushrooms, sliced, fried, blotted dry, and frozen for use out-of-season 

Red onion, chopped

Deli meats as required and desired!

Bake 16-to-18 min.on middle oven rack for fully loaded pizza in baking pan as shown. Writes René: “When we divide the crust recipe between two 12-in. (30 cm) pizza pans, we bake them one at a time - about 14 minutes for a moderately-loaded pizza.” René and Leslie adjust the time accordingly for less-loaded or more-loaded pizzas. 

With the pizza still on the middle rack, they then set the oven to broil for another 2 min., or a total of 16 min. per 12-in. round pizza. René and Leslie live at a high elevation not far from the Canadian Rockies. They suggest this may affect the pizza’s baking time. I agree.

It’s a Build Yer-Own Pizza Party - for your household 

only, during the coronavirus pandemic.

If you live at sea level or at moderate elevation, bake this pizza about 25 min. If you live at a high altitude, check out The Accidental Scientist: Baking at High Altitude.

For more pizza recipes, see One Click: Pizza or Pizza: One Click.