Monday's Food Tip: Homemade Pizza in a Hurry

Stroll the streets of Venice, or any other city in Italy, and you’ll notice little food shops with a wide variety of pizzas in the windows. It might surprise you to see so many pizzas in long retangular pans, instead of the more traditional round shape for a pizza. But, no matter the shape, pizza can be a delicious and simple dish to make at home - whether you live in Venice, Italy, Venice Beach, California, or somewhere in between.



Don’t have time to make homemade pizza dough? You can still create a quick pizza without calling for delivery from your favorite pizza place. Pre-baked pizza shells, flour tortillas, halved bagels, whole wheat pitas, or even halved English muffins can be used as the base for your pizza. For toppings, use a little canned (or fresh) tomato sauce or tomato paste. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan or a little Mozzarella cheese, and top with chopped fresh basil. Put the pizza in the broiler (or a toaster oven) for a few minutes until the cheese melts, then serve.

Variation: Instead of pizza sauce, put a thin slice of tomato on the pizza crust. Sprinkle with chopped fresh basil and crumbled Parmesan cheese, or a few small slices of Mozzarella, before putting the pizza in the toaster oven or broiler to melt the cheese.