pizza

This cookbook review was written before I had to give up wheat and gluten entirely and before the food blog became as gluten-free as its owner. The pizza recipes are not gluten-free, obviously. You could, of course, still get ideas for pizzas, approaches to toppings and sauces, and plenty of inspiration for creating your own pizzas with gluten-free pizza dough or even gluten-free frozen pizzas. This is why I’m leaving the review up on the blog – the book could still be very useful!

How does Thursday Night Pizza sound? If you’re like me, it doesn’t sound nearly as good as Every Night Pizza. Seriously, I come from a long line of pizza fanatics and my daughters are continuing the tradition admirably.

Actually Thursday Night Pizza isn’t a suggestion for WHEN to have pizza. It’s a tutorial in HOW to have pizza.

A Little About the Book:
After twenty years of testing recipes on his fellow monks, Father Dominic of public television s Breaking Bread offers a surprising variety of pizza recipes sure to please every palate. With his customary detailed and easy-to-follow directions, Father Dom shows you how to make the perfect crust (the real key to first-rate pizza), flavorful homemade sauces, and savory toppings. You ll discover a delicious reduced-fat sausage that is both easy and economical, the way to avoid soggy crusts, and a magic trick to have warm, crusty bread waiting for your breakfast the morning after pizza night. Recipes include six different doughs, seven sauces, and dozens of pizzas like Pesto and Prosciutto Pizza, Muffaletta Pizza, The Denver Diner Special, Mediterranean Vegetable Pizza, Pizza Diavolo, and Fig and Papaya Dessert Pizza.

I was sent this cookbook to review on my food blog and am more than thrilled to do so.  I love few things more than letting you (my fellow foodies) know about outstanding kitchen gadgets, recipes, and cookbooks.  This one’s a total winner.

Father Dominic Garramone was host of the popular PBS show “Breaking Bread With Father Dominic,” which aired from 1999 through 2002.  He honed his considerable pizza skills by experimenting on his brethren for their Thursday night meals (hence the name).  He loved to challenge himself to come up with creative new recipes, unexpected ingredients, and delicious ways to dress up pizza.

No doubt the brethren loved it at least as much as Father Dom!

Thursday Night Pizza is wonderfully written and is a real delight to read.  Father Dom’s sense of humor leaves you wishing he wrote more books!  Honestly, the introduction, the Pizza Basics section and the many personal “notes” throughout are as enjoyable as the recipes, themselves.  Father Dominic obviously has been gifted with many more talents than those found in the kitchen.

Pizza Recipes

The pizza recipes in Thursday Night Pizza are creative works of genius – each one leaves your mouth watering and your stomach making urgent demands.  Each time I jotted down ingredients for the first pizza I wanted to make from the book, I’d turn the page and find another one begging to be made asap!  All I can say is thank God I have a treadmill.

One thing’s for certain, I’ll never buy store bought crust again!

Below are just a few of the pizza recipes you’ll find in Thursday Night Pizza:

• Asparagus Mornay Pizza
• Italian Beef Pizza
• Pizza Diavolo
• Four Cheese Tomato-Top Pizza
• Broccoli Chicken Pizza
• Pizza Margherita
• Seafood Pizza
• Spinach Pesto Pizza
• Apple Pie Pizza (YUM!)
• And many more

Possibly the best section of the cookbook is the section devoted entirely to crusts and sauces.  You’re given quite a few different crust and sauce recipes – and you thought there was just one crust and one sauce recipe!  Okay, so did I.

Trust this pizza fanatic, you’ll want to order your copy today… as in right this minute: Thursday Night Pizza