Pesto-Veggie MYOP

A few weeks ago was Be Well week here at Georgetown, and Leo's was quite involved in getting people to eat healthier and smarter. I decided I'd post something I made a little while ago, which is a much healthier pizza than those we usually make (decked out with any combination of cheeses, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and ranch dressing)

Ingredients:

Pesto Sauce (from fresh pasta line)

MYOP crust

Mozzarella Cheese

Baby Spinach leaves

Onions

Green Peppers

Tomatoes

Black Olives (optional)

Oregano, Parmesan Cheese

The key to this is getting the pesto from upstairs. Generally if you bring the workers a small bowl and ask for a scoop or 2 or sauce, they'll oblige. Take that downstairs and spread it on a pizza crust, saving a little bit to go on top at the end. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese, then arrange baby spinach leaves over. Sprinkle evenly with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and olives if desired. Let the pizza cook, then top it off with the remaining sauce drizzled over, plus some oregano and Parmesan.

Note how the olives here really add to the appearance of the pizza, but if you're not a fan, it's definitely good enough without them.

White Pasta/Chicken MYOP

Thanks to Heather Flynn and The Hoya staff for the article in today's paper! Sadly, there is no link in the article, so I hope those of you coming from there could find us. For our regular readers, please share your knowledge with others interested. In the meantime, enjoy more new recipes!

Following a suggestion from Fonzi, I tried out this pizza and was enormously satisfied with the results. In terms of flavor, it's not that revolutionary, but it's a lot more full-bodied than the typical MYOP. It's also slightly less work than some of our other pizzas, provided that you remember to grab pasta and alfredo sauce from upstairs before you go down to the Bistro.

Ingredients:
Pasta-from veggie station, penne or rotini
Alfredo sauce
Grilled Chicken (1.5-2 pieces)
MYOP crust
Mozzarella Cheese
Pizza additions- Parmesan cheese, oregano, garlic powder, crushed red pepper
Spinach leaves

Start by getting a large bowl about half full of pasta and a small bowl with some Alfredo sauce. Go downstairs and get grilled chicken and cut it into small pieces. Spread a MYOP crust with Alfredo sauce, then spread the pasta on top of the sauce. Fill in the spaces with the grilled chicken, making an almost uniform layer on top of the crust. Then top with the mozzarella cheese, additions (oregano is a MUST), and several spinach leaves for color and texture. Hand in your pizza and enjoy.
The main difference with this pizza is that most of the toppings are under the cheese. The pasta doesn't change the flavor much, but the added starch and volume makes it seem almost like a thick-crust pizza, which falls more to my preferences. The chicken is most of the flavor, along with the oregano, so don't be shy on either of those. The cheese melts on top of the pasta and chicken, creating a nice blanket that blends very well. This is definitely worth investigating.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I went to Leo's the other day really wanting to try something different. There had been talk of a Barbecue Chicken Pizza, but I think a lot of people already know about that one. Instead I decided to do something Buffalo. And wouldn't you know it, when I looked up Buffalo sauce, it's just melted butter and hot sauce. The resultant creation was one of the greatest looking and satisfying creations so far.

Ingredients:
4 pats of butter from near the waffle machine
Hot sauce (near salad dressing- not Tabasco)
1.5-2 pieces Grilled Chicken
MYOP Crust
Sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Onions
Peppers

Start by unwrapping the butter into a small bowl and microwave it for 20-30 seconds until its completely melted. Mix in enough hot sauce to make a slightly thicker, deep orange Buffalo sauce. You should be able to tell what's enough by the color, but I would estimate that it's about a good 2 Tablespoons or so. Get your chicken and cut it up into small pieces, then mix it all up in the sauce until its nicely coated. Prepare your pizza crust with some sauce (not too much, you'll see why in a moment) and a good portion of cheese. Sprinkle some onions and peppers around for color and flavor enhancement, but don't take away from the chicken's spotlight. Arrange your chicken all around the pizza, and don't be shy at all. You should have chicken in every bite. Then drizzle the remaining buffalo sauce on top of the finished pizza and let it cook. (yes we are definitely trying to cause heart attacks here) When the pizza is done, you should be taken aback by the brilliant color and grease that has collected in the middle. Ignore it, this is absolutely worth the extra calories. Enjoy thoroughly.

Thai Chicken Pizza with Peanut Sauce

I tried out this bold recipe (suggested by Alyssa Huberts) a few days ago, and though it needed a few adjustments, it turned out quite well. It requires some extra work outside of the pizza station, but still isn't that difficult.

Ingredients:
Stir Fry Chicken
Stir Fry Vegetables (such as peppers and water chestnuts)
Spinach leaves
Peanut butter
Milk
MYOP crust
Mozzarella Cheese

Start at the Stir-Fry station. Order just some chicken with your desired vegetables, no noodles, rice, or sauce. Then head downstairs and add some spinach leaves to your bowl. Now you have to make the peanut sauce.
Get a few tablespoons of smooth peanut butter in a bowl and microwave it for about 30 seconds until its very soft and stir-able. Then add enough milk and stir it in until you get a nice tan mixture that has a consistency only slightly thicker than tomato sauce or thick salad dressing. Its very important that your sauce is liquid enough, otherwise your pizza will be dry and too heavy on peanut flavor.
In any case, you're now ready to assemble your pizza. Spread your sauce across a MYOP crust and sprinkle with cheese. Distribute the spinach on top. Rip or cut up the stir-fry chicken and spread that out evenly, and fill out with your vegetables on top. Enjoy!

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

I will start this post with a confession: I have never actually been to Philadelphia. I am a sheltered, California grown hippie-inspired left leaner who can tell you more about fixed gear bicycles and bay area farmers markets (Davis, CA tops the list) than you care to know. That said, I ventured to capture the essence of the Philly Cheesesteak in yet another creative pizza. Scott, an east coast native, gave his grunt of approval, so while I cannot say this measures up to an actual Philly Cheesesteak I dare say it's a reasonable Leo's MYOP adaptation. I am still experimenting with the proportions, but have what I believe to be a solid recipe so far.

Keep in mind that any form of "steak" that you can find in Leo's will suffice. Roast beef is always available, but if you ever find something at the carving station, that could really bump up the level of quality.

Ingredients:
MYOP crust
Half a serving of pizza sauce
10 pieces of provolone cheese from the Deli
3 large pieces of roast beef from the Deli
Chopped onions from MYOP station
Chopped bell peppers from MYOP station

Directions:
Start by spreading only HALF of a ladle's worth of pizza sauce onto the MYOP crust. This is very important, as the objective of the sauce in this pizza is moisture and not flavor. Grab a stack of provolone slices from the Deli and break each slice into bits; spread about 7 slices across the pizza and save the other 3 for after the roast beef is put on. Take the roast beef and break into small pieces as well, spreading throughout the pizza; follow with the rest of the cheese. Finish by putting the chopped onions and peppers on the pizza--it's important that these be put on last because you want them to cook well, and even I know that raw onions and peppers would be a major Philly faux pas. Enjoy, and let me know if you can think of any ways to improve the recipe.

MYOP Victory Pizza

We have over 1,000 page views now! Thank you all, and continue spreading the word.
We are very grateful that you can now make your favorite custom pizzas again.

In celebration, Scott made a pizza with nearly everything on it.
Meaning: Double-crust, spinach, onions, mushrooms, pepperoni, tomatoes, garlic powder, cheese on top.
It was actually so much food that he couldn't quite finish it. And he hadn't had a real meal since 7 AM.
And... we have our first picture!
New Original recipes will resume tomorrow.

MYOP Quesadilla

Wow. That is all I could say when this risky creation totally paid off. I've heard of several students trying to make a quesadilla using various methods, but I'm convinced that this is the most effective and versatile method. Keep in mind that the recipe leaves significant room for variation based on your own preferences.

Stipulations: only available at lunch if prepared as follows- other options are definitely viable

Ingredients:
1 piece Mexican chicken
Rice
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salsa
1 MYOP crust
Mozzarella cheese
Hot sauce/jalapenos if desired

Start by getting some rice and chicken from the Taco Station (this is why this recipe only works at lunch), then fill out your plate with some shredded cheddar cheese and salsa, plus jalapenos if you desire. Head downstairs and get a MYOP crust and sprinkle it with mozzarella cheese to lightly but completely cover one half. Find yourself a table and cut up the chicken into thin pieces, then spread it and the rice over the cheese. Top with your shredded cheddar and salsa and hot sauce or jalapenos if using them. Return to the MYOP area, sprinkle some more cheese on top, and fold the other half of the pizza over on top. It's difficult to get the crust to stay folded, especially if you've really loaded up on your fillings, but it's very important to crease the fold and press the edges together very firmly. (On a related note, having cheese almost to the edge of the crust without having other toppings on top of it will help the top crust seal to the bottom.) Give the whole creation to the pizza lady and wait for your finished product.

I must say I was very nervous while my quesadilla was in the oven. What if it unfolded? What if the top crust burned? To ease my fears, I grabbed myself a nice Gingerade and piece of barbecue chicken pizza (a nice simple option on Tuesdays). But low and behold, as I looked into the depths of O'Donovan's mysterious pizza kitchen, I saw a wonderfully-browned half circle of deliciousness being removed from the oven. The cheese was wonderfully melted, and I wished I had more time to enjoy this supremely satisfying meal. It was quite filling, and I resented that piece of pizza earlier. This is definitely a worthwhile creation, and it only takes a minute or two longer than a standard MYOP.

*Notes*
-I became extremely worried when there was no Jalapeno Monterrey Jack cheese at the sandwich station and realized i was forced to use mozzarella. However, I was very content with the outcome. Though a little bit meltier than i was expecting, the taste was fine.
-Though I incorporated jalapenos, I would advise against it in the future, and I resorted to taking them out one-by-one. They interrupted the texture of the quesadilla, and it was spicy enough with the salsa. If you want additional kick, I would suggest using the hot sauce by the salad bar.
-Keep in mind that although this particular version requires the Taco bar and is therefore only available at lunch, a modified quesadilla can easily be created for dinner with the only change being to the chicken and salsa (grilled chicken from the bistro at dinner should be fine); there is also shredded cheddar cheese at the salad bar.

Veggie-Pepperoni Pizza

Scott's personal favorite, this pizza gives you the heartiness of pepperoni combined with the color and satisfying flavor of several mild vegetables. It’s a great balance when you want don’t want to go too overboard on the meat and grease, but would also prefer not to look like you can’t handle a powerful pizza punch.

Ingredients:
MYOP crust
1 ladle sauce
Shredded cheese
Chopped onions
Mushrooms
Baby Spinach leaves
Pepperoni
Hot banana peppers/jalapeños
Parmesan cheese
Garlic powder
Oregano/crushed red pepper

Directions:
It may help you to start by getting a plate of spinach (don’t be scarce on this, it wilts and shrinks considerably) and your hot pepper of choice from the salad area. Head over to the MYOP area and spread a crust (try using our double crust recipe if you want) with some sauce. Spread it until very close to the edge, but don’t overdo it- you should not have any abnormal blobs. Cover liberally with cheese. Sprinkle the onions evenly over the cheese, then top with mushrooms and well-distributed spinach leaves. Don’t worry, they shrink a lot, so you’re pizza won’t be all green. Arrange the pepperoni on top, and fill in any empty spaces with hot peppers. Then head over and sprinkle a generous amount of parmesan cheese on top, then dust with garlic powder. Top with oregano and crushed red pepper to your liking, then hand it in to the nice Leo’s lady. You should be pleasantly surprised by the diversity of color and texture on your satisfying pizza.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

John's personal favorite, this make-your-own-pizza (MYOP) was subconsciously inspired by the now defunct Subway sandwich. Properly made, this pizza is quite dense, and thus not intended for the carb-conscious or light of appetite. Double crust pizza method highly recommended!

Ingredients:
1 MYOP crust
1 ladle of pizza sauce
Shredded cheese
Spinach from the salad bar
1 chicken breast from the Bistro (substitute for MYOP station chicken if needed)
2 pieces of bacon from the Grill (write in the margins of the order sheet)
Ranch dressing from the salad bar

Directions:
First place your bacon order at the Grill; it will take a few minutes, and in the meantime you can prep the rest of the pizza. Then go to the Bistro and get one large chicken breast; chop it into bite-sized pieces (if the Bistro does not have chicken that day the MYOP station chicken will have to do, but it is not nearly as good). On the same plate gather some spinach (get more than you think will suffice; it shrinks considerably after being cooked). By now your bacon should be done, so grab it from the Grill and break it into small pieces as well.
At the MYOP station, place the MYOP crust on a metal cooking plate. Add a spoonful of pizza sauce on the crust and distribute evenly (a fork works nicely). Add a small amount of shredded cheese to the sauce--more will be added later. Evenly distribute the spinach onto the pizza, followed by the chicken and the bacon. Add desired amount of cheese to the pizza. Finally, add a small and well-spread amount of ranch sauce to the pizza (careful not to overdo it). Give to the cook at the MYOP station and enjoy.

The Double Crust Pizza Method

This is not the recipe for a pizza by itself, but rather a variant on the traditional make-your-own-pizza (MYOP) crust at the station. Origins of the double crust method have been disputed by senior members of Georgetown's ultimate frisbee team; nevertheless, after employing the method, one testimonial states: "This is the only way to eat MYOP, I've never gone back." You can use the double crust method to enhance any pizza, and many self-proclaimed MYOP pioneers consider the double crust method essential to their creations.

Ingredients:
2 MYOP crusts
Shredded cheese

Directions:
Put the first pizza crust on a wire baking rack provided at the MYOP station. Top the first crust with a thin layer of cheese all the way to the edge (this is important, as too much/poorly distributed cheese will cause uneven melting when it is baked). If you feel so inclined, head over to the regular pizza area and add in any of the toppings, namely Parmesan cheese, dried oregano, or maybe even garlic powder to add some extra flavor. Place the second pizza crust atop the first, and proceed to create a pizza on the surface of the second crust.