Hot Chili Pepper and Herb Pizza
To be perfectly honest, I created this pizza merely as a vehicle — a platform of sorts to showcase one of my favorite veggies: hot chili peppers. I love the taste, the tang, and of course the heat.
My quest for a hot pepper pizza took on a life of its own and ended up a very pleasing combination of chewy crust, zesty hot peppers, tangy sauce, and refreshing herbs.
I served two 14″ pizzas to four people and there ended up being one slice left… only because we were all too polite to lay claim to the last piece.
Active time: 35 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Hot Chili Pepper and Herb Pizza
2 12-14 inch pizza crusts – homemade (see below) or purchased
16 oz frozen tofu
1 small bottle of Asian Sweet and Sour or Peanut Sauce
1 red onion, diced
3 banana peppers, sliced
2 yellow bell peppers, diced
3 red bird chili peppers, sliced finely
salt, pepper
handful fresh basil, chopped
handful fresh mint, chopped
handful fresh cilantro, chopped
sesame oil
Preheat oven to 425.
Crumble the tofu in a bowl and add about 2 Tbsp of sweet and sour or peanut sauce to flavor the tofu. Mix.
Make (or unpackage) your pizza crust and roll out to the size of your pizza pans or cookie sheets. I use this wheat crust from Allrecipes.
Brush the dough with enough sauce to coat.
Sprinkle a layer of tofu over the pizza.
Top with the onions, banana peppers, yellow bell peppers, and red bird chili peppers.
Season the pizzas with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until crust is golden.
Top with the fresh basil, mint, cilantro and a drizzle of sesame oil.
August 16th, 2007 01:43
luckily everyone was so nice that i got to take that last slice of pizza home in my pocket, covered in many hot red chilis.. it was like 4 espressos for breakfast!!! and i didn’t pass out!!! i heart vanesscipes!.!
August 16th, 2007 09:56
Am I just missing the dough recipe?
August 16th, 2007 10:26
Hi Z! I’m glad that you were awarded the last slice. You’re an excellent vanesscipe tester because you always have nice things to say, even if you put hot sauce on everything
Whoops, thanks Evil Fizz! I’ve added the link above.
I’ve made this recipe a million times and it’s always great. I make the dough before I leave for work in the morning, cover it closely with a damp cloth (maybe I should try plastic wrap?) and it’s ready to go when I’m home from work. It’s better to only leave it for a few hours rather than all day (it can get a little crusty) but it would probably be better to work only a few hours rather than a whole day too
I would also like to urge someone to try this with veggie sausage instead of tofu - I think I’m going to try that next time.
August 19th, 2007 16:06
Oh My God…. I have to try this.