pizza

Turkey Pesto Pizza

Well I am a little late to the party with this recipe I originally planned to have it up right after Thanksgiving, except I kind of suck 🙂 and the time just got away from me!  Since it is the middle of January it is safe to say that we have safely survived the holidays.  Unfortunately this means you probably do not have any left over turkey breast waiting in the fridge to be gobbled up anymore.  But hopefully even though the holidays have passed you aren’t too burnt out on turkey because you are going to want to try this pizza recipe; at least one time!  Now since we are assuming you do not have any leftover turkey you can head over to the recipe I posted awhile back for crockpot turkey breast.  If you whip this up you can then come back and make this recipe with the leftovers; well if there are any leftovers after that meal.  😉

If you’re anything like me you get bored easily eating the same thing over and over and I am guilty of wasting perfectly good leftovers because I just can’t bare to eat the same thing again which is why this recipe is good because you can use leftover turkey or even chicken that you have in your fridge.  During the holidays I had all this leftover turkey and I didn’t want any of it to go to waste I wanted to make sure I try something different with the meat to keep my taste buds from getting bored.  This pizza recipe started with me being at the grocery store picking up a few basics when I came across garlic & herb pizza dough in the refrigerator section of my Fresh & Easy.  This was something I hadn’t seen before and it sounded yummy and different, but I wasn’t quite sure how to make a pizza with this dough.  It isn’t a plain crust so not just anything would go with it.  That was when I saw the pesto just below the crust and realized that the mix of pesto and turkey could make for an interesting pizza.  That was how this pizza was quickly born and luckily for me the flavors of the turkey with the pesto and the herb crust was just perfect.

This is a quick and easy dinner or in my case lunch.

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Ingredients

1 package premade pizza dough (you can use homemade or any pizza dough you love)

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup pesto sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup precooked turkey(chicken); I used both white & dark meat

Follow any preparation directions on the pizza dough; for the Fresh & Easy dough you have to leave the dough at room temperature for 30 mins before you can begin.  This dough cooks at 425 degrees so I preheated my oven after I let the dough rest at room temperature.  This way once I assembled the pizza the oven would be ready.

Once your dough has been rolled place 1/2 cup of pesto sauce and spread it out leaving 1/2″ border of exposed dough.  I noticed that 1/2 cup covered only a portion of the dough so I added about 1/4 cup more.  You want it to look like this:

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Once the pesto has been spread out take your shredded cheese and sprinkle it around the dough.

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Now you are going to top the pizza with your chunks of white and dark meat.  Feel free to use whichever meat you prefer, I liked a little dark meat mixed in because it brings a different flavor to the dish than just white meat.  The flavor is a lot more pronounced which I think is why you get some people that will only eat white meat.

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You will then placed your prepared pizza into your preheated oven for 18 – 20 mins or until the crust is a nice golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.

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If you give this recipe a try please be sure to come back and leave a comment letting me know how it came out!  For me it was very good the first day and just as good as leftovers even after it had been refrigerated.  At this point I noticed that the pesto was more prominent the next day, I take it  was because it had time to meld with all the other ingredients.

Settebello Pizzeria

 

140 Green Valley Pkwy
Henderson, NV 89012

702-222-3556

http://www.settebello.net

I had a friend recommend this pizza place to me a few months back, but it seemed like we just were never in the mood for pizza when we got together or in the area to swing by.  So last week I had a craving for pizza and since their location is close to my office I headed over there for my lunch break.

They state that their pizzas are the traditional Napoli style pizzas, using only specific ingredients based off of tradition and baked in a brick oven only fueled by wood. If you would like to read the full history about the ingredients & technique click here to go to their website, sorry there was no direct link to their about us page.

Settebello is located in The District in the southwest part of the valley, you can’t see it from the street because it is located on the inside of the shopping center, so it could easily be missed if you didn’t already know where you are going.  Upon entering we were quickly seated and for a Thursday afternoon it wasn’t too busy.  Despite the fact that they were not busy it did take awhile for someone to come over and take our drink order.  But once our waitress did show up she was very friendly and quickly went over how their pizzas differ from what we are use to since it was our first visit here.  The pizzas are only cooked for a few minutes in the hot brick oven and they tend to be a lot softer and cannot hold up to a lot of toppings so she advised us against altering their pizzas by too much.  Each pizza is approximately 12 inches around and could easily serve two if you have a small appetite or got one of their antipastos to share before hand.  The waitress also informed us that they do not slice your pizza unless you ask them to, since this is the traditional way to be served.  I can honestly say that I have never encountered pizza not being sliced before being served but I also haven’t been to Napoli.

I apologize up front for the half eaten pictures even though I had been taking notes before we got the food once it showed up we just dived right in before I realized I didn’t snap a picture, guess that is one downside to good company you get engulfed in the conversation and forget that you are doing a food review blog.  Oh well I did manage to remember before more than half was enjoyed.

First up my pizza:

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I ordered the emelia pizza it was a white pizza so it does not come with their crushed tomato sauce, instead it is going to have a cream sauce. This pizza has prosciutto cotto, panna (Italian cream), mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, basil & extra virgin olive oil. The crust has a nice chewy bite with a nice charcoal flavor from the wood burning oven. Because it is cooked at high temperature it allows the exterior of the crust to get a nice crunch while staying soft and chewy on the inside. The center of the pizza was a lot less sturdy than what most people are use to, so I can see why they would shy you away from putting too many toppings on your pizza. I decided to go with a pizza without red sauce so I was trying something out of my normal pizza box. I was very glad that I did, the panna had this wonderful sour note that blended perfectly with the sweetness of the prosciutto and the smoothness of the mozzarella.  I did ask for a side of their balsamic vinaigrette that came with the insalata to dip my pizza in, this added another lovely level of flavor.  Even though I only dipped the whole pizza in the vinaigrette a couple times it was a perfect addition to dip the crust in, almost like having bread before the meal.  If you come here and you want something a little different I would recommend this one.

Next up my folk’s pizza:

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My parents ordered the settebello pizza it has crushed tomatoes, pancetta, roasted fennel sausage, pine nuts, mozzarella, basil & extra virgin olive oil. This pizza normally comes with mushrooms but they ordered it without them.  This was also another lovely pizza, the red sauce had a nice tangy bite of a good red sauce and the crust was exactly the same as the white pizza above.  My step-dad quickly devoured this pizza and said that it was good, even though he would’ve liked a little more meat.  I preferred the flavors of my white pizza, but for a more traditional pizza I would go for this one.

My mother ordered the insalata (not pictured) to have in addition to splitting the pizza with my step-dad, she was very unimpressed with it. It was field greens with 3 large shavings of parmigiano reggiano, pepper & the balsamic vinaigrette. She said that for $5 there should’ve been at least some tomatoes, she would advise against spending the money on this particular menu item.  The vinaigrette was the only good part and it is what made me ask for it on the side for my pizza crust.

For our lunch our bill came to right under $50 including tip; we got 2 pizzas, 1 salad & 3 sodas which comes to around $16 a person, this may not fit in to a lot of people’s lunch budgets but I would say that I don’t feel like I wasted my money.  I was satisfied when I left, and for most of us this is big thing you want to feel like you got your monies worth when eating out.

Overall I wasn’t overly impressed with Settebello, the service was a bit spotty it seemed to me there was a lot of running around but not a lot of people helping those that are seated.  But when you did get their attention and let them know you needed something they were quick to get it out to you, so to me that part was very good.  Also while there are plenty of food options it was just ok.  Even though I enjoyed the flavors of my pizza and the crust, I don’t think I am going to be sitting at home and have a sudden craving for their pizza specifically.  That being said if I was nearby shopping and was craving pizza I wouldn’t hesitate to stop here.

Joe’s New York Pizza

 
 
 
7580 S. Las Vegas Blvd. #105
Las Vegas, NV 89123
702-897-1717
 

I stumbled across Joe’s New York Pizza on my lunch from work a few weeks back, it is located on Las Vegas Blvd in front of the Premium Outlets.  When you walk in it is a small pizza joint and you walk up to the case of pizzas on display and order by the slice for their no delay lunch.  They do have other menu options like whole pizzas, salads, calzones, subs & pastas.  Once you pick out your slice or slices they will put them in their rotating oven and warm them up.  The choices of pizza seem to change per visit so you can always get something different.

On this trip I ordered their lasagna pizza and the super meaty, their pizzas are mainly served on a thin crust, but there are a couple that do have a thicker crust.

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The slice on the left is the lasagna slice.  The lasagna pizza is ricotta, ham, sausage, meatballs, mozzarella, parmesan & oregano.  I really liked this pizza the ricotta was perfectly smooth and added a lovely flavor to the meats & mozzarella cheese.  I personally took off a piece of the crust and spread the ricotta around so that I got a little bit in each bite because it worked so well with this pizza.  My only complaint is that I think it could have used an extra turn or two through the oven, to be hotter, it was warm but needed more heat.  I would not hesitate to order this slice again if it’s on display on my next visit.

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The super meaty on the right is pepperoni, sausage, ham, meatball, topped with bacon & mozzarella.  This was another good pizza all the meats work well together but it did need more cheese.  The sauce had great flavor and the crust is nice and crispy and it too has great flavor, kind of salty & sweet which works well with all the toppings.  This slice could’ve used another turn through the oven too and it would’ve been perfect.

Next up we have the antipasto salad.

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The antipasto salad is made of field greens, tomato, cucumber, red onion, green pepper, mozzarella, pepperoni, ham & croutons.  You get a nice size salad, the only thing that would’ve made it a better was that instead of pepperoni it was salami.  But over all this was a very filling salad and could easily be shared between two people and then get a slice of pizza and make a nice quick lunch.

If you are in the area and looking for a good slice of pizza this is a great place to stop at.  Our bill came to $27.34 w/tax.  This was for three people and we got three slices of pizza, the salad and 2 large drinks, so for me the prices are really reasonable for a lunch meal that is quick and satisfying.

Vegas StrEATs

 
A food truck Festival held monthly at the El Cortez on the 2nd Saturday of the month from 6pm – 1am.
 

Photo Courtesy of Vegas StrEATs

I have been trying to attend this event since it started, but something always seemed to come up and I missed it.  But this month my friend and I made a conscious decision to attend on May 12th.  You can follow them on twitter @VegasStreats for up to date information of which trucks are signed up to be at each event, this is kind of nice if there is someone in particular you want to try.

The downside to this festival is that it is down town on 6th street, which means you have to pay for parking at the meters or Neonopolis because the El Cortez Parking garage was closed to everyone but hotel guests.  But this isn’t a direct reflection on their event it is just a black mark on downtown Las Vegas in general; as locals we hate having to park down there because it is a nightmare & we are spoiled with not having to pay for parking anywhere.

We got to the event a little before six which is when it starts so we had to wait in line to get in, which wasn’t too bad.  Once we got in my friend and I took a tour around the place to see all the food trucks that were there.  We noticed that not everyone had a truck that their were tents set up for other food vendors; like a cupcake stand, funnel cakes & a tent with curry dishes.  We did have a hard time deciding what we wanted, because there is a lot of choices and at the time we weren’t sure what we were craving.  First thing out of the gate it would’ve been nice if each truck ran a special on a signature item, so that maybe you could go to more than one truck  for the cost of one or two meals.  It seemed to me that the prices were the same as if I just came across the truck on the street.  I understand that it is a business and they have expenses but at an event that focuses on diversity of food choices I would think that they would want you to try all the trucks not just one or two.  So I am gathering that if you go with a group and people are willing to share this would be the only way to really try all of the trucks on a friendlier budget.  You want to get your monies worth and not feel like it was a waste.

We ended up choosing WTF – Where’s The Fire truck, it is a pizza truck and they even have the fire oven in their truck to cook the pizzas.  This was a nice addition, but I do feel sorry for the cooks because that has got to be uncomfortable in there.

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My friend went with the Margherita pizza; red sauce, fresh mozzarella & fresh basil.

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From the looks of this pizza it could have used a lot more cheese, it was mainly crust and red sauce.  Which I gather the margherita pizzas normally have less cheese than a traditional pizza, but this was really lacking for the personal size pizza.  But it was still a good pizza, the crust was nice and crunchy yet soft and chewy; the perfect balance.

I decided to be a bit more daring and went for their special pizza for the night that was called Slidin Thre – Pep Pep Burger; it was a pizza that had in-house russian dressing, provolone, cheddar, ground chuck, bacon, red onion, pickles & finished with oregano, yellow mustard & crushed chips.

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I figure it is go big or go home kind of night.  Despite how interesting this pizza looked, it was actually quiet delicious.  The crust was cooked perfectly, the mixture of cheese (which honestly I couldn’t taste the cheddar), beef & bacon all blended perfectly together then you get the bite of pickle, mustard & crunch of the chips and it was another pleasant texture and flavor level.  I think the pickles & mustard were the two extras that really held this pizza together and if I saw this on their menu again I wouldn’t hesitate to order it.

Back to the festival itself, I would say overall if I really wanted to try these food trucks I would hunt them down on twitter and go see where they are in the valley, and not make a special trip down to Vegas StrEATs, for me it just wasn’t all it is cracked up to be.  Maybe I came to early and I should’ve waited until the night time when the DJs really start going, but I was bored after only being there for just over an hour.  There is only so many times you can walk up and down the food trucks before you have seen it all.  My biggest complaint was that the trucks weren’t running any specials like I said earlier it would’ve been nice to see smaller portions & prices so you can try more than one truck with out feeling like I just emptied my wallet on the ground.  So for me I don’t think I will be making the trip down there again unless someone I knew really wanted to go.  But I would say if you are in the area and come across it, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look around.  It is free to get in and who knows you may just find a new favorite food truck.

A view of the truck line up.

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Grimaldi’s

 
 
The Fashion Show Mall
3200 Las Vegas Blvd. South, #1540
Las Vegas, NV 89109

(702) 778-8777

I ate here the other day on the spur of the moment while I was running some errands with my mother at the Fashion Show Mall, we decided that we were hungry and wanted to give this place a try since it is kinda new to the mall.  They are located across from Nordstrom and right next to the fashion runway.  Upon entering we were quickly greeted by the hostess and one of the on duty managers.  They got us seated right away went over the wine/beer lists and the special pizza for that month.

I have to admit that at first glance at the menu I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t have more of a selection.  I enjoy going to pizza places that have a few specialties created for you.  It always seems to help me personally decide what I want on my pizza.  Here you start with your size pizza and go from there.  They have personal (12″), small (16″) & large (18″) then you add your toppings which are priced from $2-5.  You can download their menu here if you would like to see their offerings.  I will admit I had a bit of sticker shock; now as a local in Las Vegas you are aware that prices on the strip tend to be higher than off, it is just part of the territory you go with it.  But for some reason the cost of things seemed a bit unreasonable, especially when you are building your own pizzas, your cost per pie can skyrocket if you’re not careful.  A personal pizza with just cheese is $9, you add 4 toppings your pizza just became a $17 pizza.  Because we were kinda taken aback about the prices we actually considered leaving but had already ordered our drinks and that seems rude to just order a soda and leave, and I am sure this wasn’t the best mind state to be in when you haven’t even ordered yet.

After some debating we decided that we would split the large antipasto & the special pizza which was a spicy buffalo chicken pizza in the small size.  The antipasto came with fresh mozzarella, oven roasted red peppers, Genoa salami, olives & fresh baked bread for $12.

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We did ask if they had butter for the bread, and were told that they do not have butter in their restaurant, kinda disappointing but not something that is really going to ruin my meal.  They did have oil & vinegar on the table, but no additional plates to put it on so I had to poor it directly on my plate which was messy or right on to the food.  To me the best part of this dish was the bread & cheese, but truthfully it was missing something.  We couldn’t quite put our finger on it but something was off.  About half way through the plate our pizza arrived, we were offered clean plates, but decided against it and the waitress served us our first piece.  Which is why the pizza below is missing slices.

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The spicy chicken pizza, had celery, Frank’s Red Hot, bleu cheese crumbles and mozzerella cheese.  This pizza was good, but I have had better, it was bland even with the hot sauce.  You couldn’t even taste a single bit of bleu cheese.  I even asked the waitress if they had some bleu cheese dressing so that I could dip my pizza, she said no the only dressing they have is caeser dressing.  I did like the thin crispy crust, which they achieve from baking their pizzas in the brick oven, the bottom of the pizza did have ash on it so your finders get this gray coating on them and taste burnt if you lick them.  I truthfully have had this same spicy chicken pizza and it was better pizza just across the mall at California Pizza Kitchen.

Overall the food was just OK nothing special, it certainly would not make me want to hunt this place down under the Brooklyn bridge from which they say is what made the bridge famous; their pizza.  The service started out good, but slowly drifted to bad as the meal progressed.  I was not offered a refill of my drink yet my mother’s ice tea was filled without question.  We sat waiting for our bill for awhile because our waitress was having a deep conversation with an on duty manager and fellow waiter, so we had to sit and stare in to the kitchen to get someone’s attention which did not work she just looked around me, and when there is only 4 tables with people at them and they are all sitting in a row does not make it hard to miss that I am trying to get your attention politely.  We eventually had to wave and yell to them for the check because they would not leave the area to come on the floor, which of course immediately brought over a busboy and our waitress and shortly after that the manager with our bill.  I would think the manager would’ve made a slight apology for the wait but nothing he just set the bill on the table and that was that.  Only as I was paying the bill was I asked if I would then like a refill on my soda.

Our total bill was $40 even, were $20 of that was just the pizza.  While I do not mind spending money on eating out I want to feel like I got my monies worth when I do and here I did not.  So truthfully if you are feeling like having pizza while you are in the mall, I suggest you skip this place and head over to California Pizza Kitchen, you will get more choices and flavor for what seems like a better deal or even head to the Nordstrom Cafe where they only have 3 choices for pizza but still seem like a better deal.