Personal Pita Pizzas

Pizza is the ultimate open-faced food.  Half the pleasure of a good pizza is seeing the bubbling cheesy goodness come out of the oven and onto your dinner table.  It's almost impossible to make an ugly pizza.  If there's one out there, we haven't seen it.  Pita pizza is exactly as simple as it sounds... all the toppings you know and love piled high on a slice of pita bread and baked in the oven until warm and golden.  

As with all the open-faced recipes this month, you can take the pizza toppings in any direction you desire.  The recipe below calls for tried and true classics, but there are a number of variations we'd liked to try... roasted veggie with sausage and goat cheese, rotisserie chicken with BBQ sauce and cheddar jack, pepperoni and mushroom...  You name it.  Served with a generous helping of fresh greens and something sweet for dessert, this is a simple meal that you can easily add to your list of quick-cooking favorites.

Turkey Sausage and Mushroom Pita Pizzas
Makes 40 personal pita pizzas



(40) 6" round loaves (slices) of good-quality pita bread*
1 cup extra virgin olive oil for brushing
10 cups (80oz) good-quality pizza sauce
2 lbs mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 lbs Italian turkey sausage, loose**
6 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced in paper-thin slices
5 lbs shredded mozzarella cheese 
16 oz grated Parmesan cheese
2 bunches basil, stemmed and cut into thin strips
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Arrange pita breads on several sheet pans.  Lightly brush the top sides of the pita with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Bake pita in the oven for 3-5 minutes until lightly toasted.  (Don't overcook at this point as the pita will get baked again with the pizza toppings.)

Remove warm pita from oven.  Spread a generous layer of pizza sauce on each pita.  Top with  mushrooms, sausage, sliced tomato, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Return pitas to oven and bake until cheese has fully melted and pizzas have begun to lightly brown.

Remove pizzas from oven, sprinkle with fresh basil and serve immediately.  

*For a great pita bread, try Chicago local favorite Sanabel Bakery.  Whole wheat and white flour variations are both available at Stanley's.   They are also available at Whole Foods, though the price is higher.

**We call ahead to the Whole Foods meat counter and request an order of freshly ground Italian turkey sausage.  We usually ask for the seasonings to be "half-sweet and half-spicy".  Be sure to let them know you're serving a community shelter meal and inquire about the 3lb bulk sausage discount that is occasionally available.  



Romaine Salad with Greek Dressing

Serves 36

• 6 hearts of Romaine, sliced into 1/2" strips
• 3 cups sun-dried tomatoes, sliced into thin strips
• 4 cucumbers, seeded and diced
• 12-16 oz Greek-style vinaigrette (Stanley's carries a good one)
• 12 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 loaf flavorful bakery bread for croutons (try Rosemary Olive Oil or Roasted Garlic)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Slice romaine hearts against the direction of the leaves to get 1/2" thin ribbons.  Soak chopped lettuce in cool water and drain well in a colander. 

If using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, place tomatoes in a colander or sieve and allow them to drain well.  If using dry tomatoes, soak in several cups of hot water to rehydrate and then drain them well.  Using a kitchen shears or paring knife, slice tomatoes into thin strips.

Cube the bread loaf into 1/2" squares and place squares in a small roasting pan.  Toss bread with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.   Roast croutons in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes until crisp.  Allow to cool.

About ten minutes before serving, toss lettuce with sun dried tomatoes, cucumbers, vinaigrette and feta cheese.  Season well with sea salt and freshly grated pepper.   Just before serving, top salad with croutons.  Serve immediately.



Strawberries and Cream
For dessert, serve 8lbs whole strawberries, freshly washed in a large bowl, and accompanied by one gallon of vanilla bean ice cream to lightly top the berries.