COUNT PIZZALA (VAMPIRE PIZZA)

I don't know too many people who are thinking about Halloween on a hot June day, but it is constantly on my mind. This morning my doorbell rang and a nice UPS driver dropped off 100 copies of my book.  I was so excited that it inspired me to get back into the kitchen and start creating more Halloween recipes.

Our current love affair with vampires is creating such a frenzy for themed parties and food that I decided to create a vampire inspired dish. Pizza is always the first food to get devoured at my parties, so I decided to start there. I spent the morning creating a cheese pizza topped with black olive eyes, black olive hair, a roasted red pepper smile and garlic fangs. I think it turned out quite well.

My next goal is to create an actual Twilight inspired dish.  I'm thinking Edward would make any dish hot. Check back next week to see what I come up with in time for the Eclipse premier.

Halloween Recipes - Vampire Pizza

NEW Halloween Recipe: Count Pizzala (Vampire Pizza)

Ingredients:

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough (11 oz.)

1/2 cup pizza sauce

2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 cup jumbo pitted black olives, drained

1 (4”-5”) strip roasted red pepper or sun-dried tomato

2 narrow garlic cloves, peeled

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 12” x 18” baking pan with parchment paper.

Unroll pizza dough onto the parchment lined pan. Cut a 10” circle in the center of the dough. Remove the excess dough and lay out on a cutting board. Cut three 2 1/2” circles from the excess dough. Place two of the small circles of dough on either side of the large dough circle to form the vampire's ears. Roll the remaining dough circle into a ball and place on the large dough circle for the vampire's nose. Bake for 6-7 minutes until the dough is lightly golden brown.

Remove from oven and add toppings. Spread pizza sauce over entire dough except for the nose. Sprinkle cheese over sauce. Cut one jumbo black olive in half lengthwise. These olive halves will be the vampire's eyes. Place above and to either side of his nose. Finely chop remaining olives. The olives will become the vampire's hair. Sprinkle the chopped olives all along the top of the vampire's head forming his pointed brow. Add the strip of roasted red pepper for his mouth and attach two garlic clove fangs. If your garlic cloves aren't shaped like a fang, cut them into a curved point.

Return to oven and bake for 6-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve hot.

Serves 8.

Cooks Note: To easily form the vampires brow, place two equal size bowls over the vampire's face. The bowls should meet at the center of the vampire's face to form the point in his brow. Sprinkle the olives around the bowls. Remove the bowls. You will now have a clean looking hairline.