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Why you should consider making pizza for or with your honey tonight

When it comes to pizza, you can let your imagination and creativity run wild (definitely sexy). Whether you’re preparing an informal, romantic meal for your partner or you’re looking for a fun and relatively easy meal to prepare together, pizza is your go-to menu item. Keep it simple with 2-3 toppings so that each flavor shines through and your palates aren’t overwhelmed. Include cheese as one of your toppings and make sure you don’t overload on this item, which can leave the two of you feeling stuffed (not so sexy).

Love-inducing topping combinations

Some love-inducing topping combinations for your pizzas include asparagus spears with shrimp, fresh sweet basil with pine nuts, and salami with hot peppers. Asparagus signals the onset of spring, when all of nature seems preoccupied with loving. The suggestive shape of this delicate vegetable also makes innocent eating a challenge. Sweet basil‘s heady scent can be a powerful attractor – so much so that in former times women would sprinkle their breasts with the dried herb. Pine nuts are high in zinc, which has been associated with male potency, and these little gems have for centuries been recommended for increasing libido. If you opt to top your pizza with salami, consider buying a roll and slicing it yourself in the kitchen (especially if cooking together).   

How the recipe works

This recipe is dynamite love-inducing material for all the right reasons. First, pizza is one of those foods that can be dressed up or down with ease. Serve it with wine or beer. Eat it with your fingers (sexy) or a knife and fork. Top it with caviar or pepperoni. Accompany it with a simple salad or fresh cut vegetables. Enjoy it over candlelight or while standing at the kitchen counter (an especially nice option for leftovers).

Pizza is as fun to make as it is to eat and cooking together can bring the two of you close like few other activities. And nothing says “I love you” better than serving your loved one their favorite foods. These small individual pizzas allow you to do just that. Have fun customizing the crust, sauce, and toppings to suit your partner’s tastes like no restaurant can. After all, you may be one of the only people who knows exactly what your sweetie likes – and if you don’t, now’s the time to find out and quick. Last but not least, these individual pizzas are heart-shaped. Awwww.

One final tip: If you’re eating with a knife and fork, don’t cut the pizzas down the middle. Call me superstitious if you must, but that would make for broken hearts (definitely not sexy). Single bites work better than slices for these individual heart-shaped pies.

Recipe(s)

Dough:

1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
1/2 cup warm (about 100 degrees) water
1 teaspoon all-purpose unbleached flour
1 to 1-1/4 cups organic, stone ground all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt additional flour

In a medium mixing bowl or food processor, blend yeast, water, and teaspoon of flour. Foam should form on the surface in about 8 minutes (if not, yeast is past its prime; find fresher). Then blend in rest of flour and salt, forming a smooth, quite soft, slightly sticky dough. Blend in food processor no more than 30 seconds (then knead 5 minutes by hand); in mixer blend for about 5 minutes; by hand stir to blend and knead 5 minutes. Place in a large oiled bowl, cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let stand in a cool place until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours). If not ready to bake, keep dough covered and hold up to 8 hours. About 20 minutes before baking, punch down, knead a minute or two and then form into a ball, cover.

While the dough rises, the two of you can prepare the other ingredients, enjoy a glass of wine or beer, or play a favorite game like cribbage or Scrabble. If you’d rather not make the dough from scratch, you can pick it up pre-made at most grocery stores.

Sauce:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 sprig parsley, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dry oregano
1-1/2 cups canned whole peeled tomatoes

In a 10-inch skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high. Sauté onion and parsley to golden, then stir in garlic and oregano for a few seconds. Add tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pan (do not substitute crushed tomatoes). Boil, stirring, 5 minutes or until thick.

Assembling the Pizzas:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Divide dough in half and roll out until you have two 7-inch rounds. Then reform each round into a heart shape using a knife to cut away excess. Exaggerate the shape slightly to ensure it will survive the baking process. Let rest 10 minutes. Now the fun begins. Assuming your partner likes tomato sauce, top each section of dough with sauce to taste and a small handful of part-skim mozzarella or other cheese or cheese blend. You can use Romano, fresh mozzarella, Parmigiano, fontina, chevre, provolone, or cheddar. Less is more when it comes to cheese. Add 2-3 favorite toppings to both pizzas. If cooking together, a sweet touch is to make each other’s pies to order. Bake 7-10 minutes. Let cool at least 5 minutes before serving on individual plates.

Note: Dough and sauce recipes are by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. For more information, please click here.