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Summer Pizza

Caramelized Onion Pizza with Honey Slaw

I’m melting! I’m melting!!!!
Are you tired of reading about how flipping hot it is?

Yeah, me too.

But that’s too bad, because it is really freaking hot.

My brothers came to visit us yesterday. Know what my brothers like to do when it’s 104 degrees (translation: 9,327 degrees)? Play soccer. And makeshift frisbee golf in the front yard. What. Evuuuur.

Know what I like to do when it’s 9,327 degrees (I mean 104)? Sprawl out in front of a high-speed oscillating fan with a frosty beverage, preferably one with a straw, moving just a teensy bit every few minutes so that i am only ever in contact with the fresh cold fabric of the sheets. I also like to stick my head in the freezer whenever I walk by.

I DO NOT like to turn on the oven. My intention was to eat only watermelon and cantaloupe for the next five days, at least until the thermometer dips back below 90. Cereal also made the list. If this were a reality show my family would have voted me off. Apparently the hard-working man and growing boys need substance. And if I leave them to their own devices while I eat my weight in watermelon, they are likely to patronize Burger King 3 times a day.

At least if I’m in the kitchen I can keep my frosty beverage filled. There are also more opportunities to stick my head in the freezer.

Caramelized Onion Pizza with Honey Slaw

It is my executive decision, however, that if we have to eat more than just cold fruit and/or ice cream throughout the course of this awful heat wave, that I will be adding cold food where it doesn’t belong. Grilled chicken can only be consumed after refrigeration. Pasta sauce will consist only of picchi pacchiu (overnight UNCOOKED tomatoes, garlic, and basil). We will put slaw on pizza.

Slaw has already made itself at home on top of hamburgers and hot dogs. I figure pizza is just the natural progression of things.

I found this recipe at the Burlesque Baker, which she modified from THIS RECIPE, courtesy of The Golden Bear in Sacramento, CA. Something about caramelized onions and honey slaw made me want it bad.

Caramelized Onion Pizza with Honey SlawCaramelized Onion Pizza with Honey Slaw
This pizza started with homemade whole wheat dough, lightly brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with a bit of garlic powder, and then totally smothered in caramelized onions. A few generous sprinkles of parmesan cheese were added, along with just a smidge of shredded mozzarella, and then crumbled mild Italian sausage. I baked it to my slightly crisp crust preference and then cooled it completely.

Then we slathered each slice in cool and crispy sweet honey slaw and dug in.

Caramelized Onion Pizza with Honey Slaw

Wanna know something?

I’m not even really that crazy about coleslaw. Neither is Chad. It’s just not our thing.

But we INHALED this summer pizza. It was that good.

Caramelized Onion Pizza with Honey Slaw
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 1 large pizza
Ingredients
  • For the Slaw:
  • 3 cups of shredded cabbage
  • ¾ cup shredded carrots
  • ¼ cup shredded red cabbage (optional; I left it out because I couldn't find and red cabbage smaller than a basketball)
  • OR 1 (16 ounce) bag of prepared slaw mix
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ⅛ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • For the Pizza:
  • 1 recipe whole wheat pizza dough (or store-bought dough)
  • about a tablespoon of olive oil (to brush on the crust)
  • a sprinkle of garlic powder (to season the crust)
  • 2 Vidalia onions, very thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • about ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, or to taste
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup cooked & crumbled Italian sausage (hot or mild)
Instructions
  1. To prepare the slaw combine the shredded cabbage, carrots, and red cabbage in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, light mayonnaise, sugar, and salt & pepper. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mix and toss to coat. Refrigerate.
  2. Put the 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and stir occasionally, cooking slowly over medium heat until they are soft and caramel colored.
  3. Pre-heat the oven to 500 (if using a pizza stone) NOT BROIL. If you are cooking your pizza conventionally on the back of a cookie sheet 450 will do.
  4. Brush your pizza dough lightly with the olive oil and then sprinkle the garlic powder across it. Spread the caramelized onions evenly (I like to press mine with the back of a fork a little so they smear like jam). Sprinkle the Parmesan, then the mozzarella, then the sausage evenly over the onion spread on the dough. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until the pizza reaches your desired done-ness.
  5. Let the pizza cool a little, slice, and top each piece with the honey slaw.

Caramelized Onion Pizza with Honey Slaw

Rate this recipe:  

creativenoshing

Sunday 1st of July 2012

Yummy! Oh I use to hate hot days like that.

Heather @ SugarDish(Me)

Thursday 5th of July 2012

The heat here just won't quit! It's getting ridiculous. My mom lives on a lake and the only respite I've found has been floating in the water for hours until my fingers and toes are all pruned up.

thepinkrachael

Saturday 30th of June 2012

We have had the HOTTEST week ever here too - reaching 40 degrees (I think that's about the same as your 100ish)! Spending this time fully dressed for work and surrounded by 25 small hot children in a classroom with no air con or fan was not pleasant! BUT, we have finally finished for Summer!! So now I am looking forward to equally hot days that I can spend reading by the pool! I am also planning to kickstart my healthy eating (again!) so have stocked up on salads and am hoping the warm weather will help me stick to them! I'm not a slaw kind of girl, but cold pizza is a winner and this post has definitely got me thinking about yummy summery food :)

Heather @ SugarDish(Me)

Saturday 30th of June 2012

I'm not a slaw kind of girl either. I don't know what exactly about this appealed to me... okay that was a lie. The words "honey" and "caramelized onions" totally roped me in. But I'm really glad I tried it! I changed the original recipe, of course. Made the slaw sweet and just a teensy bit creamy, used a homemade crust, added cheese to the pizza, and crumbled the sausage instead of boiled & sliced... I was happy with my summery pizza results. Hurray for getting out of school! Cheers to reading by the pool and all things summer (I just spent all day floating in the lake!!) :)

filingawaycupcakes

Saturday 30th of June 2012

How yummm! I love nontraditional summer pizzas and hate how expensive cpk is, so I will deff be trying this!

Heather @ SugarDish(Me)

Saturday 30th of June 2012

California Pizza Kitchen IS awesome, but you're right; even their frozen options are pricey. I LOVE Brixx when we're going out for pizza, but if you're staying in & making pizza at home this was definitely awesome with a weird fancy restaurant sort of twist. We don't even really care for slaw that much, but loved this!

Peggy Campbell

Saturday 30th of June 2012

Slaw on pizza? Sounds like something Chuck would do...since he DOES love slaw.

Heather @ SugarDish(Me)

Saturday 30th of June 2012

Chuck would LOVE this. You should make it ;)

mydearbakes

Saturday 30th of June 2012

This looks yummy!

Heather @ SugarDish(Me)

Saturday 30th of June 2012

Oh my goodness it was! We were so surprised at how well the slaw went with the pizza. It definitely made the meal.