Chip and I have been known to knock off a few pizza creations on a Friday night.  You can find some of them in the recipes section of this site.  This morning, we were talking about what to make and the combination of ingredients came together as Hot & Spicy Monkey Pizza. I don’t use a real monkey but you will find the ingredient that gives the pizza this name.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of Pizza dough.  You can buy it or make it.  I have told you before I am no baker so I visit my friends at Perreca’s on Friday mornings and pick up a dough.
• Tomato sauce. Do NOT even think about sauce from a jar.  Absolutely not.  Worst case scenario, go to Perreca’s and pick up a small sauce.  You can also use the carton of Pomi chopped tomatoes and doctor them a bit with spices.  Call me, I’ll help you.
• 1 pound to a 1.5 pounds of shredded mozzarella cheese.  Again, you can shred from a brick but I prefer Cappiello’s cheeses.
• Hot Sopressata- sliced thin and as much as you care to consume.  It’s an individual choice.
• Manchego cheese shredded, again, as much as you care to consume.
• Honey to drizzle
• Hot Banana peppers sliced thin
• Crushed red pepper flakes.

Let’s do it

• place the stone in the oven to heat for about 45 minutes at 475 degrees.  If you are going to use a pizza pan, turn down to 450 and heat until it reaches the temperature.
• Rollout your dough with some flour.  If you are using the stone, use a peel and coat with cornmeal.  You can heat the rolled out, naked dough for about 5 minutes first if you’d like them bring it out and top it.
• cover the surface with sauce to your liking, think or thin it doesn’t matter.
• cover now with the shredded mozzarella.
• strategically place the sliced Hot Sopressata around the pizza.
• Place the hot banana peppers as desired.
• sprinkle with Crushed red pepper flakes.
• finally top with Manchego cheese shredded.
• put in the oven for about 12 minutes and check it.
• when you check it, drizzle the honey on and be sure to hit the Hot Sopressata .  This kills some of the fire in the sausage.
• depending on your oven or grill, you may need more time, watch it closely.
• take it out, cool.
• cut it and enjoy.  I like a little Prosecco myself.

Thanks and enjoy the Monkey pizza.