It’s Giving Miami: A Spicy Pepperoni Pizza
Okay, so I went to Miami a few summers ago. I know, right when it was hot-hot, like 42 degrees Celsius on the coldest day hot. It was stunning and right beside the hotel was this amazing restaurant called the Pizza Bar. The pizzas were huge!
They were all so delicious, but I really wanted to try making one in particular called the Spicy Pepperoni. My main learning goals for this dish are learning how to make vodka sauce, rolling out the dough, and having the perfect amount of spice and sweetness.
Pizza Time!
I started by looking up what was on the pizza at the Pizza Bar. I wasn’t sure how to make the vodka sauce so I looked it up on ChatGPT. ChatGPT is my go-to for looking up recipes since it is super fast and I can ask it further questions to modify the recipe based on what I have available. It was quite straightforward, but I ended up with a broken sauce because I was rushing when reducing it and had my pan way too hot.
I bought the dough from the Save on Foods grocery delivery app, which is super slick, time-saving, and easy to use. There was a recipe with homemade pizza dough on the Hello Fresh app, so I followed those directions to make my dough. It turned out perfectly!
When putting on the hot chili flakes, I didn’t want to touch them so I sprinkled them on from the package and hoped for the best more or less. I was excited to jump on the hot honey trend to finish off my pizza before putting it in the oven. Although, I must say Bear Street Tavern in Banff was doing hot honey on pizza before it was a trend and was even featured in You Gotta Eat Here over ten years ago.
How Did It Turn Out?
It is definitely the best pizza I have ever made. It was full of flavour and, aside from it obviously not being as big, it reminded me of what I had eaten in Miami!
Things I Learned
-don’t let your pan get too hot when reducing the vodka sauce
-rolling out pizza dough is fun and relatively simple
-eyeballing the amount of chili flakes to add to a pizza isn’t a bad idea if you can handle spice
11 thoughts on “It’s Giving Miami: A Spicy Pepperoni Pizza”
I love spicy flavourful foods and especially a good pizza. I have tried making pizza from scratch in the past, it was good, but I was going for delicious. This pizza recipe sounds like something my family would absolutely love! I like to cook, but have never experimented with pizza flavours. This could be a fun way for us to come together and experiment in the kitchen as a family.
Yes, that could be very fun! The ingredients are vodka sauce, but could be substituted for any pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, fresh basil, ricotta, chili flakes, and hot honey.
Good job for you to take on cooking as your major project! I was baking at one point during COVID and always tried to replicate things I had tried in restaurants, but it never quite turned out the same. Your pizza looks amazing though. I’m sure they’ve been making that pizza in Miami for many years, so the fact that it turned out in your own kitchen the way it did is really impressive. You should definitely give yourself a clap on the back. Great job, girl!
Thanks Jill! Yes, it seems like the COVID-19 pandemic gave people some time to try out new recipes they had never had a chance to make before!
I think it is interesting that you are combining your love for travel as well as cooking by recreating some of the dishes you enjoyed on those travels.
This pizza does look delicious. I like fresh basil on my pizza! I’ve had honey on pizza at that location in Banff years ago and agree it was revolutionary.
As someone who often looks for inspiration of what to make for dinner online I wonder if you might include the recipe you came up with in trying to recreate the dish. I noticed in the link to the pizza that they included ricotta. I would be interested to know how you added the ricotta? Did you drain it?
Time saving ideas are also great as you mentioned in your post ordering dough from Save-On Foods. I have bought premade crusts (not as great as freshly made) to save time, but did not know they sell dough also.
Sometimes food bloggers use plugins like WP Recipe Maker on WordPress that will include the nutritional information. Tasty Recipes is a plugin that allows a viewer to print the recipe. Plugins like this also provide the option to scale up or down a recipe. I often have to do that as my daughter is picky about leftovers. I saw in your initial post that you were also interested in health and nutrition so it might be interesting to include the health or nutritional content or ways to make the recipe healthier.
Hi Rhonda,
The ricotta I bough did not have any additional liquid in it, so I was able to just scoop it out with a spoon to put dollops on the pizza. Yes, the pre-made crusts are also great. My favorite is the pizza base from Cobs Bread which comes with two. That is a great idea. Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, I love making things healthier. For this one, you can buy crushed tomatoes with no added salt, fresh mozzarella instead of shredded, and natural honey. If you garden or hunt, fresh basil or salami could be used.
Carly, I thought your blog this week was such a fun mix of travel memories, experimentation, and new skills. Your story about Bear Street Tavern in Banff especially stood out to me. Banff holds a special place in my heart because it’s where I was married, so your mention instantly brought back memories of how meaningful that place is. Food really has a way of connecting us to both people and places.
I could relate to your reflection on the vodka sauce and how rushing the process caused it to break. In my yoga practice this week, I’ve been realizing the same thing. When I push too quickly or expect results right away, things fall apart. But when I slow down and let the process unfold, the outcome is much better. It’s encouraging to see that, whether in cooking or yoga, patience is often the ingredient that makes everything come together.
I like how you pulled from different resources as well- ChatGPT, Hello Fresh, and grocery apps. Combining sources really seems to make the process richer.
Your pizza looked incredible. I think you need to bring some to class for everyone sometime (is what I would say if this class were in person, ha ha).
Awe that is great to hear that Banff brings back such fond memories for you as well! I am actually planning on getting married in Canmore. Yes, it seems like patience is key in any new skill! Yes, I will have to start delivering what I cook each week to everyone, as long as it turns out well.
Hi Carly!
Your pizza looks awesome! I also am a big fan of ChatGPT when it comes to recipes, I actually don’t even know how I functioned without it before. It makes it super easy to modify when you have a recipe you want to make but not all the ingredients. I also love it for when someone gives you a recipe that they have memorized but “don’t know the exact measurements”. I usually just put in the ingredients they told me and the amount I have, and AI is able to give me a best-guess recipe. I did this with a pasta salad my friend made, and my boyfriend said it tasted exactly like what she had made, so I was able to write it down for future reference. I also have a problem with letting things get too hot, for me it is a patience and a time thing, but I have learned with cooking that sometimes there is no substitute for that. I’m excited to see where this learning journey takes you!
Hi Jessalyn,
I know right! ChatGPT is the best for that. I love it for modifying sauces to incorporate greek yogurt instead or for things where you cannot find a recipe that you like 100%. I can see how that is super helpful for when people do not know the exact measurements because it is just second nature to them at that point but you want to recreate it and are not sure where to start. I am glad your pasta salad turned out well!
Hi Carly!
Your pizza looks awesome! I wish that we could send smells through the internet because I can just imagine it had a mouthwatering aroma. I love the story of the pizza in Miami; I had a somewhat similar experience with some pizza in LA when I travelled there many years ago. There’s just something about pizza from the USA; it just hits differently, and I’m not sure why! I look forward to seeing what you will cook next!