Pizza Your Way Dip From Alyse Whitney
Pizza is universally beloved but hotly debated. The best styles of crust, sauce, cheese (and whether it goes under or over the sauce), and toppings are all subjective. I’m not trying to please everyone at once, so I’m giving you a choose-your-own-adventure situation where you can go down different pizza pathways. Want a white pizza? Whip up just the garlicky, cheesy base. Want a classic pizza? Sauce up the base! The toppings are entirely up to you, from the meat lovers to the pineapple fanatics.
But the nonnegotiable element is the garlic knots. I engineered this dip to be surrounded by a garlic knot wreath that will make your Dipmas celebrations extra festive, but if you just want to make a big pile of ’em—maybe stack them like a croquembouche?—that’s okay, too. Eventually it’ll all be ripped and dipped into saucy, cheesy goodness. Feeling overwhelmed by the idea of making your own garlic knots? Do knot fret—you can buy a few dozen at your local pizza shop and call it a day!
Photo by Andrew Bui
INGREDIENTS
Makes 8 to 10 servings
FOR WHITE PIZZA DIP
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 garlic cloves, aggressively rough chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
3 tablespoons Knorr Garlic & Herb Sauce Mix (half of a 1.6-ounce packet)
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 cups freshly grated mozzarella cheese
¼ cup basil leaves, for garnish
FOR RED SAUCE PIZZA DIP
Everything above, plus 1 cup marinara sauce of your choice
FOR BOTH
An assortment of toppings, like pepperoni, thinly sliced onions, cooked crumbled sausage, broccoli, anchovies, or . . . pineapple
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a small skillet over medium-low heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and sauté until it’s just starting to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the oregano and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Transfer to a small heatproof bowl to cool.
In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, cream cheese, infused oil, garlic and herb seasoning, ½ cup of the parmesan, and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Spread the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and top with the marinara sauce (if using), remaining 1 cup of mozzarella, remaining 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, and the toppings of your choice.
Slice the basil into thin ribbons. Set aside for garnish.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Top with the basil dip confetti and serve immediately for guaranteed cheese pulls. Transfer to a slow cooker on low heat if you want to keep it warm for the length of a party.
Shortcut Garlic Knots (Or Garlic Knot Wreath!)
INGREDIENTS
Makes 16 knots or 1 wreath
All-purpose flour, for kneading
1 ball (1 pound) of fresh or thawed frozen pizza dough
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 tablespoons Knorr Garlic & Herb Sauce Mix
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons thick-cut chives
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
On a floured surface, knead the dough a few times so it’s more pliable and elastic, then cut the ball into quarters. Cut each of those quarters into quarters so you have 16 pieces.
Think back to your days of playing with Play-Doh and use your palms to roll each of those pieces into a “snake” about 5 inches long, or long enough that you feel comfortable to tie it into a simple knot. (No bunny ears needed—just one loop!) Transfer the knots to the prepared pan, setting them about 2 inches apart.
(If making a garlic knot wreath, trace a pie plate on a sheet of parchment paper—or draw a 9-inch circumference circle by hand—and place the parchment paper in the sheet pan. Arrange the knots on and around that line, snuggled close like the grandparents in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and after baking, they will perfectly rest as a wreath around the edge of a pie plate full of pizza dip.)
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat or in a medium bowl in the microwave. Stir in the garlic, Knorr mix, and parmesan. Using a pastry brush or a small spoon, brush or drizzle about half the garlic butter mixture over the knots.
Bake the knots for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown; a wreath may take up to 12 minutes to fully bake. While it’s hot, drizzle or brush the remaining garlic butter all over the wreath so it sparkles festively. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes on the tray, if you can bear it, before serving so no one burns themselves! Top with the chives.
Check Out Alyse’s Cookbook
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