One of the great things about pizza is its variety. Depending on which pizza toppings you use, your pizza can be Italian, Asian, Mexican or Greek. Hearty or healthful. Gourmet or grass roots.

But if you’re like us, you have a few favorite pizzas that you end up making over and over again. So maybe it’s time to shake things up with some tasty pizza toppings that are out are of the box — the pizza box that is.

Zucca restaurant in Los Angeles makes a fabulous pizza with roasted butternut squash, goat cheese, caramelized onions, and smoked prosciutto. How good is that! To roast the squash, dice it, place it on baking sheet, drizzle with melted butter or olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then roast at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. You can puree the squash to make a sauce, or just smash down the chunks with a fork.

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Prosciutto & Arugula Pizza

Another great pizza restaurant is Sonsie in Boston. They make a pizza with grilled corn, smoked bacon, and brie, fontina, and Gruyere cheese that’s just incredible. You can grill the corn on your barbecue, or do it indoors on a grill pan. When it caramelizes, it gets incredibly sweet. And the contrast with the smoky bacon is wonderful. Cut the corn off the cob to use it as a pizza topping.

Squash blossoms are a popular appetizer in Rome. Stuffed with bread crumbs, cheese, and maybe a little anchovy, they’re fried until crispy. Pizzeria Mozza, also in Los Angeles, makes a pizza with squash blossoms, tomato, and burrata cheese. If you haven’t had burrata cheese, it’s basically mozzarella cheese with a heavy cream center. When you cut into it, the creamy center oozes out over the plate. Another Mozza specialty is Gorgonzola, fingerling potatoes, radicchio and rosemary.

Two of the most popular pizzas at Serious Pie in Seattle — part of the Tom Douglas restaurant family — are Penn Cove clams, house pancetta, and lemon thyme, and guanciale (bacon from pigs’ cheeks), soft eggs, and dandelion greens. We’ve had Capriciossa pizza on the Isle of Capri with an egg broken over the top of the pizza just before it goes into the oven.

White Pizza with Basil

For something delicious but different, try roasted yams, fried sage, and brown butter. To brown butter, heat it in a heavy-bottom stainless steel pan over medium heat. When it turns medium brown, remove it from the heat and place the pan in a sink full or cold water to stop the cooking process. For even more flavor, add lemon juice and garlic. Slather it over the dough with a pastry brush, and save a little to drizzle over the top when it comes out of the oven.

To fry sage, take whole, fresh sage leaves and saute them in hot oil for about 20 seconds, or until they turn crisp and brown around the edges. These are absolutely delicious and require very limited effort to make.

Read more pizza topping articles here.

Prosciutto & Arugula Pizza Image Flickr: Sebastian Mary
White Pizza with Basil Image Flickr: nate steiner

If you’re like most people, you probably never thought about making your own mozzarella cheese. But it’s not that hard, it’s relatively inexpensive, and you can do it in less than an hour. And with a little luck, the result will be the best pizza cheese you’ve ever tasted. In fact, it may turn out to be your favorite pizza topping ever.

You won’t have everything you need on hand. But you should be able to get all the supplies at your local organic grocery or health food store. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own mozzarella pizza cheese:

* One gallon of whole milk, the freshest available
* A 6 – 8 quart stainless steel stock pot (aluminum or cast iron won’t work)
* 2 teaspoons of citric acid
* ¼ teaspoon of lipase powder that’s been dissolved in 2 tablespoons of distilled water
* ½ teaspoon of calcium chloride that’s been dissolved in 2 tablespoons of distilled water
* ½ rennet tablet that’s been dissolved in ¼ cup of distilled water
* ½ teaspoon of flaked salt

You’ll also need a candy thermometer.

Cheese making supplies

To start, set out five custard cups, or similar containers, and put the citric acid, lipase powder, calcium chloride, rennet, and flaked salt mixtures in them. Pour the milk into the stock pot and heat it over medium heat. Gradually stir the citric acid, lipase powder, and calcium chloride into the milk. Continue stirring the milk. It’s important not to let it heat too fast. When the temperature reaches 88 Fahrenheit, stir in the rennet. By this point, you should start to see some curds forming. Continue stirring until the mixture reaches 105 degrees.

Remove the stock pot from the heat, cover it, and let it rest for 20 minutes. During that time, the curds will separate from the whey.

Drain the curds with a slotted spoon or a strainer. Drain off as much of the whey as you can. You may need to press the curds with the slotted spoon. Then transfer them to a microwave-safe dish.

Freshly made Mozzarella

Microwave the curds on high for one minute. Press them again to remove as much moisture as you can. By now, the curds should start to stick together. If not, microwave them for another 20 or 30 seconds. Add the flaked salt and work it into the curds well. Then microwave the cheese again for one minute.

The cheese will probably be too hot to knead with your hands, so use a spoon to work the mixture until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The next step is the most fun — stretching the mozzarella. Pull it like taffy until it’s completely cooled. This is how mozzarella cheese get the stringy, chewy consistency that makes it everyone’s favorite pizza cheese.

Wrap the ball of cheese in plastic wrap or place it in an air-tight container and then refrigerate it until you’re ready to make your pizza. Like fresh mozzarella, it may be too soft to grate. You can use thin slices for your pizza or put it in the freezer for a bit. You’ll be able to grate it when it’s partially frozen.

Use the homemade mozzarella with other delicious pizza toppings to make pizza that’s truly special. Once you start making your own cheese, you may never go back to store bought.

Read more tasty pizza recipes here.

Images Flickr: RBerteig