Chimp Boy Gravel Pizza

I haven't done a flagrant foodie entry on the blog for quite some time, so brace yourself for a homemade pizza post.

In case you're wondering about the title, there's a deli in town that makes a sandwich called the Chimp Boy Gravel Pants and this pizza is inspired by that sandwich.  They differ in a number of very important points, but I will not claim it as an original - I was challenged by my family to come up with something like it and this seems to do the trick. 

How to make it? First, you need a nice homemade sourdough crust par baked to make it extra crispy. This one was made down at the family homestead, so the crust got put on the stone on the grill at about 500 degrees for about 4 minutes before it came back into the kitchen be covered in goodies. When I'm at home, I use the oven with a pizza stone in it at 475 - 500 degrees. (If you don't have a stone, use a cookie sheet.)

The toppings include some of the pesto that I made and highlighted on the blog at the height of basil season, partially cooked pheasant breast (to give it a nice sear on the outside, but keep the inside nearly raw so that it doesn't dry out in the baking process), sliced sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled buttermilk blue cheese and a drizzle of Italian salad dressing. If you're going to make this, don't overdo the blue cheese, tempting though it might be. You don't want to overpower the rest of the flavors. 

Put it back on the stone and cook it for another 7-8 minutes, until the cheese starts to get little golden spots on it and the crust starts to brown on the edges. 

All you need to go with it is a crisp salad and the beverage of your choice. 

But I don't have any pheasant in my freezer, you cry! No fears. Some smoked turkey breast will work quite nicely. 

(Also, if you don't have sourdough starter, any nice pizza dough will do - it will just have a little less tang.)

See? I anticipated the requests for the recipe! Let me know if you try it and how you like it.  :)