What you’ll need

During your weekend shopping purchase a pre-made pizza dough – varieties at Trader Joe’s make for a good crust.

1 Lb. Monterey Jack Cheese or Mozzarella  - I prefer to shred the cheese myself as it tastes fresher and is more gooey when you melt it

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce of spaghetti sauce

4 oz. of thinly sliced prosciutto

Fresh arugula

How To

Bring the dough to room temperature – take out or fridge at let sit on floured surface for about 10 minutes

Set your oven rack to the bottom most setting and preheat oven to 450°

Take out a sheet pan and dust with polenta or corn meal (don’t worry – you can substitute flour)

Dust the dough with flour – stretch, don’t knead the dough, to fit your sheet pan

Gently brush the dough with olive oil

Spread out about 3-4 tablespoons of tomato sauce on the dough

Sprinkle with shredded cheese

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating once about halfway through, until dough is golden and crispy, and cheese is bubbly

Remove from oven and quickly layer thin prosciutto over pizza

Finish with a sprinkling of fresh arugula

Cut and serve with your favorite salad

Enjoy!

People often ask me how I manage feeding my family every night while juggling a very demanding chef’s job.  Although at times it can be quite hectic, with a little planning, it is possible to have dinner on the table in no time.  The key is to go to do all the grocery shopping and major prep duties during the weekend so that you are set up to make dinner quickly during the week.

This week, for example, we are having chicken.  I bought some already cooked rotisserie chicken and fabricated them out into pieces.  I then took the carcass, covered it in cold water and simmered it for 3-4 hours to create a simple chicken stock.

The first night we had rotisserie chicken for dinner, served with some roasted potatoes and a simple pasta.

The second night I chopped some vegetables I had in my refrigerator, like carrots, onions, celery, zucchini, and cabbage and threw it into the pot with the chicken stock I made the night before.  I enhanced the flavor of the chicken stock by adding some chimicchurri, which is a simple blend of garlic, parsley, cilantro and lemon zest, immediately before serving.

On the third night, I shredded some of the left over dark meat of the chicken and mixed it with some barbecue sauce.  I made a quick coleslaw with shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, some picked herbs like cilantro or parsley, and a Dijon vinaigrette.  I served it open faced on a piece of naan that I warmed up in the toaster with some cheese.

On my final night I shredded the remaining chicken meat and tossed it in some citrus vinaigrette.  I then added some arugula, greens, julienned apples, and kohlrabi and made a simple but healthy salad for dinner.

It’s all really basic cooking, but even for a busy chef, it’s more a matter of getting healthy, nutritious, and delicious food on the table as quickly as possible to feed a hungry family.