High Ridge Hot Honey Pizza and CODA

Welcome to Pizza and a Movie! If you’ve been following the blog for a bit, you know I am a big fan of savory and sweet combinations. Add some heat and I am all in! Today’s pizza is a wonderful combination of those three flavors, with a lovely anise note thrown in for a complex flavor combination that really sings. Speaking of singing, today’s movie is a recommendation from my Mom. The new film CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) is a coming of age story about a young woman who happens to be the only hearing member of her family. But let’s start with the pizza: It’s the High Ridge Hot Honey Pizza!

I call this pizza High Ridge Hot Honey Pizza because there is simply too much going on to list out all the toppings in its name; and in my dream pizzeria restaurant, every pizza needs a cool name. So what’s on the High Ridge Hot Honey Pizza? Let’s get to it!

High Ridge Hot Honey Pizza

One of the most important flavors in this pie is the hot Italian sausage. This particular sausage has fennel in it, which is where we get our first layer of anise flavor. I cooked up the sausage earlier in the day and had it ready to go. Going into the oven our other toppings are grated mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and little mozzarella pearls. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Roll, stretch or spin out your dough to roughly 12-inches. Spread a layer of mozzarella cheese. Top the grated mozzarella with pepperoni. Then the cooked Italian sausage. Finally, nestle in the mozzarella pearls.

Bake this pizza for about 15 minutes, until the crust is puffy and golden, and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

When it comes out of the oven, top it with a drizzle of Mikes Hot Honey, fresh grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle on fresh tarragon leaves.

High Ridge Hot Honey Pizza

I really love this pizza. It will be on my menu, somewhere, someday! The flavor of the fennel seeds in the sausage are emphasized by the fresh anise flavor of the tarragon, which cools and compliments the heat of the hot honey and the spicy sausage and pepperoni. The grated mozzarella is the perfect base and the mozzarella pearls provide gooey, melty richness on top. A sharpness from the Parmesan plays so well with the sweetness of the honey. A symphony of flavors in one glorious pizza!

Movie Night:

We have our High Ridge Hot Honey Pizza ready, so let’s get to this week’s movie. CODA is an acronym that stands for Child of Deaf Adults. This coming of age story stars Emilia Jones as Ruby Rossi, a hard working young woman growing up in a family of fishermen. Ruby faces the struggles of growing up, wanting independence and discovering herself, yet feeling the pull of staying back to help her family reinvent their business. Her father realizes her potential, though and pushes her out of the nest.

CODA has some really funny moments (especially from Troy Kostur, playing the father, Frank), and I really enjoyed seeing Marlee Matlin who plays the mom, Jackie Rossi. I read a few articles interviewing members of the deaf community about what the movie got right, and what it got wrong. The overwhelming opinion was that the movie got a lot right. Perhaps due to Marlee Matlin’s insistence that the deaf characters be played by deaf actors – providing a more authentic portrayal of the Rossi family. Put CODA on your must-see movie list; it’s wonderful story, with great performances by all. CODA is available to stream on Apple TV+.

Thank you all so much for joining me today for Pizza and a Movie. For a different pizza featuring honey as a topping, try the Honey Bear Pizza, it’s another perfect blend of sweet and savory!

Be sure to tune into Djalali Cooks tomorrow because I have a special treat for you: my husband Alex will be making semi-regular appearances on Saturdays with a new series called Djalali Cooks Too; sharing some of his favorite recipes with all of you. Thank you again, take care and be well, xo Kelly

Print Recipe

High Ridge Hot Honey Pizza

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Dinner, Main Course – American/Italian

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 15 Minutes – Total Time: 35 Minutes

Fresh tarragon cools and compliments spicy sausage and pepperoni. With grated mozzarella and mozzarella pearls. Parmesan tames the sweetness of the honey.

Ingredients

• 1 Prepared Pizza Dough
• 1 cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese
• 4 oz. Pepperoni
• 1 lb. Hot Italian Sausage, cooked and drained
• Fresh Mozzarella Pearls
• Mike's Hot Honey
• Fresh Tarragon Leaves
• Grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2

On a floured pizza peel, dust the dough with flour and create a crust around the perimeter of the dough and flatten down the center.

3

Stretch it out on the backs of your hands, left hand over right hand, until the dough is roughly 12-inches around.

4

Add more flour evenly on the peel and lay the dough on the peel.

5

First add grated mozzarella cheese.

6

Top with a layer of pepperoni, then sausage. Top the sausage with mozzarella pearls.

7

Bake the pizza for 15 minutes or until the crust is puffy and golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

8

Top the baked pizza with drizzles of Mike's Hot Honey, top with grated Parmesan and fresh tarragon leaves.