Recipes: The Cavit Gourmet Pizza Classic

By
ABC News
May 31, 2006, 11:27 AM ET
3 min read

May 31, 2006 — -- "Good Morning America's" Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts and Charles Gibson helped select the winner of the first Cavit Gourmet Pizza Classic, sponsored by the Cavit Wine Co. in conjunction with Cooking Light Magazine.

More than 10,000 fans entered the contest and submitted their gourmet pizza recipes to vie for a chance to win the title "America's Best Gourmet Pizza" and an all-expense paid trip for two to Italy.

Chef Billy Strynkowski, a Cooking Light contributor, offered his critique of the pizzas. Wines to accompany them were selected by Laura DePasquale, the national director of the Palm Bay Fine Wine Team and one of 72 Americans to earn the official "master sommelier" title.

The finalists were:

  • Dara and Russ Arouh of Atlanta, who invented the Rustic Grilled Vegetable Pizza.
  • Susan Miller of South Weymouth, Mass., who created the Shrimp Scampi Pizza.
  • Lindsay Cuomo of New York, who crafted the Broccoli Rabe and Marinated Tomato Pizza.

    • The Arouhs said their recipe combined Dara's love of inventing and Russ' love of grilling. Miller said she cooked with her kids and hoped to use the trip to visit her husband, who is in the National Guard, if she won the contest. Cuomo is a speech-language pathologist at East River Child Development Center, and also provides speech and language services at a private clinic.

    After much hemming and hawing, Strynkowski was a tiebreaker when he selected Cuomo's pizza as his favorite.

    THE PIZZAS

    Rustic Grilled Vegetable Pizza

    Ingredients:

    1 Portobello mushroom

    1 small eggplant cut into 3/8" slices

    3 small bell peppers: 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 orange, seeded and cut lengthwise into ½" strips

    1 pound Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough

    1 tbsp. flour for dusting

    1 tbsp. olive oil

    2 tbsp. pesto sauce

    1 cup chopped tomatoes, well-drained

    1 tsp. minced garlic

    8 oz. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

    Fresh basil leaves for garnish

    Slice and serve with a glass of your favorite Cavit Riesling or Cavit Merlot.

    Shrimp Scampi Pizza

    Ingredients:

    Generous pinch of salt

    1 pound medium, unshelled shrimp

    1 pound fresh dough purchased from local pizzeria/bakery

    3 tbsp. Barilla marinara sauce

    1 tbsp. minced garlic

    1 cup Sargento Italian-blend shredded cheese

    ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan Regianno Cheese

    1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

    pizza stone

    Slice and serve with a glass of your favorite Cavit Riesling or Cavit Merlot.

    Broccoli Rabe and Marinated Tomato Pizza

    Ingredients:

    3 medium-size, firm, ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced

    4 oz Italian salad dressing (and light olive oil, garlic, oregano, balsamic vinegar to make the dressing)

    1 bunch fresh broccoli rabe

    1 tsp. butter

    1 pound fresh dough purchased from local pizzeria

    8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

    2 ounces grated cheddar cheese

    2 cloves garlic, finely sliced

    1 tsp. red pepper flakes

    4 tbsp. grated Parmesan

    Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Slice and serve with a glass of your favorite Cavit Chardonnay or Cavit Teroldego