Ideas for Pizzas Without Pizza Sauce

It all began with an experiment in my kitchen back when I was in high school. I was tired of regular pizzas with your typical marinara or tomato sauce spread on it. My father and I figured we would try something a little different.

Thus, our buffalo chicken pizza was born. The first few times we made this concoction we replaced the sauce with a hearty helping of Frank's Red Hot. Let me just say that my mouth was begging for mercy before I finished my first slice.

Over the years I've customized the recipe to my liking. Since it was buffalo chicken pizza, I tried to relate it to my love for chicken wings. I'm the type of guy that loves a decent buffalo wing. Not exactly spicy hot, but that strong vinegar taste of buffalo sauce. To me, that's what made the wing.

I experimented with a few buffalo sauces on my pizzas and discovered that the best tasting was the medium flavor by Quaker Steak and Lube. Remember, Quaker Steak sauces can be purchased in most local Giant Eagles around the Pittsburgh area.

Another Quaker Steak sauce I enjoyed was Arizona Ranch. Not long ago I decided to buy a bottle of this sauce to try on my pizzas. Yet another success. The sauce even added a little extra spice that wasn't there with the medium flavor.

Here's how I put these two pizza behemoths together:

• Pre-heat your oven to whatever temperature you please, based upon your crust preferences. I typically go with 400 degrees.
• Apply the sauce to the crust.
• Cut up chicken and place on crust to your liking. I usually get myself a bag of breaded chicken tenders, but any type of chicken works.
• Apply cheese. I put the cheese on last. Something I got from Mineo's Pizza House.

Recommended Beer Pairings: When I eat pizza, I've never gone wrong with any type of lager. Mainly a pilsner.

The Beer Snob Visits Colasessano's

There are two pizzas in the Pittsburgh area that I feel have some of the best pizza in existence: Mineo's Pizza House in Squirrel Hill and Di Salla's Pizza in Homestead. I've come across another Italian hub that has some fantastic pizza, but must admit that it's a little off of the beaten path.

Colasessano's in Fairmont, W. Va. is a staple in the area and has almost as much history as the Primanti Brothers chain does here in Pittsburgh. There was only one restaurant up until about three years ago when another opened. Just within the last year another establishment was opened in Morgantown for all of the college folk.

Surprisingly Colasessano's is famous for its pepperoni rolls, something that's hard to find around here. Luckily I make a few visits to the Fairmont (the pepperoni roll capital of the world) area every year.

Heaven.

I've enjoyed the pepperoni rolls, but my favorite food to get there is definitely the pizza. In my opinion, what makes Colasessano's pizzas stick out from ordinary ones is the homemade sauce and the addition or either hot or mild peppers, which help to develop a unique flavor you can't find anywhere else.

The meat you order as toppings go right on top of the sauce and a thick, stringy layer of mozzarella cheese crowns the top of the pie. All of this is atop an inch-and-a-half thick layer of Italian crust. It's pure heaven.

There are plenty of other Italian dishes to enjoy at Colasessano's other than the pepperoni rolls and the pizzas. You can check out the menu right here. The homemade sauce is also an option to get inside of a pepperoni roll if you so choose. Check it out if you're ever taking a trip that far down I-79.