Twist-a-Ronis

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 15-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 tube ready-made pizza dough, recommended brand Pillsbury
24 slices pepperoni
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Unflavored cooking spray

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F.

For the dipping sauce, heat a small saucepot over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the onions, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook; stirring every now and then until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bring up to a bubble and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes.

Once you have the sauce going, unravel the pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface and stretch to make an even rectangle. In an even layer, on half of the rectangle, place the pepperoni down leaving a 1-inch border and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.

Fold over the other half of the dough and press down gently on the edges to close the halves together. With a rolling pin or your hands, gently roll over or pat down the folded dough.

Use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut 8 to 10 thin, strips about 1-inch thick.

Holding each end of the strip, twist it a few times and transfer to a baking sheet. Spray the entire tray, including the twist-a-ronis, with cooking spray and pop in the oven until golden brown in color, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with the dipping sauce alongside.