Monday, March 18, 2013

'za

Pizza.  Yes, please.  I almost always make my own crust.  Whole Foods sells pre-made dough, but you could also use pre-made Naan or flatbread.

As far as what to put on the pizza, think outside the box a little.  We love pan seared brussel sprouts on ours (don't knock it 'til you've tried it).  Whatever is handy and fresh goes on the pizza. The other night I sautéed some chicken with the homemade pesto (below), added fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, anchovies, parmesan and habaneros.  Anything goes.

Recipe:  Pizza

Crust
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1 package yeast
pinch of sugar
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

First put 1/2 cup of the water in a standing mixer bowl with a pinch of sugar.  Sprinkle the yeast over and give it a swirl.  Let stand about 5 minutes until you see the yeast dissolved and starting to bubble a little.  Add 3 1/2 cups of flour, the salt and olive oil.  With the dough hook, beat at low speed, adding the rest of the water gradually.  Mix until the dough cohesive and is coming away from the sides of the bowl cleanly.  Turn the ball of dough into a lightly greased bowl, turning it over once so that the top has a light coating of oil.  Cover with a damp tea towel in a warm place and let rise for 2 hours, or until it has doubled.  I usually punch it down at this point and let it rise again for up to an hour.


To assemble and bake

We have an outdoor pizza oven that heats to over 700 degrees F.   If I make it in our home oven, I preheat the oven to 475 F, with a pizza stone on the middle rack, for at least 30 - 45 minutes.  I roll my crust on a floured surface.  Transfer it next to a pizza slide covered with a dusting of corn meal so the pizza will slide onto the stone.

For sauce, I use straight tomato paste, mixed with olive oil, freshly grated garlic, salt and sometimes pesto.  I usually keep the veggies with a high water content to a minimum, or sauté them first, so the dough doesn't become soggy.  Use fresh mozzarella, basil and parmesan.  Once transferred to the oven, bake for 10 - 15 minutes until the crust is browned on the bottom and cheese is bubbling on the top.  Voila!







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