My o My !! It’s been busy few weeks for me! Don’t worry though, I will spare you the details and jump to the best day of the week … Friday Friday, Getting down on Friday, Everybody’s looking forward to the weekend ( remember Rebecca Black’s song ?) Anyways, if you are a fan of ‘Friends’ like me, you know that on Friday you order Joey Special … Two pizzaass !! So, here is Margherita pizza fancified.
I will let you in with a my secret to judge any pizza place, order their Margherita pizza. Though it a pretty straight forward pizza, it might be that difficult to get it right. The crust, the sauce, the cheese, the tomatoes!! It is all about the basics.
I use the same test to judge a coffee place, by ordering a latte. Stick to basics.
Ingredients:
For Pizza Dough (2 medium pizza dough):
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/4 cup water, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For Pizza Sauce and Topping:
- 1 1/4 cups drained canned whole tomatoes, liquid reserved
- 1 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Pizza dough for two medium size pizza
- Olive oil, for brushing
- 4-6 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1-2 oz. Parmesan, grated
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, roasted (bake for 20-25 mins on 400 F)
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Directions:
- For pizza dough, measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend.
- Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low-speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed.
- Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low-speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2-2 hours.
- Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball.
- Cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.
- To make the sauce, add the tomatoes to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth, adding a bit of the reserved liquid if necessary to smooth the mixture out.
- Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook about 1 minute, until it begins to soften. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic and red pepper flakes and mix just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato mixture, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook about 5-8 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream.
- To make the pizza, increase the oven temperature to 500 F and preheat a pizza stone for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out the pizza dough into a 12-14 inch round. Lightly brush the perimeter of the dough with olive oil. Spread half of the tomato cream sauce evenly on the brushed dough. Sprinkle the mozzarella in an even layer over the sauce, and sprinkle the Parmesan over that. Dot the oven roasted tomatoes evenly over the cheese.
- Transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chopped basil over the top of the pizza.
Let cool slightly before slicing and serving. Yum Yum !!
