Pizzettas Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Stir the garlic into the tapenade. Separate the ready made/store bought pizza dough into 1 1/2-ounce pieces and roll them out to 1/8-inch (if possible, roll out to desired thickness by using a pasta machine). Cover the top of the rolled out dough with olive paste and garlic mixture. Sprinkle the thyme on top. Lay the pecorino on top of pizzetta. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Bake the pizza for 15 minutes or until light brown (a cracker like thinness and texture). Let cool for about 10 minutes, and serve.

Steps:

• Make the dough: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. Put 1/2 cup flour, the yeast and sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. With the motor running, add 3/4 cup hot tap water (about 115 degrees F). Turn off the motor and add the cornmeal, cheese, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1 cup flour. Pulse until the dough forms a ball, then continue pulsing until smooth but still wet, about 15 more times.
• Make the pizzettes: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and elastic, 12 to 15 times, dusting lightly with flour if too wet to handle. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick disk, about 14 inches across. Using a 3-inch-round cutter, cut the dough into 16 rounds, gathering and rerolling the scraps if needed. Transfer the rounds to the prepared pans.
• Mix the olive oil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Brush each round lightly with the herb oil, then top each with a slice of soppressata and 2 to 3 tomato slices. Sprinkle with the parmesan. Bake one sheet at a time, until the crusts are golden, about 8 minutes.
• Drizzle the pizzettes with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and top with the basil leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• To make the dough:
• Combine the dry yeast, sugar and WARM not hot tap water in a small bowl. Stir to combine and let sit for about 15 minutes. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast and if it is too cold the yeast will not activate. When ready the yeast will look bubbly on top and smell very yeasty.
• Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the olive oil and the yeast mixture. Using a fork, gradually stir the flour into the liquids until combined. Turn the dough out onto a smooth clean work surface and use your hands to knead the dough to a smooth homogeneous consistency. Lightly coat the mixing bowl with olive oil, and return the kneaded dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, and preheat the grill.
• For the topping:
• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the smashed garlic cloves, crushed red pepper and pancetta to a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook the pancetta slowly until it gets brown and crispy. Once the garlic has become golden brown remove it and discard. Turn the heat up to high and add the mushrooms. Season with salt and saute until the mushrooms are soft and wilted, about 5 minutes. Reserve.
• Portion the prepared dough into golf ball-size pieces. Dust a work surface with flour and roll each piece of dough into a rectangle (or whatever shape you like, I like irregular shapes). If not using the dough right away, wrap each piece individually in plastic and reserve until ready to use.
• Brush the preheated grill with oil to remove any crud. Carefully arrange each piece of dough on the grill and grill on both sides until the dough is stiff and crisp and has grill marks on both sides. That little bit of char adds a DELICIOUS flavor!
• Schmear each piece with stracchino, top with the pancetta/mushroom mixture, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Put the pizza in the preheated oven until the cheese has melted, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with chives and drizzle with the aged balsamic, if desired.
• Mamma mia, what pizza!

Steps:

• Make the dough: Fill a liquid measuring cup or small bowl with 1/2 cup warm (not hot) water. Add the yeast and sugar and stir with a fork; let sit 15 minutes. The top of the water will bubble and it will smell very yeasty-this is what you want!
• Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil and the yeast mixture.
• Using a fork, gradually stir the flour into the yeast mixture until mostly combined, then mix with your hands to bring the dough together. Turn out onto a clean surface.
• Knead the dough until smooth, dusting with flour as needed. Lightly oil a bowl; add the dough, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Prep the toppings: For prosciutto-arugula pizzas, make the chile oil: Bring the chiles and olive oil to a simmer; remove from the heat and let steep 1 hour. (This makes extra oil; store in a sealed container for up to 1 week.)
• For puttanesca pizzas, make the topping: Mix the tomatoes, olives, capers and red pepper flakes in a bowl; add salt and drizzle with olive oil.
• Preheat the grill: Preheat a grill to medium high (you don't want it to be too hot or the crusts will burn before the cheese melts). Brush the grill to remove any crud.
• Roll out the dough: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
• Use a rolling pin to roll out each ball into an irregular oval, dusting with flour as needed.
• For cracker-thin crusts, use your hands to gently stretch the dough even more.
• Stack the dough between layers of plastic wrap and head to the grill (or wrap and refrigerate overnight).
• Grill the crusts: Oil the grill (Anne uses a rolled-up towel and tongs), then carefully add a few pieces of dough.
• Grill until the top is bubbly and the bottom is marked, about 2 minutes.
• Flip with tongs and grill until just marked on the other side. Remove from the grill and transfer to baking sheets; repeat with the remaining dough.
• Add the toppings: Working on the baking sheets, top the crusts with parmigiano and prosciutto, or top with taleggio and the puttanesca mixture; return to the grill. Crack an egg directly onto each prosciutto pizza, if you want. Cover the grill and cook until the cheese melts and the eggs are set, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Finish the pizzas: Remove from the grill and top the prosciutto pizzas with arugula; drizzle with the prepared chile oil. Top the puttanesca pizzas with chives.

Steps:

• Thaw spinach and press out liquid, finely chop.
• Combine spinach, cheese basil, and pepper in a mixing bowl.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Clean mushrooms, remove stems.
• Place mushroom caps top side down on a lightly greased cookie sheet, brush with butter or margarine.
• Spoon about 2 tablespoons of spinach mixture into each cap.
• Sprinkle with tomato and salt.
• Bake for 12 minutes or till heated through OR place on the unheated rack of a broiler pan.
• Broil 4 inches from the heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Cut into quarters and serve.

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add onions and sauté 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and sauté until onions are dark brown, about 25 minutes. Add sugar, vinegar and 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic; stir until liquid evaporates and onions are well glazed, about 2 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature.
• Sprinkle chicken with salt. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in another heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add chili sauce and sauté 1 minute. Remove chicken from heat. Stir in 3 tablespoons cilantro.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Sprinkle 2 large baking sheets with flour. Stretch dough from 1 tube to 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut crosswise in half, forming two 6x8-inch rectangles. Cut off corners of each rectangle, forming oval. Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet. Repeat stretching and cutting with remaining dough. Bake until tops are light brown, about 8 minutes.
• Mix mozzarella, Swiss and provolone cheeses in large bowl. Sprinkle cheese mixture, tomatoes, onions, chicken and remaining 3 tablespoons cilantro over pizzas, dividing equally. Bake pizzas until cheese melts, about 5 minutes longer.

Steps:

• Whisk yeast, sugar, and 3 Tbsp. warm water in a large bowl. Let sit until surface is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/4 cups room-temperature water, then add 1 cup flour, whisking until smooth (mixture should be the consistency of pancake batter). Add 2 1/2 cups flour and 2 tsp. kosher salt and mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead with your hands, adding more flour as needed to prevent it from sticking, until dough is smooth and supple, 5-10 minutes (it will be very soft). Transfer to a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, 1-1 1/2 hours.
• Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and form into balls. Place on an oiled rimmed baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until balls of dough are nearly doubled in size, 40-50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place potato slices in a colander and rinse with cold water. Drain, season with kosher salt, and let sit, tossing occasionally, until softened, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with onion, zucchini, and 2 Tbsp. oil; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Working with 1 ball of dough at a time and keeping remaining dough covered while you work, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into 10" rounds.
• Heat a dry large cast-iron skillet over medium. Pour 1 Tbsp. oil into skillet and cook a dough round until bottom is golden brown and top looks dry, about 1 minute. Flip and cook just until bottom is lightly golden, about 1 minute. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and repeat with remaining 3 Tbsp. oil and rounds of dough (you should be able to fit two pizzettas per baking sheet if you overlap them slightly).
• Top pizzettas with Fontina cheese and reserved potato mixture; season with kosher salt. Bake, rotating baking sheets once top to bottom and back to front, until crusts are golden brown and crisp and cheese is bubbling, 10-15 minutes. Remove pizzettas from oven, season with sea salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil.