Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [296]
Topping for 2 twelve-inch pizzas made with this dough
2 pounds fresh, ripe, firm plum tomatoes (see note) OR 3 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained and cut up
Extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons for the tomatoes plus more for the pizza
Salt
6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced very thin
Oregano, 1 teaspoon if fresh, ½ teaspoon if dried
1. Prepare the tomatoes, following the instructions in the Margherita topping recipe.
2. If using this topping for 2 pizzas, divide all ingredients in two equal parts, and use one part, following the instructions below, to top the dough that is about to go into the oven.
3. Spread the tomatoes evenly over the top, sprinkle with a little salt, add the sliced garlic, and drizzle generously with olive oil. Slide the dough into the oven and bake until done, as described. When you take out the pizza, drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle the oregano over it. Serve at once.
Alla Romana Topping: Mozzarella, Anchovies, and Basil
Pizza topped in this manner, without tomatoes, is called pizza bianca, white pizza. In Naples it is further qualified as alla romana, Roman style, because of the anchovies, whereas, in the paradoxical Italian manner, in Rome and everywhere else in the country, it is called alla napoletana, Neapolitan style.
Topping for 2 twelve-inch pizzas made with this dough
1 pound mozzarella, preferably imported buffalo-milk mozzarella
Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons optional, depending on the mozzarella, plus 2 tablespoons for the pizza
4 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home as described), cut up not too fine
½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn into 2 or 3 pieces
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Salt
1. See the comments on mozzarella in the Margherita topping recipe and follow the instructions there for its preparation, using the optional olive oil, if appropriate.
2. If you have grated the mozzarella, mix the cut-up anchovies with it; if you have sliced it, keep the anchovies separate. If using this topping for 2 pizzas, divide all ingredients in two equal parts, and use one part, following the instructions below, to top the dough that is about to go into the oven.
3. Top the dough with half of the mozzarella and anchovies that you have set aside for one pizza. Slide the dough in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
4. Take the dough out of the oven, quickly top with the remainder of the mozzarella and anchovies reserved for that pizza, add the basil, the grated Parmesan, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch or two of salt, and return to the oven.
5. In about 5 minutes, when the cheese has melted, take out the pizza, drizzle with a little olive oil as described in Step 6 of the basic pizza recipe, and serve at once.
Sfinciuni—Palermo’s Stuffed Pizza
Sfinciuni is to Palermo what pizza is to Naples and to the rest of the world. A coarse version of sfinciuni is indistinguishable from pizza in appearance, a layer of baked dough supporting a topping. A finer and more fascinating rendition is known as sfinciuni di San Vito, after the nuns of that order who are credited with creating it. It has two thin, round layers of firm dough that enclose a stuffing—called the conza—which are sealed all around. The San Vito conza has meat and cheese, but one can also make other excellent stuffings with vegetables instead of meat.
Dough for a thin 10- to 12-inch double-faced sfinciuni
SFINCIUNI DOUGH
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
¾ cup lukewarm water
2 cups unbleached flour
A tiny pinch sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon for the dough plus some for the bowl
2 tablespoons whole milk
1. Dissolve the yeast completely in a large bowl by stirring it into ¼ cup lukewarm water. When dissolved, in 10 minutes or less, add 1 cup flour and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Then, as you continue to stir, add ¼ cup lukewarm water, a small pinch