Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times - Mark Bittman [105]
PIZZA-MAKING TIPS
• Be sure to allow the dough to relax, stretching it a little bit at a time, when you’re ready to roll it out; pressing the dough onto an oiled baking sheet is the easiest way to get this done. And bear in mind that it’s easier to handle small pies than large ones.
• You can bake the pies or grill them. An oven lined with a baking stone (or several uncoated quarry tiles) is ideal, but it requires a peel (a flat sheet of wood or metal with a long handle) to move the pizza about. A baking sheet, with or without a lip, is much easier, because you can press the dough right onto its surface. Since you use olive oil to prevent sticking, the process is a snap.
• Generally toppings should never be too wet, or the dough will become soggy. In practice, this means fresh tomatoes should have some of their juice squeezed out and be thinly sliced, and preferably salted for a little while, before using; the same holds true for other moist vegetables like zucchini.
• It may be that there are more possible combinations of pizza toppings than moves in chess or atoms in the universe; in any case, there are a lot. Simple combinations are best, however; too many ingredients merely serve to muddy the flavors.
PIZZA WITH TOMATOES, ONIONS, AND OLIVES
MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 35 MINUTES WITH PREMADE DOUGH
1 recipe Pizza Dough
4 or 5 ripe tomatoes
Coarse salt
1 medium red onion or 4 shallots, chopped
20 black olives, such as Kalamata or oil-cured, pitted and chopped
Olive oil as needed
1. For grilled pizza, start a medium-hot charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill to the maximum. Roll or lightly press each dough ball into a flat round, lightly flouring the work surface and the dough as necessary (do not use more flour than you need to). Let the rounds sit for a few minutes, then roll or pat out the dough, as thinly as you like, turning occasionally and sprinkling the top with flour as necessary.
For baked pizza, preheat the oven to 500°F. Oil one or more baking sheets, then press each dough ball into a flat round directly on the oiled sheet(s). Then pat out the dough, as thinly as you like, oiling your hands if necessary. If your oven is equipped with a baking stone, roll or pat out the dough as for grilled pizza, putting it on a peel to transfer it to the oven.
2. Meanwhile, core the tomatoes, cut them in half horizontally, and gently squeeze out the liquid and most of the seeds. Slice as thinly as possible, lightly salt and let the slices sit for at least 10 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid.
3. To grill the pizza, slide it directly onto the grill. Cook until brown grill marks appear, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your grill heat. Turn with a spatula or tongs, top with the tomatoes, onion, and olives, and drizzle with olive oil. Cover the grill and cook until the bottom is crisp and brown and the tomatoes hot, 7 to 10 minutes.
To bake the pizza, top with tomatoes, onions, olives, and a little olive oil, slide the baking sheet into the oven (or the pizza itself onto the stone), and bake for about 15 minutes, depending on the oven heat, or until nicely browned.
PIZZA WITH ZUCCHINI AND SAUSAGE
MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 45 MINUTES WITH PREMADE DOUGH
1 recipe Pizza Dough
4 small or 2 medium zucchini
Coarse salt
2 or 3 sweet Italian sausages, the meat removed from the casing and crumbled
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Olive oil as needed
1. For grilled pizza, start a medium-hot charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill to the maximum. Roll or lightly press each dough ball into a flat round, lightly flouring the work surface and the dough as necessary (do not use more flour than you need to). Let the rounds sit for a few minutes, then roll or pat out the dough, as thinly as you like, turning occasionally and sprinkling the top with flour