IF EVER THERE WAS A WEEK TO USE THE OVEN, this was it! Single digit temperatures and high winds bring out the benevolence in bakers and the aromas of dough, yeast and oil certainly do make one hungry for substance!
I should mention here that I have never been a big pizza maker, at least not of the type I made this week. In my family, we make sfinciuni, a deep dish pizza you would recognize as focaccia. Keeping in mind here that even though pizza is an extremely humble dish, it can take on numerous forms, the two most popular being the Neopolitan thin crust pizza with blistered crusts from a hot pizza oven and the Sicilian counterpart which employs much more flour, yeast and oil, rises for much less time, and is usually dressed with only tomato, oregano and sometimes anchovy or tuna, or whatever you may have in the house. This is not a dish that an Italian cook would plan, per se, but make spontaneously with whatever ingredients are in the house.
I should mention here that I have never been a big pizza maker, at least not of the type I made this week. In my family, we make sfinciuni, a deep dish pizza you would recognize as focaccia. Keeping in mind here that even though pizza is an extremely humble dish, it can take on numerous forms, the two most popular being the Neopolitan thin crust pizza with blistered crusts from a hot pizza oven and the Sicilian counterpart which employs much more flour, yeast and oil, rises for much less time, and is usually dressed with only tomato, oregano and sometimes anchovy or tuna, or whatever you may have in the house. This is not a dish that an Italian cook would plan, per se, but make spontaneously with whatever ingredients are in the house.
I've taken inspiration here from Jim Laehy's "My Pizza" book which I found in the library, and will be using his pizza dough recipe - a simple thing if one pays attention.
This dough rises for 18+/- hours before being used (notice how little yeast is required). Once formed into individual balls, it can be refrigerated, if necessary, for up to a week, but I wouldn't wait that long. A day or two tops.
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| Tomato and only Tomato! |
3-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. dry yeast
2 tsp. kosher salt
1-1/2 cups water
Extra flour for the board, your hands, etc.
Mix the flour, yeast and salt together and add the water and stir with a wooden spoon or mix with your hands until the dough comes together in one mass and all flour debris from the sides of the bowl adhere to the dough. Knead a little on a lightly floured work surface and form a ball and cover with plastic wrap and keep in a warm place for 18+/- hours. Dough will rise to at least twice in volume. This recipe will yield 4 pizzas.
While the dough is rising, you can prepare any combination of sauces or toppings for the pizzas.
Tomato
1 can peeled San Marzano tomatoes
3 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 clove garlic smashed
black pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)
Crush the tomatoes with your hands in a large stainless steel bowl. Add the oil, spices and the garlic. Mix well and store in the refrigerator until ready for use.
2 tsp. kosher salt
1-1/2 cups water
Extra flour for the board, your hands, etc.
Mix the flour, yeast and salt together and add the water and stir with a wooden spoon or mix with your hands until the dough comes together in one mass and all flour debris from the sides of the bowl adhere to the dough. Knead a little on a lightly floured work surface and form a ball and cover with plastic wrap and keep in a warm place for 18+/- hours. Dough will rise to at least twice in volume. This recipe will yield 4 pizzas.
While the dough is rising, you can prepare any combination of sauces or toppings for the pizzas.
Tomato
1 can peeled San Marzano tomatoes
3 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 clove garlic smashed
black pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)
Crush the tomatoes with your hands in a large stainless steel bowl. Add the oil, spices and the garlic. Mix well and store in the refrigerator until ready for use.
Fennel and Duck Prosciutto
1 cup chopped Fennel stalks (with fronds)
4 tbs. Duck Prosciutto diced (you can use regular prosciutto)
2 tbs. mascarpone
1 tsp. heavy cream
3 tsp. grated Pecorino Romano
1 tbs. grated Aurecchio Provolone
Black Pepper
Potato
2 small red potatoes, sliced paper thin with a mandolin
1 shallot sliced paper thin
1 tsp crushed dried rosemary
2 tbs. duck fat
1 tbs. butter
2 tbs. mascarpone
Heat the duck fat and the oil in a cast iron skillet just large enough to hold the sliced potatoes in one layer.
When the oil is just about to smoke, layer the potatoes and fry over moderately high heat. Salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle on the shallots and rosemary. Do not disturb the potatoes during cooking. Cook for about 10 minutes and turn off the heat. Reserve the mascarpone and allow the potatoes to rest until you are ready to bake the pizzas.
When the dough has risen, take a pastry cutter or a large knife and divide the ball of dough into 4 equal balls. Working on a lightly floured surface, flatten each disc and knead with the heal of your palm and stretch out away from you on all four sides. Turn the dough back towards you and fold so all four corners come to the center. Roll the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and let rest.
When you are ready to bake the pizzas preheat the oven to 500º. Place a rack with a ceramic pizza stone on it about 8 inches below the broiler and heat for 30 minutes. Turn the broiler on and continue to heat the stone for another 10 minutes or so. During the heating period, you can prepare the pizzas.
You can roll the pizza dough out on a floured work surface, or you can press and stretch with your fingers or you can stretch and pull with your knuckles as they do in pizzerias. All of these require a little technique and practice. Since there is not another rising period, it is important to work quickly.
Place a pizza on a floured peel and begin to create your pizza.
For Tomato, spoon a little sauce around the pizza, leaving about an inch free around the borders. Drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle a little salt on and slide the pizza onto the stone with a back and forth jerking motion with the peel. Bake in the oven for 3 - 4 minutes. Pizza should be bubbling and the crust should be browned. Remove with the peel and serve immediately.
For the fennel and prosciutto: spread a little of the cream and cheese mixture on top of the dough. Add the fennel and the prosciutto, top with the grated cheeses. Place on the stone in the same fashion as directed above and bake for the same time period. More if you want a more molten cheesy top.
For the potato: Spoon out some of the mascarpone leaving an inch wide border around the crust. Slide the potato "pie" onto the pizza and bake for 3-5 minutes - or until the potatoes are golden brown and have curled a little.
Sfinciune (or Focaccia in Italian)
Sfinciune is a Sicilian dish and is considered to be more a bread than a pizza. It can be made with literally any topping you like but is most often, as I said before, baked with whatever happens to be in the cupboard at the time. Of course, here on our side of the pond, it is very trendy to arrange your antipasto platter around this dish or that and "focaccia" is no exception. Be that as it may, let us remember that is it peasant food and I'm sure that many a grandmother, including my own, would be appalled to see expensive restaurants charging upwards of $25.00 for something that costs pennies to make.
Here is a basic recipe for the dough. The toppings above are acceptable but I would use oregano with the tomato and add anchovies to make it more Sicilian.
4 cups all purpose flour (more for kneading and dusting)
1 package dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. coarse salt
3 tbs. olive oil.
Sprinkle the yeast and the sugar into the warm water and let dissolve for about 10 minutes to let the culture bubble. Mix the salt with the flour and add the liquid and the olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon or your hands. Everything should form a mass and all debris should fall away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the ball to a lightly floured wooden board and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and place in a warm, dry place in the kitchen (the stove is usually the best place). Let rise until doubled in volume (about an hour).
Place the dough in a lightly oiled rectangular baking dish and cover again and let rise for an hour. Make sure all the corners of the pan have been filled with the dough during the rise. Take your finger tip and make indentations in the dough. Brush with a little olive oil and continue with the topping of your choice. Bake in a 450º oven for 30-35 minutes or until the pizza has shrunk from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes before cutting. Serve immediately.
Bon appetit!
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| Fennel and Duck Prosciutto with Mascarpone and Provolone |
4 tbs. Duck Prosciutto diced (you can use regular prosciutto)
2 tbs. mascarpone
1 tsp. heavy cream
3 tsp. grated Pecorino Romano
1 tbs. grated Aurecchio Provolone
Black Pepper
Potato
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| Potato and Shallots with Mascarpone |
1 shallot sliced paper thin
1 tsp crushed dried rosemary
2 tbs. duck fat
1 tbs. butter
2 tbs. mascarpone
Heat the duck fat and the oil in a cast iron skillet just large enough to hold the sliced potatoes in one layer.
When the oil is just about to smoke, layer the potatoes and fry over moderately high heat. Salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle on the shallots and rosemary. Do not disturb the potatoes during cooking. Cook for about 10 minutes and turn off the heat. Reserve the mascarpone and allow the potatoes to rest until you are ready to bake the pizzas.
When the dough has risen, take a pastry cutter or a large knife and divide the ball of dough into 4 equal balls. Working on a lightly floured surface, flatten each disc and knead with the heal of your palm and stretch out away from you on all four sides. Turn the dough back towards you and fold so all four corners come to the center. Roll the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and let rest.
When you are ready to bake the pizzas preheat the oven to 500º. Place a rack with a ceramic pizza stone on it about 8 inches below the broiler and heat for 30 minutes. Turn the broiler on and continue to heat the stone for another 10 minutes or so. During the heating period, you can prepare the pizzas.
You can roll the pizza dough out on a floured work surface, or you can press and stretch with your fingers or you can stretch and pull with your knuckles as they do in pizzerias. All of these require a little technique and practice. Since there is not another rising period, it is important to work quickly.
Place a pizza on a floured peel and begin to create your pizza.
For Tomato, spoon a little sauce around the pizza, leaving about an inch free around the borders. Drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle a little salt on and slide the pizza onto the stone with a back and forth jerking motion with the peel. Bake in the oven for 3 - 4 minutes. Pizza should be bubbling and the crust should be browned. Remove with the peel and serve immediately.
For the fennel and prosciutto: spread a little of the cream and cheese mixture on top of the dough. Add the fennel and the prosciutto, top with the grated cheeses. Place on the stone in the same fashion as directed above and bake for the same time period. More if you want a more molten cheesy top.
For the potato: Spoon out some of the mascarpone leaving an inch wide border around the crust. Slide the potato "pie" onto the pizza and bake for 3-5 minutes - or until the potatoes are golden brown and have curled a little.
Sfinciune (or Focaccia in Italian)
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| Sfinciune with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions |
Here is a basic recipe for the dough. The toppings above are acceptable but I would use oregano with the tomato and add anchovies to make it more Sicilian.
4 cups all purpose flour (more for kneading and dusting)
1 package dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. coarse salt
3 tbs. olive oil.
Sprinkle the yeast and the sugar into the warm water and let dissolve for about 10 minutes to let the culture bubble. Mix the salt with the flour and add the liquid and the olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon or your hands. Everything should form a mass and all debris should fall away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the ball to a lightly floured wooden board and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and place in a warm, dry place in the kitchen (the stove is usually the best place). Let rise until doubled in volume (about an hour).
Place the dough in a lightly oiled rectangular baking dish and cover again and let rise for an hour. Make sure all the corners of the pan have been filled with the dough during the rise. Take your finger tip and make indentations in the dough. Brush with a little olive oil and continue with the topping of your choice. Bake in a 450º oven for 30-35 minutes or until the pizza has shrunk from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes before cutting. Serve immediately.
Bon appetit!
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