A few weeks ago, I was leaving the house to go to yoga practice when my mom called me to let me know the family was harvesting potatoes. I drove to our patch of land and saw that my uncles and aunts were all there, bending over the freshly plowed soil to pick up the potatoes my dad had planted last spring. I’m not sure whether or not I was looking for an excuse to skip yoga (I’m terrible at finding motivation to work out) but I love being together with my family for things like this – that is, working to harvest fruits and vegetables we will all enjoy for many months to come. So I went back home, dropped the mat and towel, grabbed my camera and rushed back to the potato patch….
Pizza Margherita with Cherry Tomatoes
I’m a firm believer there’s only one pizza deserving of the name: a light, thin-crust pizza topped with just enough quality ingredients. No fancy deep dish pie, with cheese-filled crust or multi-layered toppings can compare to the wonderful, simple, and tasty delight of a traditional Italian pizza.
Now that you know how particular I am about this Italian “sacred food”, you’ll also be able to understand how frustrating it was for me to find a legitimate pizza once I left Italy. When my husband and I arrived here, we initially tried a couple of restaurants claiming to serve the real Italian-style pizza. After tasting entirely burnt crusts and too-plastic-to-be-real-mozzarella, I decided it was just time to improve my own home-made pizza recipe.
Believe it or not, even for the average Italian home cook it’s quite hard to achieve a crust similar to the one you’d taste at a pizzeria–one with a great wood oven to give the crust incredible flavor and texture. Unfortunately, I’m a regular person with a regular kitchen…and no plans for installing a commercial pizza oven. However, after a bit of research and a couple of adjustments, I think I’ve managed to achieve a pretty legit home-style pizza.
There are a few tricks you need to know and I included them in the recipe below. I didn’t bother adding a bunch of toppings; for good pizza you just need a couple of high-quality ingredients. The key is keeping it simple!
PIZZA MARGHERITA WITH CHERRY TOMATOES
Servings: 2 | Prep time: 20 min | Rest time: 2 hours | Bake time: 16 min
NOTE: In this recipe I used two different types of flour. You can use just one, as long as you keep the same ratio of flour/water (250 g/150 ml). Once again, I recommend using a digital scale to achieve best results!
Recommended equipment: 15″ pizza stone
INGREDIENTS
200 g (7 oz) finely milled Italian flour (Tipo “00”) or all-purpose flour
50 g (1.8 oz) whole wheat flour
150 ml (5 oz) lukewarm water
3.5 gr (1/2 packet) active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp salt for the sauce
200 ml (6.7 oz) unsalted strained tomatoes — the best quality you can find
a sprinkle of dry oregano
200 g (7 oz) mozzarella cheese (ovoline or bocconcini), drained and shredded — the best quality you can find
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
10-12 basil leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in a glass of lukewarm water. Sift the flour in a medium-sized bowl and add the yeast/water/sugar mixture in it. Work the dough with your hands and knead until all ingredients are well incorporated. Add salt.
2. Take the dough onto a clean work surface and start kneading until it reaches a soft, elastic, and smooth texture. Take the dough and bang it on the work surface, about 6-7 times. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl, covered with a clean dishtowel. Let it rest for 2 hours in a dry place.
3. While the dough is resting, prepare the tomato sauce by combining the strained tomatoes with 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sugar and a sprinkle of oregano.
4. After the dough has rested, turn oven to 450°F. Dust the pizza stone generously with flour. Take the dough, form a small disk with your hands and start pulling out the sides, stretching it until it covers the whole pizza stone [don’t overwork it!]
5. Spread the tomato sauce on the pizza dough with a spoon, leaving an edge for the crust. Bake for about 8 minutes.
6. Remove pizza from the oven, sprinkle the shredded mozzarella on top and bake pizza for 6 more minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and add cherry tomato halves, cut side-up. Bake for 2 more minutes, until the mozzarella is lightly brown-colored and the crust is golden.
8. Remove pizza from the oven. Add fresh basil leaves on top and let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
Buon appetito!
-Lisa