13:16 / Funghi e Tartufo e Melanzane

After a few weeks delinquent, 16P is returning for the home stretch. I hope these last few pizzas will live up to the standards I have set for myself - even though I am not finished, I have already come so far, and the experience has been priceless.

This pie is inspired by the funghi e tartufo pizza I tried last week at my favorite local bakery, but the seed was planted when my parents brought home a jar of funghi e tartufo paste from their travels in Italy. I have included this ingredient in the recipe, but as it is a specialty item, it is totally optional and the pizza definitely does not suffer without it.

I invented my own white sauce recipe, kept it simple as could be, and by all accounts it turned out very well. I didn't want to limit myself to a template, so I modified the standard funghi e tartufo pizza with white eggplant. Once cooked, you can't tell the skin was ever white, so purple can be substituted. The flavor does add another dimension, but stick to just white sauce and oyster mushrooms if you prefer.

After this week I will be trying a new approach to crust, so it may be the last week I reference the standard recipe I wrote up some weeks ago. While I like the dense texture of my personal dough recipe, it isn't as light and crispy as it could be. Look for a new take on dough starting next week, but for now, on to the recipe.

Crust: 

Recipe available here, or use whichever crust you prefer!

Toppings:

1 stick butter

2 cloves garlic

1½ cup light cream

16 oz parmesan

2 medium white eggplants

8 oz oyster mushrooms

1 tsp dried thyme or tarragon

Salt and pepper to taste

4 tbsp Funghi e tartufo paste [optional]

Prepare your pizza dough first. As the dough nears the end of its rising stage, cook the eggplant and mushrooms. Cut the eggplant into rounds, about 1/4 inch thick, and sprinkle them with salt to draw out the moisture. Once the rounds have begun to sweat, begin sautéing them in a saucepan with generous olive oil as needed. Cooking times vary depending on the thickness of the cut, but should be around 5-10 minutes. Flip the rounds a few times to brown on all sides. They are finished when tender - check with a fork.

Prep the mushrooms the same way, but add a little dried thyme or tarragon [or both]. They can be rough chopped into large or small pieces, there's no science to it. The mushrooms will only need a few minutes to cook, but be sure to stir them around a lot to heat evenly. If you're unsure, I would take them off the heat after five minutes.

Prepare the sauce last, ideally after you have rolled and shaped the dough. Heat the butter and garlic in a wide saucepan over medium heat, until butter melts and the garlic is fragrant. Pour in the cream. Begin adding the parmesan, a bit at a time, stirring in to combine and melt. Continue adding the cheese, maintaining a low heat, until smooth.

When the sauce is finished, assemble the pizzas.

Spread the sauce over the prepared crusts. Arrange the eggplant rounds and mushrooms over the pizzas, and if you have it, lay a few generous dollops of funghi e tartufo paste over any bare spots. Spread thinly, I was able to get a little bit on every piece of eggplant.

Bake briefly, just long enough for the toppings to coalesce and reheat if they have had a chance to cool. Since the crust is already mostly baked through, this only took me about 5-6 minutes. If you do not pre-bake the crust, aim for 15-20 minutes, depending on how well done you like everything. This is subjective; I baked these pizzas briefly because I had already prepared the toppings as I like them, and did not want them to break down further in extreme heat.

The recipe makes two 14-inch pizzas, which refrigerate well. Enjoy!

12:16 / Eve of Italia

I made this pizza about 24 hours before my parents departed for a 10-day Italian romp, so while I live vicariously through their photos of authentic Neapolitan pies, hopefully they will have my pizzas in mind, and bring back some ideas. I wanted to send them off with a preview, something really Italian but non-traditional, so there is no tomato or mozzarella.

I chose fennel, kalamata olives [so I guess it's only 80% Italian and 20% Greek], bresaola and pecorino as the focus, with a little garnish of chives. It felt somehow southern Italian, though being the least savvy of my family members on our Italian roots and geography in general, that is pulled out of thin air.

I am new to bresaola, and since picking it up at the store, I have become determined to try every cured meat on the display beside it. I have been making my way steadily through speck and prosciutto - it has been like a gift I gave myself by beginning the project, I have discovered a whole new world of salty flavor.

Fennel blipped on my radar when I was brainstorming meals for the week and had exhausted my other veggie ideas. The old me might have stopped after dreaming up some fennel citrus salad, but the me with pizza on the brain is an over-thinker. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This time, I think it did.

Since I haven't done olives yet, it seemed a good extra to round out the toppings. This pizza felt too simple with two toppings and cheese, especially without at sort of sauce. The olive add just enough left-field zing, and don't overcomplicate. In fact, they complement the flavor of the bresaola quite nicely.

Nothing else to say on this one, on to the recipe!

Toppings for two pizzas:

3 bulbs of fennel

8 oz bresaola

8 oz kalamata olives

6 oz pecorino cheese

Generous handful of chives, chopped or torn

1/4 cup olive oil

Prepare your favorite crust, or use my recipe.

Cut the fennel bulbs crossways, into quarter-inch slices. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Over media-high heat, cook the fennel, covered, until it is tender and buttery in texture. Add additional olive oil as needed and stir occasionally to prevent burning [a little is okay]. I had to do this in 4 batches, even using a wide saucepan.

Halve the kalamata olives and discard the pits. Tear the bresaola into small pieces. Mine were between the size of a quarter and a teabag so I could use the smaller pieces to fill in nooks and crannies.

On the prepared crust, spread the cooked fennel, bresaola and olives. Grate the pecorino over everything. Bake for 10 minutes and garnish with chives or greens from the fennel bulbs while the pizza cools. Enjoy!

11:16 / Mexican Redux

Since my first attempt at Mexican flavors in my salsa verde pizza, I have had a mental list of the ingredients I could have used and did not. Since I am in the autumn weeks of this project, I have been trying to make each pizza unique, and really count for something. I believe that spirit came out in this week's project, which may be my favorite of my savory recipes.

The recipe is based around a black bean and corn salad, which seems to get made once a week around here in summer. It's a snap to make, you just throw everything together and season to taste. This time, I built it more from the ground up, using fresh corn and basil from the garden. 

I needed a little extra flour, and at the shop I ran into chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It was like the universe giving me a kind look and nodding, meant to be. I ended up using the sauce as a thin layer of tomato substitute, and cut up the peppers themselves as an extra topping. 

To step back from the intense heat of my last Mexican pizza, I went for pepper jack over the admittedly delicious habanero-laced cheddar. For depth of flavor, I added a little Manchego. Extra for dusting over the crust.

Toppings:

3 ears of corn

1 16 oz can black beans

1 red onion

10 oz cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

6 oz chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

8 oz pepper jack cheese

4 oz Manchego cheese

Prepare the crust, per my improved recipe here, or using your favorite crust recipe. Preheat the oven to 500º F.

Husk the corn, then cut the kernels from the cobs and rinse them along with the black beans. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and dice half the red onion. Toss everything together with the basil, salt, pepper and olive oil. This stands up on its own as a great salad, so if you are suddenly fatigued, grab a big spoon and go to town.

Otherwise, spread the adobo sauce thinly over the prepare crust, then distribute the bean and veggie mix on top. Slice the rest of the red onion and arrange the slices over the veggies [totally optional]. Cut the chipotle peppers into small bits [not sure how to describe the pieces, as the peppers are soaked with sauce and look a bit like slugs] and sprinkle them over everything. Grate the pepper jack and Manchego cheese over the whole pizza.

Slide into the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling. Makes two pizzas that will not last long!

10:16 / Midsummer

As often happens, this year's vacation days extended beyond the fourth of July, and monopolized an entire week. The festivities culminated with an evening of games, food and sharing amongst family. My new pattern of not preparing an idea in advance [mostly due to exhausting the six or so ideas I started with and being too lazy to plan ahead] has been having good results, so I stuck with it.

It seemed right to put something pepperoni-shaped on pizza. Zucchini and summer squash are two things I always cook in rounds, and the garden is currently overflowing with herbs that marry well with them. You can get away with one zucchini and one squash for the two pies if you slice thin and have extra large vegetables, but I recommend have two of each on hand in case. Beyond that, I think there is only so much to be said about simple pizzas being the best, it just makes sense.

This is another pie that is fairly impossible to ruin. I actually prepared the non-finicky crust a couple hours ahead of time and waited to bake it until my cousin-in-law Margot [Check out her fantastic blog here: Margot's Mixtures] arrived for a collaborative pizza party. I also highly recommend her thin crust creation - with leeks, mushrooms and bacon - which is as delicious as it sounds, and may make an appearance on her blog one of these days, so keep an eye out!

Crust:

4½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ cup warm water

1½ cups room temperature water

2¼ tsp yeast

Toppings:

¼ cup olive oil

5 cloves garlic

1 large zucchini

1 large summer squash

1 tsp dried thyme

4 - 5 sprigs fresh thyme

3 - 4 tbsp fresh oregano

1 lb mozzarella

A bit of parmesan [optional]

As usual, kick off with the crust. Mix the salt and flour, and sprinkle yeast over the warm water. After a few minutes, once the yeast foams, add to the flour along with the room temperature water and mix with a wooden spoon or dough hook until the dough begins to form. Once silky and sticky, move to a floured surface and knead the dough until it forms a cohesive ball. Place in an oiled bowl in a warm place and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 500º to give it time to get piping hot while the dough rises and you prepare the toppings. On the stovetop, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large, shallow saucepan over medium heat. Slice the zucchini and summer squash into ¼ inch rounds. Dice garlic and add about half of it to the oil, watching closely to avoid burning. As soon as you can smell the garlic, begin adding the sliced zucchini and summer squash. I cooked them side by side in a few batches, occasionally adding extra olive oil and garlic to keep a steady ratio and balance the flavors. Flip the slices with a fork or spatula, and sprinkle the dried thyme everything. If you have extra on hand, add a little of the fresh thyme and oregano as well. The veggies are ready once they are tender and lightly browned. 

When the dough is ready, punch it down and knead to remove lingering air bubbles. Separate into two pieces and roll/shape each into a 14-inch circle. Lay on your baking sheet or pizza stone, and bake for about ten minutes to give it a head start [as always, this pre-baking step is optional]. 

Arrange the zucchini on top in whatever pattern you fancy. Slice or tear mozzarella and distribute liberally over the zucchini. Snip the thyme and oregano leaves from their sprigs and sprinkle over everything. Finish with a little salt and pepper, and a dusting of parmesan around the edges of the crust if you like. Slide into the oven for ten minutes, or longer if you skip pre-baking the crust. Enjoy two pies with friends and family, board games recommended!

9:16 / Smoke City

As usual, I was stuck for inspiration this week, and left things until the last minute. On an impromptu shopping trip, I ran into some applewood-smoked bacon, then managed to track down an apple-smoked gouda I knew I had seen there before. This pizza's personality emerged just that quickly; it's a little sweet, a lot smoky, and less fussy than many. Depending on taste, a lot of the toppings can be allowed to char, so being a great cook is not a requirement.

Braeburn apples are preferred, but any cooking or baking apple works just fine. I make a lot of kale chips, and am guilty of stinking up the house with salty, blackened leaves. Not everyone's favorite, but I love them that way so they seemed to fit with this just-a-bit-overdone approach to pizza.

Crust:

4½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ cup warm water

1½ cups room temperature water

2¼ tsp yeast

Toppings:

4 cups torn or rough-chopped kale

3 - 4 Braeburn apples [or other baking apples]

8 - 10 strips applewood-smoked bacon

6 - 8 oz smoked gouda

4 oz parmesan

About 1 stick butter

⅓ cup sugar

Prepare the crust. Combine flour and salt, and sprinkle yeast over the warm water. Once it foams, add the yeast to the flour and mix with a wooden spoon or dough hook. Add the additional water, and continue mixing until a silky, sticky dough has formed. Knead on a floured surface until dough holds into a ball. Transfer to an oiled bowl, and allow to rise for 1 - 1½ hours in a warm place.

During the rising stage, caramelize the apples. Cut the apples into thin slices, about ⅛ - ¼ inch thick. Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a wide saucepan, then begin cooking the apples of medium heat. Sprinkle a little sugar over the apples. This will require cooking in stages, and each batch of apples will need about 2 tbsp of butter and a little sugar. Overall, I used almost a full stick of butter, but this will vary. Once the apples are soft, turn up the heat and allow the apples to brown. A little burning may even be desirable, it's all up to you.

Fry the bacon over high heat. Again, it's okay if a little burns. Drain on a paper towel and, once cooled, shred the bacon into small pieces. Grate the gouda and parmesan, wash and chop the kale, and set everything aside.

Heat the over to 500º F. Once the dough has risen, separate into two pieces and roll or shape them into 14-inch circles. Sprinkle a little cornmeal on your pizza stone or baking sheet, and transfer the dough onto it. Bake the dough for ten minutes, until it begins to turn golden-brown.

Remove the dough from the oven and top with the kale, apples, bacon and cheeses. Dust a little of the parmesan over the edges of the crust. Pop back in the oven for another ten minutes, until the cheese has melted and the crust is well done. Makes two pies as usual. Enjoy!

8:16 / Apricot Troika

Most of my pizzas so far have been inspired by a single cheese. Early on, I was set on a path by paneer. Last week, I wanted to give brunost a try. One cheese I have never thought to put on pizza is Stilton, and I figured it was time. I enjoy blue Stilton well enough, but the white sort I reach for at snack time is more accessible. You see, it's got apricot bits in it [and let's just say it comes from a place that rhymes with "Nader Woes"]. Maybe not dessert-y in an obvious way on its own, but I had my suspicions that with the right bedfellows, this cheese could bring together a perfect brunch pie.

Back at the beginning of 16P, I had planned for at least one fruit pizza. I had pictured oranges or melon slivers, but this Stilton planted an apricot-centric seed. It bloomed into all these images of fresh apricots, apricot jam, nuts, sauces - and juicy nectarine for a bit of variety. There is something about these fruits that just works with nutty flavors [probably their shared spotlight in Middle Eastern cooking] so pecans joined the group. The players were set, they just needed the right stage.

The crust was always going to be something between normal and pastry. Recently I have been making Norwegian cardamom buns, and their soft, fluffy texture and mild sweetness informed this recipe. I modified my crust slightly, including a few smoothing and sweetening touches, using milk rather than water, and just a hint of sugar. I included raw clover honey and cinnamon to add some depth to the flavor. Pizzas aside, I believe this crust stands on its own, functioning as a sort of breakfast flatbread [is there a better word for that?].

While this began as a dessert idea, I wanted something less expected, something to avoid a cloying, sucrose nightmare. It was as simple as going back to Italy. Fresh basil brings life to every bite, and added to a splash of balsamic and pinch of salt [especially good on the crust], this pie was feeling more mediterranean all the time.

Finally, as this was the most outside the box pizza yet, I decided to be cautious and only make one pie. I was stupid so you don't have to be - if you are wise, double or quadruple this recipe. Man cannot live on pizza alone, but damn it, I could eat this every day.

Crust:

3½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup raw honey

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup + ¾ cup whole milk

1 tsp active yeast

1 egg

Lots of extra flour for kneading

Toppings:

⅓ cup apricot jam or preserves

1 large nectarine

1 apricot

¼ cup chopped pecans

6-8 oz white Stilton [with or without apricots]

1 handful of fresh basil [about 12 leaves]

Sea salt and balsamic vinegar to taste

Prepare the dough first. Mix the flour and salt. Combine ½ cup of warm milk and the yeast [stovetop or microwave is fine for heating the milk, but the stove allows you to monitor the milk temperature more closely, so you don't have to wait for it to cool down to 90º - 100º F if it overheats in the microwave]. Give the mixture a few minutes for the yeast to begin foaming, then add to the flour. Add the additional ¾ cup milk, then the sugar, honey and cinnamon as the dough mixes. This is a snap with a dough hook, but mixing by hand is always an option. 

Once the dough is silky in texture, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead the dough for about five minutes. It will likely be very sticky, so just keep dusting with flour and kneading it in until you have a cohesive ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, and leave, covered, in a warm place for one hour.

Once the hour is nearly up, preheat your pizza stone at 500º F. Slice the apricot and nectarine in thin segments. Try for 1/8th of an inch thick. The fruits I used were fairly large, so I recommend having an extra of each on hand if you cannot cover the whole pizza. 

Remove the dough from the bowl once it has risen for an hour. Knead to remove the air bubbles, then roll out or shape with your hands into a 14" circle. Dust your preheated stone with cornmeal, then place the dough over it. Bake the dough for 10 minutes, then remove. After ten minutes, the dough should be slightly golden, fluffy and thick.

Spread the apricot jam over the dough, then begin layering on the sliced fruit. I formed mine into a sort of pinwheel, purely for aesthetics of course. Crumble the stilton over the fruit, and sprinkle with the chopped pecans. Brush the crust edges with a beaten egg, and pop back in the over for about 10 more minutes. 

The stilton will melt a little, and the fruit may begin to caramelize, but one thing is for certain: the crust will be golden-brown perfection. This is the best crust I have made yet, and while I am sure the sugar has something to do with that, I cite the pre-baking ritual as the real difference maker. Dress the pizza with fresh basil leaves, and serve each slice with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of sea salt.