Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The Pizza, Part Three: 3 Pizzas

So, about two weeks ago, I decided to do a trilogy about pizza. Of course that meant making the dough, the sauce, preparing the toppings for the pizzas I wanted to share with you and, I did all that. I took down notes, I baked, I snapped photographs. Afterwards, S and I devoured them, naturally.






When I began posting about said pizzas a week later, I started craving their flavor. Looking at the photos made me hungry, not an uncommon thing. Therefore, making them again was imperative.






I prepared my dough, my sauce, my toppings, and I put the first pizza in the oven. The whole house smelled of the good things that were about to be eaten greedily and I was getting excited. It was almost ready. I went to take it out of the oven, hot air wafting on my face as soon as I opened the door, placed my pizza peel underneath the bubbling pie, lifted it up and, in one fell swoop, it slipped from the peel and fell on the floor. Not on the bottom side, because who are we kidding, that pizza could have been saved, right? Five seconds rule, anyone? But no, it fell on the top side, the good side, the melting cheese and sizzling pork sausage side. I cursed, I cursed badly. But I pressed on.






Then it was time for S's pizza, the one with eggs and ham. I did everything right; the egg yolks didn't break when I cracked the eggs open straight onto the pizza, they didn't spill when I moved the pizza to the oven even though I knew I should have cracked the eggs on top of the pizza once the pizza was in the oven, but then, the eggs decided to act all insane and started sliding off the sides of the pizza. I ended up with sunny side up eggs baked on a pizza stone. Not a good thing, I tell you.






I gathered myself, I pressed on once again, thinking happy thoughts, all the while our stomachs rumbling with hunger, making weird noises, and I thought to myself, okay, let's clean this stone and let's get moving. I put the stone in the kitchen sink, turned the hot water on and started scraping the eggs off. And then, the pizza stone broke. Into three pieces. Right under my hands. Damn it! I cursed a little, then I cursed a little more, and then S got in on the action.
We didn't have pizza that night.

The End.






Now, for those of you with better luck than ours in the pizza department, you need to try these, as soon as possible.






1. Pizza with mozzarella, prosciutto and fresh oregano.
What can one say about this pizza. It's a classic. Well, almost, because I was about to make a margherita* but the carnivore in me started whispering in my ear: "C'mon, add some meat", and of course I yielded to the temptation. I won't bore you with adjectives and similes. It is the perfect pizza.

* Yes, I know that margherita has basil and not oregano but as I have stated a million times before, basil is not welcome in my kitchen.






2. Pizza with Gruyère cheese, ham, eggs and spring onions.
This one is inspired by a variety of pizzas that I have seen and eaten, with eggs being the key ingredient. Even though I don't like eggs that much, or better yet, because I don't like eggs that much, I try to sneak them into things I know I enjoy so that I can eat my share of eggs once in a while. It's like those kids that their mothers chase around the house trying to feed them their daily egg, only that in my case, I'm the one doing the chasing and I'm the one playing hard to get at the same time. If you've never tried pizza with eggs before and you find it to be a strange combination, let me assure you that it's surprisingly delicious, and combined with the freshness of the spring onions and the salty ham, the result, flavor-wise and texture-wise, is very interesting indeed.






3. Pizza with French Neufchâtel cheese, saucisson sec (French dried, pork salami) and fresh thyme.
In Holland, it's very easy to find French ingredients. Sometimes it's even easier than finding certain Dutch ingredients. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that I chose a French cheese and a French salami to add to my pizza. If I was in Greece, I would have gone for a different combination but, c'est la vie mes amis. Neufchâtel is a unique cheese, one of the oldest French cheeses, and sometimes, if you're lucky, you can find it shaped as a heart. It's creamy and soft and crumbly and extremely tasty, and it is made from raw cow's milk, which makes it particularly milky and luscious. When you combine it with a salami full of delicious fat, then you have a marriage made in heaven, no?






So, choose the pizza you like best and if you have any favorites of your own, a pizza that you believe I absolutely have to taste, then by no means, leave me a note.











Pizza with Buffalo Mozzarella, Prosciutto and Fresh Oregano

The mozzarella I prefer to use is fresh buffalo mozzarella (packed in water). There's also mozzarella made from cow's milk but in my opinion it does not compare to the one made with buffalo milk. It is rather hard and dry and not as flavorful. Having said that, both types of mozzarella work well for pizza, having different moisture levels and texture so in each case, the pizza has a different character.






Yield: 1 large pizza

Ingredients
Pizza dough (recipe here)
Fresh tomato sauce (recipe here)
4-5 slices prosciutto
6-7 slices fresh buffalo mozzarella
Fresh oregano leaves
Freshly ground white pepper

Flour or cornmeal for sprinkling on top of the pizza stone or baking sheet

Special equipment: pizza peel, pizza stone (both optional)


Preparation
Make and roll out the pizza dough following the recipe and instructions in this post.
Make the fresh tomato sauce following the recipe and instructions in this post.

If you have a pizza peel, it is best that you roll out the pizza onto that so it will be easier to transfer to the oven. If not, I suggest you roll out the pizza on a cutting board or other portable surface, so that it will be easier to transfer the pizza to the oven.

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Celsius / 435 Fahrenheit, making sure to put your pizza stone or baking sheet on the lower rack of the oven to preheat as well.

Add a couple of tablespoonfuls of tomato sauce on your rolled out pizza dough and spread it around evenly, leaving a rim around the edges of the dough that is not covered with sauce.
Add the prosciutto slices, the mozzarella slices and then some small leaves of oregano on top.


Once the oven has come up to temperature, sprinkle with flour or cornmeal your preheated pizza stone or baking sheet and transfer your pizza onto it.
If you're baking your pizza on a baking sheet, place it on the middle rack of the oven, otherwise the bottom of your pizza will get burned.

Bake the pizza for about 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the dough is crunchy and bubbly and the cheese has melted.
Remove it from the oven and onto a cutting board. Add some fresh oregano leaves, sprinkle with some freshly ground white pepper, cut into slices and serve immediately.











Pizza with Gruyère Cheese, Ham, Eggs and Spring Onions

You can substitute Gruyère cheese for a Greek Graviera or a Swiss Emmentaler. They are both perfect for pizza as they have excellent melting qualities.






Yield: 1 large pizza

Ingredients
Pizza dough (recipe here)
Fresh tomato sauce (recipe here)
70 g Gruyère cheese, grated
3 large slices of ham, teared
3 medium-sized eggs
2 spring onions, white and pale green parts only, sliced
A handful of chopped fresh chives

Flour or cornmeal for sprinkling on top of the pizza stone or baking sheet

Special equipment: pizza peel, pizza stone (both optional)


Preparation
Make and roll out the pizza dough following the recipe and instructions in this post.
Make the fresh tomato sauce following the recipe and instructions in this post.

If you have a pizza peel, it is best that you roll out the pizza onto that so it will be easier to transfer to the oven. If not, I suggest you roll out the pizza on a cutting board or other portable surface so that it will be easier to transfer to the oven.

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Celsius / 435 Fahrenheit, making sure to put your pizza stone or baking sheet on the lower rack of the oven to preheat as well.

Add a couple of tablespoonfuls of tomato sauce on your rolled out pizza dough and spread it around evenly, leaving a rim around the edges of the dough that is not covered with sauce.
Add the grated Gruyère cheese, sprinkling it all around the base of the pizza and then add the ham slices. Don't add the eggs now but once the pizza is in the oven.


Once the oven has come up to temperature, sprinkle with flour or cornmeal your preheated pizza stone or baking sheet and transfer your pizza onto it.
If you're baking your pizza on a baking sheet, place it on the middle rack of the oven, otherwise the bottom of your pizza will get burned.
Once your pizza is in the oven, crack the eggs open on top of the ham slices.

Bake the pizza for about 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the dough is crunchy and bubbly and the eggs have cooked.
Remove it from the oven and onto a cutting board. Sprinkle the pizza with the chopped spring onions and chives, cut into slices and serve immediately.











Pizza with French Neufchâtel Cheese, Dried Pork Salami and Fresh Thyme

If you can't find French Neufchâtel cheese (and I say French because there's an American version, a rather unsuccessful imitation, which I wouldn't advise you to use), use Camembert. It's not exactly the same but it's a worthy substitute.

The kind of thyme I used was lemon thyme. It's a special kind of thyme, with larger leaves, that has hints of lemon. Do try it if you can find it where you live.






Yield: 1 large pizza

Ingredients
Pizza dough (recipe here)
Fresh tomato sauce (recipe here)
10-12 thin slices dried, pork salami
70-80 g French Neufchâtel cheese, thickly sliced (6-7 slices)
Fresh thyme leaves

Flour or cornmeal for sprinkling on top of the pizza stone or baking sheet

Special equipment: pizza peel, pizza stone (both optional)


Preparation
Make and roll out the pizza dough following the recipe and instructions in this post.
Make the fresh tomato sauce following the recipe and instructions in this post.

If you have a pizza peel, it is best that you roll out the pizza onto that so it will be easier to transfer to the oven. If not, I suggest you roll out the pizza on a cutting board or other portable surface so that it will be easier to transfer to the oven.

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Celsius / 435 Fahrenheit, making sure to put your pizza stone or baking sheet on the lower rack of the oven to preheat as well.

Add a couple of tablespoonfuls of tomato sauce on your rolled out pizza dough and spread it around evenly, leaving a rim around the edges of the dough that is not covered with sauce.
Arrange the salami slices around the base of the pizza, add the sliced Neufchâtel cheese on top and then sprinkle with some thyme leaves.


Once the oven has come up to temperature, sprinkle with flour or cornmeal your preheated pizza stone or baking sheet and transfer your pizza onto it.
If you're baking your pizza on a baking sheet, place it on the middle rack of the oven, otherwise the bottom of your pizza will get burned.

Bake the pizza for about 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the dough is crunchy and bubbly and the cheese has melted.
Remove it from the oven and onto a cutting board. Sprinkle the pizza with some extra thyme leaves, cut into slices and serve immediately.






Previously: The Pizza, Part One: The Dough and The Pizza, Part Two: The Sauce

11 comments:

  1. How delicous Magda - these pizzas look absolutley divine. We are big pizza fans in the MulberryPomegranate house - expectantly waiting on the arrival of our woodfire oven, just for this purpose. I can't wait to try out your recipes when it arrives!!

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  2. WOW! You could open a pizza chain with these alone! Love the photos, they are just perfect and makes me want to eat pizza now even though I just had a full meal! Great inspiration. thanks!

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  3. How, pray tell, did I miss the 'no basil' rule in your kitchen? That is worse than my 'no garlic' rule! :) These look simply amazing and I have never had a pizza with egg - it is about time! ~ David

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  4. MulberryPomegranate — woodfire oven?? I'm so jealous! Have fun baking your pizzas and bread!

    tasteofbeirut — thank you Joumana. I'm glad you like them!

    Cocoa and Lavender — I just don't like it. Especially the type I can find in Holland. The Greek basil is much more flavorful and aromatic but still, not my favorite herb, not when there's oregano. I have told you before I think you're crazy about not eating garlic. I can't live without garlic! :)

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  5. LOOKS heavenly! I've never made a pizza before but really have to try this. I totally agree with "tasteofbeirut" ... you could open a pizza restaurant!

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  6. I love the idea of eggs on pizza. What a great idea for breakfast!

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  7. Whoa those eggs on top look absolutely perfect! If given the option to have my pizza topped with eggs, I ALWAYS say yes!

    Sues

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  8. I cannot imagine why, in all my years of egg and pizza loving, I have never combined the two. Thanks for the inspiration - this is marvellous.

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  9. It is so interesting that you say it is easy to find French ingredients here in Holland. It must be a big-city benefit, because here in Eindhoven if I want French anything, I have to go to Belgium or France. Luckily Paris is only 4 hours by car, (Belgium about 30 minutes) so I can't complain! Love the pizza photos. I, too, have never heard of eggs on pizza but that looks really good. When you decide to order another pizza stone, do let us know where you get it, because I don't have one yet and would love advice.

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    1. Hi Meredith. Yes, I suppose it's a big-city thing. Here in The Hague there is a large international community so you can find everything. French ingredients are abundant! Yes, Paris is so close, isn't that great?
      You must give the pizza with eggs a try. It is fantastic.
      I bought my previous pizza stone from a kitchen shop here in The Hague, it's called En Garde but I have seen it all over the place. Any large store with kitchen stuff has it or you can buy it through Amazon.

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  10. As always, everything is very well and precisely explained. Unfortunately, I do not make my pizza here in Kraków. There is sth wrong with my oven, it dries the dough out. I tried various trickand nothing works - simply, I have to change my cooker! Kind regards - now from Kraków, Poland.

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