Split-Personality Pizza
Originally Posted July 19, 2018
Sometimes I get stuck in a cooking rut. Nobody in the family complains, everyone eats what I’ve prepared, they compliment me on the meal…but I’m bored! This summer has brought the usual plethora of recipes for grilled pizza, roasted veggies, and fresh salads, and I started wondering if I could pull off a pizza!
I’ve done pizzas with the personal premade crusts (just add your own toppings and bake!). I’ve done the sliced french bread pizzas (just add your own toppings and bake!). I’ve done the canned pizza dough (just unroll the dough, add your own toppings, and bake!) I’ve even done the fresh pizza dough from a pizzeria or grocery store deli department (just stretch the dough, add your own toppings, and bake!).
The pizzas were not a hit with the family. I especially struggled with the fresh deli pizza dough – I couldn’t get it thin enough, or evenly spread out – consequently, it was either too doughy, or cracker thin and burnt.
OK, so this time, I decided to go all out…. Make the dough from scratch. Use store-bought pesto and pizza sauce (this time…maybe if it’s successful, I’ll take it to the next level of full on, time-consuming homemade ingredients at every layer!). Choose my own veggies and topping ingredients. Add types and amounts of cheese to my heart’s delight.
And… it was a success!!
It’s split-personality because it’s got two very different flavors on either side. The peppery arugula pairs well with the knock-out prosciutto and fresh mozzarella combo. On the other side, earthy mushrooms and sausage are paired with crunchy veggies and creamy ricotta. The best of both worlds, collided on pizza dough and enjoyed with a piece (or two) of each.
Split-Personality Pizza
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water warmer than lukewarm
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the bowl and baking sheet
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup pesto
- ¼ cup pizza sauce
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ cups baby arugula
- 2 cups cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 yellow pepper thinly sliced
- ½ sweet onion thinly sliced
- ½ pound of sausage mild, unless you like it hot!
- 1 lemon
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- 3-4 slices of prosciutto torn
- Fresh mozzarella torn into small pieces
Instructions
- Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl. Let it stand for several minutes until foamy.
- Combine the flour and salt in a mixer, using the paddle attachment (on low speed, unless you look good in flour).
- Add in the yeasty water mixture, and mix until the dough comes together around the paddle. Let the machine combine it for another couple of minutes.
- Coat a separate bowl with a small amount of olive oil. Form the dough into a ball, add to the oiled bowl, and roll it around to coat the dough with oil.
- Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside for 1-2 hours (until it doubles).
- Wash and dry the arugula, set aside. Wash, then thinly slice the peppers and mushrooms. Thinly slice the onion. Set aside the veggies.
- Saute the sausage until crumbled and browned. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate, saving the drippings in the pan.
- Saute the onions and peppers together in the sausage drippings, until softened. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
- Saute the mushrooms in the remaining pan drippings (add a tablespoon of butter if the pan is too dry)
- Put a rack near the bottom of the oven and preheat it to 475 degrees. Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil, and spread it to cover.
- Roll out the pizza dough on a floured surface into a rectangle the size of the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. If it puffs while baking, poke the crust bubble with a fork.
- Remove from the oven, and top half with pesto and half with pizza sauce. Spread the entire pizza with shredded mozzarella. Top the pesto half with mushrooms, and the pizza sauce half with sausage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Dot small spoonfuls of ricotta over the entire pizza. Tear pieces of fresh mozzarella and sprinkle over the entire pizza.
- Place the pizza back into the oven, turn off the heat, and let the residual warmth soften the cheeses for 5 minutes.
- Dress the arugula with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice and zest to taste; season with salt and pepper, then toss.
- Remove the pizza from the oven, scatter the torn prosciutto over the pesto half, and top the pesto half with the arugula salad.
- Cut into pieces, and serve.
Notes
These ingredients are infinitely variable! Use whatever sauce, meat, toppings, and cheese your family loves (or you need to get out of the refrigerator!)
