Friday, September 4, 2009

Barefoot Bloggers - White Pizzas with Arugula

Yeah, I know this a about a week late. Get over it, things have been busy around here! I am trying to catch up, however. I still have two Cooking Italy posts to conquer and I hope to get those done sometime this weekend.

But.......these two will be here. Doesn't bode well for extra time. They're our high-falutin lawyer friends from Dallas and boy-howdie do we have a great time with them! They've helped my husband's companies out on more than one occasion so there's usually lots of business talk, which is when I politely keep my mouth shut, chug my wine and act like I know what they're talking about!! It's all good.

But my intention is to get caught up before Labor Day. There.....I put that in writing.



But on to the White Pizza. I have to admit right up front that I cheated on the dough. Why would I spend time making pizza dough when all I have to do is walk up to the pizza counter at Whole Foods and ask for a little bit of theirs? It's a little like pie crust to me! I'll make it from scratch someday.....maybe.

As you can see, I grilled these. L.o.v.e. me some grilled pizza. I don't think I'll ever buy pizza shop pizza again. Other than the fact that my kitchen looks like a cyclone went through it when I make them, grilled pizza's are perfection. I really should have taken a picture of my kitchen. I don't know what it is, but I can make a huuuuuuge mess.



These are really good. I wish I would have used a little more goat cheese and a little less mozzarella because that tangy bite of goat cheese mixed with the crispy crust and spicy arugula was pure heaven.

You must try these. You don't have to grill them....you can bake them on a pizza stone in your oven....but if you've never grilled pizza before, you really should try it. I'll bet you can do it with a lot less mess than I can!

Thanks to Andrea for the pick. Sorry I didn't get it done on time!

Here's the recipe:



White Pizzas with Arugula
Recipe courtesy Ina Garten for Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110) water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
Good olive oil
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, sliced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For the topping:
3 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (8 ounces)
1 1/2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese (7 ounces)
11 ounces creamy goat cheese, such as montrachet, crumbled
For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces baby arugula
1 lemon, sliced


Directions:

Mix the dough.

Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.

Knead by hand.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic.

Let it rise.

Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Make garlic oil.

Place 1/2 cup of olive oil, the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is clean!)

Portion the dough.

Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place the doughs on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Stretch the dough.

Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.)

Top the dough.

Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil, and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with fontina, mozzarella and goat cheese. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Make the vinaigrette.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1/2 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Add the greens.

When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and a slice of lemon and serve immediately.

TIP Make sure the bowl is warm before you put the water and yeast in; the water must be warm for the yeast to develop.

TIP Salt inhibits the growth of yeast; add half the flour, then the salt, and then the rest of the flour.

TIP To make sure yeast is still "alive," or active, put it in water and allow it to sit for a few minutes. If it becomes creamy or foamy, it's active.


No comments:

Post a Comment