Arugula Ricotta And Smoked Mozzarella Pizza Recipes

ULTIMATE ARUGULA PIZZA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, yeast, kosher salt, oregano and garlic powder. Add the warm water and olive oil and stir until flour is incorporated.
• Knead the dough by pushing with the base of your palm, then reforming it into a ball. Continue kneading for 8 minutes until the dough feels pillowy and has a smooth, stretchy exterior. If the dough is very sticky, add a small amount of flour while kneading. Alternatively: attach the dough hook to a stand mixer and start the mixer on medium-low speed, then allow the mixer to knead for 8 minutes.
• Using floured hands, gently shape the dough into a boule (ball shape) by folding the dough under itself. Add a light sprinkle of flour to the boule. Then roll out dough on floured surface to roughly the shape of the 13×18 sheet pan. Brush 3 tablespoons olive oil on the bottom and sides of a standard 13″x 18″ sheet pan. Add the dough and brush it lightly with oil. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes to relax the dough.
• Press the dough back into the corners of the pan so it evenly covers the pan. Cover and rest 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 500F.
• After the 45 minute rest, bake the pizza dough for 6 minutes without sauce and toppings.
• Remove the dough from the oven. Add the pizza sauce, smoked mozzarella, fresh mozzarella (torn into pieces), and Parmesan cheese, and top with a few pinches of kosher salt. Take care, since the pan will be hot! Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly brown.
• In a small bowl, mix the baby arugula with the olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Sprinkle the pizza with torn basil, then add the arugula on top. Cut into pieces with a knife (a pizza cutter doesn't get all the way to the pan edges) and serve immediately.

SPAGHETTI WITH ASPARAGUS, SMOKED MOZZARELLA AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Cook the asparagus in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. With a spider or slotted spoon, remove asparagus from boiling water to a bowl of ice water to cool and stop the cooking. When cool, strain, cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces, and set aside.
• Return the water in the pot to a boil, adding additional water, if necessary. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
• Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add asparagus to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the pasta, and if needed, some of the reserved cooking liquid. Toss to coat. Add the prosciutto, mozzarella, and basil, and toss to combine. Turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

ARUGULA-PROSCIUTTO PIZZA

Steps:

• Place a pizza stone or upside-down baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a cornmeal-dusted pizza peel or another upside-down baking sheet; slide the dough onto the hot pizza stone or baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl with the garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Remove the pizza from the oven, brush with the olive oil mixture and top with the ricotta and mozzarella. Return the pizza to the oven; bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 6 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss the arugula and shallot in a large bowl with the lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Top the pizza with the arugula salad, prosciutto and shaved parmesan. Cut into slices.

SMOKED MOZZARELLA AND RICOTTA FRITTERS

Steps:

• For the Fritters: In a small bowl combine the ricotta, smoked mozzarella, salt, and pepper. In another bowl pour the panko. In a third bowl lightly beat the eggs. Put the flour in a fourth bowl. Line a tray with parchment paper.
• Scoop a 1 1/2 tablespoon ball of the cheese mixture into the flour and roll to coat. Transfer the ball to the eggs and roll to coat. Transfer the cheese ball to the panko and again roll to coat. Transfer the ball to the parchment-lined tray. Continue with the remaining cheese mixture.
• Meanwhile heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a large skillet to 350 degrees F. Fry fritters in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with thyme. Serve warm with Balsamic Dipping Sauce.
• For the Balsamic Dipping Sauce: Combine the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, and honey in a blender. Blend until combined. Add the oil in a steady stream while the machine is running. Season with the salt and pepper. Serve in a small bowl alongside the fritters.

ARUGULA AND PROSCIUTTO PIZZA WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS, RICOTTA, AND BALSAMIC GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500°F. Place a 12-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven to preheat for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in another large cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Stretch the pizza dough out into a 12-inch round. In the preheated cast-iron skillet, drizzle some oil, then add the dough round.
• Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Spread the ricotta on top and season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes.
• When the pizza comes out, mix the melted butter, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Brush it along the crust of the pizza. Tear the prosciutto into small pieces or strips and place on top. Top with the arugula and caramelized onions. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze, then top with shaved Parmesan cheese.
• Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 8 slices to serve.
• In a small bowl, stir together the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add the flour to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Sprinkle the salt over the flour and mix on low speed for 15 seconds to distribute the salt.
• Add the olive oil, room-temperature water, and yeast mixture and mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes, then increase the speed to medium and mix until a ball of dough forms, about 5 minutes.
• Spray a medium bowl lightly with cooking spray. Shape the dough into a ball and set it in the bowl seam side down. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm area until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• When the dough is almost risen, place a cast-iron pizza stone on the center rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F.
• When the dough has risen, remove the plastic wrap and push down on the dough to release the gases and bubbles. Shape it into a ball. (If using the dough later, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. The dough will slowly proof during that time. Once you're ready to use it, set it out for 30 minutes to come to room temperature.)
• Spread a piece of parchment paper about 1 1/2-feet long on a work surface. Stretch the dough into a 14-inch round on the parchment.
• Top with your favorite toppings. Carefully pull the oven rack with the pizza stone halfway out of the oven and transfer the parchment and pizza dough to the stone.
• Bake until the crust is golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and cut into 8 slices to serve.

PIZZA WITH ARUGULA AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven with pizza stone in it to 525 degrees. Shape a pizza, and let it rise a second time. When ready to cook, sprinkle a pizza peel with cornmeal. Carefully place the pizza on the paddle. Inside the rim, arrange the mozzarella slices evenly. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon of the coarse salt. Sprinkle cornmeal on pizza stone in oven. Slide pizza onto pizza stone. Bake 6 minutes. (If a softer crust is desired, dab rim with moistened brush after 3 minutes, and then cook 3 minutes more.) Remove, and immediately scatter the arugula on the cheese. Sprinkle on the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of coarse salt. Drizzle oil over all and serve immediately.
• In a small bowl or coffee cup mix together the milk and water. Sprinkle in the dry yeast, or crumble the fresh yeast in your hand and mix it into the liquid. Stir once, and let sit in a warm place until there is considerable foam on the top, about 10 to 20 minutes. (If your mixture doesn't foam up at least a little, the yeast wasn't fresh. Buy more and start over.) In a large bowl combine the sifted flours with the salt. Mix well. Spill the foaming yeast mixture into the bowl and, working with a wooden spoon, mix together rapidly. Smooth out as many yeast clumps as possible during this stage. Your dough at this point will be very wet. Dust a work surface with flour. Add a little flour, about 1/4 cup, to the dough in the mixing bowl. This should enable you to scrape the dough together and place it on the floured surface. Add more flour if necessary. Begin kneading the dough on the work surface with your hands and adding Tipo 00 flour or cake flour, 1/4 cup at first, less and less as you proceed. While you are kneading, at first the dough will probably stick to the work surface and your hands. Don't worry. Keep kneading and adding more flour. But don't lose patience and add too much. Add slowly. The goal is to create dough that is just past sticky; in fact, when it is finished, it should be threatening to stick to the work surface. You may even want to work with a spatula to remove the dough from the surface if it sticks slightly. All-together, kneading time should be about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, silky, and just past stickiness. Do not end up with very dry, very stable dough. Lightly oil the bottom of a large bowl with the olive oil. Form the dough into a ball. Place the dough in the bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a spot that's room temperature, neither warm nor cool. In 2 hours or so, the dough should double in size. Cut the dough into 4 quarters. Place 1 quarter on a floured surface, pulling it gently into a round as you place it on the surface. Your goal is a round pizza that is 6 to 7 inches in diameter, approximately 1/4-inch thick, except at the rim where it should be about 3/8 inch thick. Use one of the following means to achieve this: * Pull it from the outer edges until the desired shape is reached. * Working it with your fingertips, push toward the rim, until the center is 1/4 inch thick and the rim is 3/8 inch thick. * Do it pizzeria style by placing the dough on your 2 fists, and revolving it on your fists until it has widened to the desired shape (be careful not to tear the dough at the center). * Use these techniques in combination.
• Do not roll your dough out. Don't worry if your pizza isn't perfectly round; there's much to be said for rusticity. If your pizza doesn't have much of a rim, use your fingertips to crimp the dough and build a small one around the circumference; this is called the cornicione. If your pizza dough has a tear in it, transplant a small piece of dough, smoothing it in. Run a wide spatula under the pizza to make sure you'll be able to move it easily off the surface later; add extra flour underneath if it's sticking. Repeat this process until all 4 pizzas are shaped. Place towels loosely over the pizzas as soon as they're shaped. Let each pizza rest for at least 10 minutes and up to 60 minutes before cooking. The pizzas should puff very slightly.

GRILLED PIZZA WITH PROSCIUTTO, RICOTTA AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Finely grate the zest of the lemon; cut the lemon in half and reserve. Stir together the ricotta, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Set aside.
• Divide the pizza dough into 2 balls. Sprinkle the flour on a clean flat surface and roll each ball into an oval about 14 inches long, 6 or 7 inches across and between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the crusts to the prepared baking sheet. Brush both sides of each crust with olive oil, about 1 tablespoon per side, and lightly sprinkle with salt.
• Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the crusts until they start to puff and distinct grill marks appear, about 1 minute. Flip and cook until just cooked through, an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Discard the used parchment paper and put the finished crusts on the baking sheet.
• Immediately top each crust evenly with prosciutto. Place small dollops of the ricotta mixture over the prosciutto. Toss the arugula in a bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the juice of one of the lemon halves (reserve the other half for another use). Season with salt and pepper. Divide the arugula between the pizzas and serve.