Marion Square Pizza Recipes

MARION SQUARE PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400o F. Toss eggplant with salt in colander; allow to drain in sink 30-45 minutes. Pat with dry paper towels to remove excess salt and moisture. Coat an 11"x16" baking sheet with Pam®. Spread eggplant in a single layer and spray with additional Pam®. Sprinkle evenly with pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Bake at 400o for 25 minutes or until just done.
• While eggplant cooks, toast walnuts in dry pan on stove over medium heat until just golden. Cool to room temperature. Combine spinach, basil, chopped garlic, ¼ teaspoons salt, and walnuts in a small chopper or blender. Pulse at low speed until greens are chopped. While processor is running, stream in olive oil. Continue to pulse until mixture forms spreadable sauce. Refrigerate until eggplant is finished cooking.
• After eggplant is done, increase oven temperature to 425o. Prepare pizza crust mix as directed. Coat a 10"x14" baking sheet with Pam® Cooking Spray. Spread dough to edges of sheet, forming a rough rectangle. Bake at 425o for 5 minutes. Remove crust from oven. Spread pesto over top of crust to 1" from edge (there will be some pesto left over). Scatter onions, peppers, and roasted eggplant over pesto (depending on the size of the eggplant, there may be some left over). Top with ¾ cup Mozzarella cheese. Return to oven and bake for and additional 12-15 minutes, until cheese just melts and crust is brown on bottom. Remove from oven. Scatter shrimp over top of pizza. Top with remaining Mozzarella cheese. Continue baking for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted and shrimp are heated through.

JIM LAHEY'S NO-KNEAD PIZZA MARGHERITA

Steps:

• To make dough: In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast, and salt. Add water and stir until blended (the dough will be very sticky). Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 12 to 24 hours in a warm spot, about 70 degrees.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle the top with flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Shape the dough into 3 or 4 balls, depending on how thick you want the crust. Generously sprinkle a clean cotton towel with flour and cover the dough with it. Let the dough rise for 2 hours.
• To make sauce: Blanch tomato for 5 seconds in boiling water and quickly remove. Allow to cool to the touch. Peel the skin with your hands and quarter the tomato. Remove the jelly and seeds, and reserve in a strainer or fine sieve. Strain the jelly to remove seeds, and combine resulting liquid in a bowl with the flesh of the tomatoes. Proceed to crush the tomatoes with your hands. Add salt and olive oil and stir.
• To make pizza: Place pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat on high broil. Stretch or toss the dough into a disk approximately 10 inches in diameter. Pull rack out of oven and place the dough on top of the preheated pizza stone. Drizzle 5 generous tablespoons of sauce over the dough, and spread evenly. Try to keep the sauce about ½ inch away from the perimeter of the dough. Break apart or slice the buffalo mozzarella and arrange over the dough. Return rack and pizza stone to the middle of the oven and broil for approximately 6 minutes. Remove and top with basil, olive oil, and salt.