Saturday, April 28, 2012

Grilled Pizzetta with Ricotta, Sausage, Arugula & Chili Oil

For the Chili Oil:
5-6 Fresno chili peppers roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups EVOO

Bring the chilies and oil to a simmer in a small saucepan; remove from the heat and let the peppers steep in the oil for at least an hour or until the dough has risen and you're ready to make the pizzas. This can be done WAY in advance.

For the Dough (can use pre-packaged dough for time convenience):
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. EVOO, plus more for the bowl

While the oil steeps (look at your multitasking!), combine the yeast, sugar, and 1/2 cup warm (NOT HOT!) water in a small bowl. Stir to combine and let sit for 10-15 minutes until foamy and yeasty-smelling.
Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl; make a well in the center of the flour and add the EVOO and the yeast mixture. Using a fork, stir until the flour and liquids are well combined. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured, clean work surface and kneed until smooth and elastic (6-7 min.). Lightly coat the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size (about 1 hour).
When the dough is ready, portion it into 6 golf-ball-size pieces. Dust a work surface with flour and roll each piece of dough into a rectangle (or whatever shape you like). If you're not using the dough right away, wrap each ball individually in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Pizza Topping and assembly:
EVOO
1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 lb. ricotta (or other mild creamy cheese, such as stracchino, fontina, or taleggio) at room temp.
1 bunch arugula

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and preheat the grill.
Coat a large saute pan with oil, add the sausage, and bring to medium heat. Cook the sausage until brown (10-15 min.). Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.
Brush the grill with oil and arrange each piece of dough on the grill; you might need to work in batches here. Grill until the dough is stiff and crisp and has lovely grill marks on it, the flip and repeat on the second side, moving occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn (OR, if you want to skip the grill, just put the rolled out dough on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until semi-cooked)
Put the pizzas on baking sheets, schmear each with some ricotta, top with sausage, and put as many pizzas as will comfortably fit in the oven; bake until the cheese has melted (5-7 min.). Again, you may have to work in batches. Remove the pizzas from the oven, top with arugula, and drizzle with the deliciously spicy chili oil.


*Recipe courtesy of Anne Burrell, Cook Like A Rock Star, p. 71

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