Pizza with Ricotta, Zucchini, Olives and Provolone
We have so much fun with pizza, there was a period that we had that we were predictable with our pizza toppings, making the same one every time. In the beginning my husband only wanted to make margheritas, but I poo pooed that since homemade pizza needs to be jazzed up a bit. We’ve become lazy and stopped making our own dough, with the humidity in Charleston it doesn’t rise properly, even with the air conditioner blasting 24/7. I still make my own bread, it is dense and heats up the house, but it is so much better than any other bread I have found in this city.
The fun thing about our pizzas lately is that we are making them in the same way that I’ll make a pasta, with what I have on hand and what needs to be eaten from the fridge. I hate letting things go to waste and with the abundance of vegetables from our CSA that unfortunately happens more frequently than I would like.
Pizza with Ricotta, Zucchini, Olives and Provolone
- basic pizza dough (recipe below)
- 1 cup of ricotta
- freshly ground pepper
- 2 large zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup of olives, kalamata, gaeta, any pungent black olive will work
- 4-6 slices of provolone cheese, cut into pieces
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil to fry the zucchini
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and left whole
Preheat oven to 425° at least 30 minutes prior to baking the pizza.
Wash and thinly slice zucchini. Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in an 8-inch frying pan over medium-high heat and add the whole cloves of garlic. When garlic starts to sizzle add slices of zucchini. Sauté zucchini over high heat for about five minutes or until they start to brown, lower heat to a medium flame. You need to make sure to turn the zucchini frequently so that they don’t burn. When they are perfectly golden, remove from the heat.
Stretch or toss the dough into the desired shape. Cover first with the ricotta, spreading it over the dough, sprinkle freshly ground pepper over the ricotta to your liking. Top with fried zucchini, black olives and provolone. Bake on top of a cookie sheet or a very hot pizza stone. Bake for about 10 minutes, checking frequently, when the pizza is golden in color and starting to bubble it is ready. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.
Basic Pizza Dough from Naples at Table, Cooking in Campania
- 1 envelope dried yeast (2½ tsp)
- 1 cup warm water
- 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ cup warm water
- (We added a tsp of sugar to the dough, gives something to the yeast to feed on)
In a 2-cup glass measure, with a table fork, dissolve the yeast in the 1 cup of warm water. Stir in ½ cup of flour, cover with a clean dishtowel and let it stand until the mixture foams up to about double – to 2 cups – about 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine 3½ cups of the flour with the salt. Stir in the yeast mixture and the remaining ½ cup of warm water. Stir until the dough masses together. Gather the dough into a ball and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead, folding and turning the dough onto itself, then pushing it away from you with the heel of your hand, about 10 to 12 minutes, adding, little by little, just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Be careful not to add too much flour or too much at one time. When you have finished, the dough should not stick to the board; it should be smooth, silken, slightly damp on the surface, and very elastic. Dust the dough lightly all over with flour and place in a bowl to rise, covered with a clean dishtowel, for about 1 hour, or until it has slightly more than doubled in bulk.
Two Years Ago: Okra Sautéed with Tomatoes and Garlic alla Napoletana & Carbonara with a Twist
Italicious 