Fontina and Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula

Ahhhhrugula! I think I’ve decided that if I were going to eat one food for the rest of my life it’d be pizza. I love all sorts of crazy toppings and I have learned a thing or two.

I was partially inspired by the last pretty authentic neopolitan pizza I’ve had lately (Antico Forno) when I dreamed this one up. I also was feeling a salad-y topped pizza for a change too. It’s nicely springy and would even be a good vehicle for any leftover Easter ham you have kicking around!
arugula_pizza_arugula_590_390

Ingredients:

pizza dough
1 tbs chopped garlic
3 tbs olive oil
2 cups shredded fontina
4-6 slices of prosciutto
3 cups arugula
drizzle of truffle oil
¼ cup with shaved Parmesan

Directions:

Pre-bake the crust for 15 minutes at 425 degrees.
arugula_pizza_dough_590_390
Top with cheese and garlic/olive oil mixture brushed on crust. Return to the oven until melted (about 5 minutes)
arugula_pizza_bottom_590_390
Once out of the oven, top with slices of prosciutto
arugula_proscuitto_590_390
Then top with arugula tossed with truffle oil
arugula_slice_590_390

It was good, and different. I liked the few quality ingredients. The prosciutto was salty and the fontina was googy and nutty. By not cooking the prosciutto, it kept it really soft and bite-able.
arugula_pizza_cheese_590_390
I actually didn’t top the whole thing since obviously it was going to be lunch the next day. It reheated well too!

Homemade Pizza Techniques

Here’s a short bite for ya on this holiday…

As you either know, or as you can tell, I’m pizza obsessed. I don’t always order it but I love it in all forms and I’ve messed around with it a lot. It is still a work in progress but as I was adjusting to my oven, you saw this pizza go wayyy too far in the oven. Here’s my latest, greatest, tip for crunchy crust at home.

are you ready???

Prebake the dough a bit!

I put the dough onto my hot pizza stone and baked it a bit (5 minutes or so) before I topped it and put it back in! That’s how it came out looking like this:
pizza_recreation_whole_590_390
rather than like last time when it looked like this:
neopolitan_pizza_2_590_390 The crust didn’t crisp enough and the cheese was starting to basically disintegrate. Forget about the basil, that was toast…literally.

So, my latest greatest technique proved itself and I was psyched. It probably needed a minute less to not look like the fake-n-bake bimbo of the pizza world.

It might not be like the true neopolitan pizza of Naples, it is by far my latest success!
pizza_recreation_590_390

I sure am thankful for this holiday today. My office’s Valentine’s Day potluck is burning a whole in my pocket!

Old Stove

Antico Forno: this restaurant named for the “old stove” warmed my heart. I love the North End in Boston and I love improptu date nights even more! We had a deal gift certificate that was on the verge of expiring and it was such a treat to have such a fun dinner on a weeknight! Mr. J had heard their pizza was pretty authentically Neopolitan and ever since the honeymoon pizza he’s been as obsessed about pizza as I always have been!

We started by sharing a salad. It was awesome and plenty to share. It had field greens, goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, grilled zucchini stuffed with goat cheese, and a crispy flat bread…kind of like flattened focaccia.
antico_forno_salad_590_390
I can take or leave goat cheese so I didn’t think the zucchini needed to be stuffed with it since it was crumbled on top too, but the salad was good. The zucchini was a great addition to make this salad a bit more special.

Then we split 2 pizzas…and took a lot home. I blame the addicting flattened focaccia for filling us up.

We got one margahrita. We had to compare it to pizzas of Italy.
antico_forno_marg2_590_390
The other was called Vesuvio. This pizza had homemade mozzarella, roasted peppers, ricotta, tomatoes, and sliced prosciutto.
antico_forno_pros_590_390
Check out the good stuff under this to-die-for-pizza. The ricotta was sweet and creamy. The prosciutto was perfectly salty and not tough at all.
antico_forno_pros_in_590_390
We ended the evening with a race to the train. Literally. We began realizing that since we had hurried over there, we were actually ending the meal basically in time for the earlier train. The later train would mean we needed to kill some time with a drink or whatever.

Somehow we made it. We ran outside to cross the street and enthusiastically hailed a cab. Theoretically we shouldn’t have made it in time but the red lights our cab ran through became a blur and we were on our train home. Whew.

Mashed Potato Pizza Pie

I had to! I’ve been remembering the Pizzaria Uno’s “Pizza Skins” aka deep dish pizza with mashed potatoes and all the fixings ever since I first made a sliced potato pizza last year.
potato_slice_590_390

All my stars aligned when I was thinking what I could make for dinner without having to grocery shop. I live to avoid grocery shopping. I had a frozen ball of dough, a scant amount of cheddar cheese, a bag of potatoes, and of course I always have bacon!

Ingredients

1 ball of pizza dough (I used wheat here)
2 large potatoes
2 tbs butter
2 tbs cream cheese
1 cup cheddar, shredded
2 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions

Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
Prepare mashed potatoes (I mix mine with butter and cream cheese and I left some chunks).
potato_whipped_590_390
Spread pizza dough into a circular cake pan or deep dish pizza pan. (I spread some jarred pesto, but it’s not crucial.)
potato_crust_590_390
Layer with half the cheddar cheese and half the bacon.
potato_filling_590_390
Carefully spread mashed potatoes.
potato_filled_590_390
Bake for 40 minutes until edges of dough are crisping.
Immediately after removing from oven, top with remaining cheese and bacon.
potato_pie_590_390

I liked this one. I thought it was fun and different with comforting flavors. I would have used more cheese if I had it. Sour cream, ranch dressing, or scallions would have been fun additions as well.

Since Mr. J and I would easily consume more bacon than our bodies neeeeeed, I freeze it in 2 strip packets (2 strips = 1 serving) and usually label it as maple, thick cut, etc. If I don’t, a lot seems to disappear between the pan and our plates. Unfortunately I hadn’t labeled my bacon so it was a gamble coming out of the freezer and turns out it was maple. That made it a tiny bit weird. Whatev…we ate it anyway.

You could make itty bitty ones in muffin tins for single size portions! These would be so cute for a tailgating party etc. You could also stretch it a lot further if you made a regular flat pizza, rather than a deep dish.
potato_slice_590_390

Cost (be prepared to be amazed)

Mashed Potato Pizza

pizza dough: $1.50
2 potatoes: $1.58
1 cup shredded cheddar: $0.93
2 slices of bacon: $0.49
total = $4.50 for the pizza (=$1.12 per serving)

Yes, folks, $1.12 per serving (I assumed you had butter and cream cheese is optional). Can’t beat that Uno’s can ya?! (Ha! Theirs half the size is $9.49 near me!)

 

 

Pizza Recreation

Back when I went to the pizza class, I felt surprised so many people there don’t make pizza regularly. I’ve never had a pizza catastrophe so I wasn’t sure what the big scare was. Until now. Dun Dun Dunnnn!
neopolitan_pizza_done_590_390Mr. J and I were so excited to recreate the AMAZING Neapolitan pizza we had in Naples. Remember that? I like thick, puffy, and crispy crust (and usually I’m in a hurry) so I don’t stretch the dough out all that much. When dough is cold is does that elasticy bounce-back even when you have stretched it out. It isn’t as sticky when it’s cold. Guess what happened when I tried for thinner than I’ve ever done.
neopolitan_pizza_dough_590_390
Bahhh. I was getting frustrated so Mr. J swooped in and saved the day. That’s how badly he wanted this pizza! Our rolling pin was MIA so he used the next handiest thing. It was cold which probably helped too.
neopolitan_pizza_champ_390_590

Ingredients

pizza dough
tomato sauce (I used Pastene’s Kitchen Ready tomatoes)
fresh mozzarella, sliced
basil leaves

Directions

Preheat oven and pizza stone to 450 degrees (mine takes forever so I whipped up some fried ravioli while I was waiting!)
neopolitan_pizza_rav_590_390
Roll out dough to the thinnest you can get without holes and place onto pizza stone or pan.
Spread tomato sauce onto dough
neopolitan_pizza_sauce_590_390
Layer mozzarella slices on and sprinkle basil on top.
neopolitan_pizza_layered_590_390
Bake 15 minutes or until outer crust is crunchy and cheese melts.

It was really delicious. I think because it was so think I had trouble crisping the edges without destroying the cheese. I thought maybe next time I’d pre-cook the crust for a few minutes. Or maybe I’ll cover the middle with foil and try to crisp the crusts a bit. Maybe I’ll throw the basil on when it’s almost cooked.
neopolitan_pizza_ab_590_390
Ms. C is prob in her glory with all the pizza I’ve had lately and what is still to come! But man, I just can’t compete with a 700-degree brick pizza oven!

This pizza is so simple so the ingredients are super important to shine through. I love this tomato sauce because it doesn’t have any water, just tomatoes and some tomato puree. It’s our new sauce at home now.
neopolitan_pizza_ingred_590_390
Since I haven’t quite mastered the Neopolitan pizza, where do you suggest I get one in Boston/greater Boston? Any tips on making my own? Don’t be bashful now!