I teach culinary arts at a public high school in Los Angeles. Last semester we focused on an introduction to Foods and Nutrition. This semester the course is International Foods. Last week we made margherita pizza, named in honor of Queen Margherita by an Italian chef in the late 1800's who created the pizza using the colors of the Italian flag; green basil, red tomatoes, and white mozzarella. I love how these turned out. The students made their own pizza dough, brushed with a garlic infused olive oil, also made during class, and topped it with fresh, locally grown tomatoes, basil and just enough mozzarella cheese for flavor. Not a single slice went to waste. The recipe is below, along with some beautiful pictures of the students' creations.
Margherita Pizza
ReplyDeleteDough Ingredients
2t sugar
2-1/4 t yeast
3/4 C very warm water
2 C flour
1/2 t salt
2 t olive oil
Directions
Mix sugar, yeast and water. Let stand 5 minutes. Combine with salt and flour and knead in mixer until smooth and elastic (about 6 minutes). Make into ball and coat with oil. Cover and let rise, about 30 minutes, or place in open plastic freezer bag to rise and refrigerate 1-2 days.
Topping
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
10 Leaves fresh basil, chiffonade cut
3/4 C Shredded mozzarella cheese
1-2 T Olive oil
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Form dough into a 12-14" circle on lightly floured surface. Brush with olive oil. Add single layer of sliced tomatoes on the dough and sprinkle with basil. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15 minutes until crust is golden brown.