Fennel and Sweet Onion Pizza with Green Olives

 

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 package active dry yeast ( 1/4 ounce)

• 1 teaspoon honey

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

• 1/2 cup brown ale

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Toppings:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

• 1 fennel bulb, cut into 8 wedges

• 1/4 cup dry white wine

• 1/4 cup Pernod

• 1 cup chicken stock

• Salt

• Freshly ground pepper

• 1 very large sweet onion, thinly sliced

• 1 pound shredded Trugole or fresh Asiago cheese

• 8 large pitted green Sicilian olives, coarsely chopped

• Basil leaves, for garnish

Preparation:

Make Dough:

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the yeast, honey and 1/4 cup of warm water. Let stand until foaming, about 4 minutes. Add the 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and the whole-wheat flour, ale, olive oil, salt and 1/2 cup of water and mix at medium speed until a smooth dough forms, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead for 2 minutes. Lightly oil the bowl, return the dough to it and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until very billowy, about 1 hour.

Make Toppings: 

1. In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the fennel and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until lightly browned, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the wine and Pernod. Return the pan to moderate heat and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock to the skillet. Cover and simmer over moderately low heat, turning the fennel once, until very tender and the liquid is nearly evaporated, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the fennel to a cutting board and coarsely chop it.

2. Meanwhile, in another skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring once or twice, until softened, about 3 minutes. Uncover and cook until the onion is caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water to the skillet to prevent scorching.

3. Preheat the oven to 500°. Preheat a pizza stone as close to the oven bottom as possible for 20 minutes. Punch down the dough and divide it into 4 balls. Set the balls on an oiled baking sheet and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let stand for 15 minutes.

4. On a floured surface, roll or stretch one dough ball to a 10-inch round. Set the round on a floured pizza peel, shaking it gently so it doesn't stick. Brush the edge of the dough with oil. Add one-fourth of the cheese, followed by one-fourth each of the braised fennel, caramelized onion and olives. Slide the pizza onto the stone and bake until bubbling on top and the crust is deeply golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the pizza to a cutting board, sprinkle with basil and cut into wedges. Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.

foodandwine.com

Sunchoke Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 sunchoke
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh rosemary 
• Large pinch or two shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano 
• 2 to 3 whole leaves lacinato kale, stems trimmed 
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Salt
• One 12- to 13-ounce ball your favorite pizza dough
• All-purpose flour, for dusting
• Small handful shredded whole-milk mozzarella (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
• Small handful shredded fontina Val d'Aosta cheese (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
• Creme fraiche or thinned down sour cream, for drizzling 

Instructions:

1. Heat your oven as high as it will go (500 to 600 degrees F) with a pizza stone set on the bottom floor for 30 minutes before cooking the pizza.
2. Slice the sunchoke as thinly as possible with a mandolin into a bowl. (You should get enough pieces to make a thin layer that covers the whole pie.) Toss together the rosemary, Parmigiano-Reggiano, kale, a generous dash of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt, coating everything evenly and massaging the kale to soften it up. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary.
3. Stretch out the dough into a 12-inch round, first pinching a hearty edge for the crust, then gently stretching to reach 12 inches. Generously flour a pizza peel and lay down the round. Quickly lay down the mozzarella, then an even layer of the sunchokes, followed by the kale. The kale should not cover the pie evenly like the sunchokes, but add an accent of color and crunchiness. Top the pie with the fontina and slide onto the pizza stone.
4. Cook until the pie is evenly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Pull the pie onto a flat metal pie pan or the underside of a baking sheet so it's easy to slide off onto a cutting board. Cut the pie into 6 even pieces and drizzle with creme fraiche.

https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/sunchoke-pizza-2060358

Pizza With Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, Basil, and Mozzarella

Ingredients:

1 recipe Neapolitan Pizza Dough, or 2 pounds store-bought pizza dough
1 (14-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
Kosher salt
1 pound fresh mozzarella, torn into rough chunks and drained
8 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 pints cherry tomatoes, split in half
4 to 6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
24 fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Divide dough into four even parts and place each in a covered quart-sized deli container or in a zipper-lock freezer bag. Allow to rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours before baking. Transfer tomatoes to a medium bowl and roughly crush by hand. Season to taste with salt and set aside.

Adjust oven rack to 6 inches under broiler and place stone or steel on rack. Preheat oven to highest possible temperature (500 or 550°F) for at least 45 minutes. Alternatively, use Kettle Pizza and Baking Steel grill insert.

When ready to bake, turn single dough ball out onto lightly flour surface. Gently press out dough into rough 8-inch circle, leaving outer 1-inch higher than the rest. Gently stretch dough into a 10 to 12-inch circle about 1/4-inch thick by draping over knuckles and gently stretching. Transfer to floured wooden pizza peel.

Preheat broiler to high. Spread thin layer of sauce over pizza, followed by 1/4 of mozzarella. Spread 1/4 of garlic slices, 1/4 of cherry tomatoes, and 1/4 of Parmesan evenly over pizza. Sprinkle lightly with salt, add 6 basil leaves, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.

Transfer pizza to hot stone or steel and broil until edges are puffed and lightly charred and bottom is crisp, rotating regularly for even cooking, 3 to 6 minutes total. Retrieve pizza with a metal peel and transfer to a cutting board. Slice and serve immediately. Meanwhile, switch oven back to 550°F to reheat stone for remaining pizzas.

Repeat steps 4 through 6 for remaining pizzas.

Recipe source