Mom a la Mode’s Pizza Margherita

Earlier this week, my Facebook Fan Page was all a flutter thanks to the many new folks who LIKED the mom a la mode page, propelling it over 400 LIKES.  As a way to say THANKS, I hosted a virtual pizza party featuring this here homemade Pizza Margherita:

I thought you might like the recipe so you can also enjoy this pizza physically, in the comfort of your own home.  What’s a better supper on a Friday than fresh, homemade pizza…and maybe a glass (or two!) of Chianti??

Just a few notes: I’m not a fan of fresh basil on my pizza because I don’t like the consistency of it once it gets heated up by the oven.  But Pizza Margherita traditionally incorporates basil (the colors of Italy are represented in this pie — read more on that, here).  Also, I use  some pizza sauce where the traditional receipe typically just calls for fresh tomato.  While we’re on the topic of sauce — I do make my own (it’s a cinch!) but of course, you can use a canned or jarred variety if pressed for time.  Just do me a favor and kick it up a notch by adding a sprinkle or two of oregano, will ya?

I’m just getting the hang of handling fresh pizza dough.  I strive to be more like my dad and my friend Jude, who both exhibit a pizza dough handling prowess that I’ve yet to master.  The key, I’ve learned,  is to let the dough get to room temperature, make sure that it’s kissed by some olive oil and some loving hands coated with flour.  And then it’s a negotiation — pushing and pulling, giving and taking and just stretching the hell out of that dough until it fits the confines of your pan.

Let’s talk about pans for a hot second: my husband bought me this amazing round nonstick “crispy crust pizza pan” from Williams-Sonoma for Christmas this past year (romantic, right?) And I LOVE it.  It cooks evenly, cleans easily and is well-constructed.  But I also use a jelly roll pan for “Sicilian” style pizzas and find that the non-stick variety works best.

Last side note: this pizza is *awesome* when cooked on the grill.  YES the GRILL! I was first introduced to grilled pizza many years ago at Fresco by Scotto, a well-known Italian restaurant in midtown Manhattan.  You literally cook the pizza directly on the grill grates — no pan.  Check back here in the summer and I’ll do a post on this.  Promise.  Let me just get my dough-handling skills under control….

Mom a la Mode’s Pizza Margherita©

Ingredients:

1 package of fresh pizza dough (available at grocery store, Italian food shop like Pastosa or just buy a fresh dough from your local pizza place)
1 Fresh Mozzarella Ball (in liquid), sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
3-4 Campari tomatoes, sliced
1 cup pizza sauce* (see recipe below)
2 sprigs dried Sicilian Oregano (or a shake or two of oregano from your spice rack)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Flour
Fresh Basil (optional)

Steps:

A few hours before you actually want to make your pizza, you have to have your fresh dough sit on your countertop in a bowl, with a drizzle of olive oil, and covered by a clean, dry kitchen towel.  This will likely take about 2 hours for it to be at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Once dough is at room temp, flour your hands and lightly flour your pizza pan.  Stretch dough to fit pizza pan, pushing and pulling without tearing it.  (If you do get a tear, it’s usually pretty easy to repair with a tiny bit of olive oil and a little more stretching/patching.)

Ladle some sauce onto the stretched-out dough and top with sliced Campari tomatoes and fresh mozzarella slices.

Sprinkle some dried oregano and drizzle with a tiny bit of Olive Oil.

Bake for 20 minutes or until desired doneness (some like it more dough-y, others like it more well done), turning the pan half-way through cooking process.

Remove from oven and give the pizza about 5 minutes or so to rest before cutting with a pizza wheel.

Enjoy!

*Mom a la Mode’s Homemade Pizza Sauce© Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 can crushed tomatoes (I like Tuttorosso brand)
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 TBSPS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
Fresh ground pepper and salt
3-4 Fresh Basil leaves if available

Steps:
In a heavy-bottom pot, heat olive oil and add garlic over medium-high heat, stirring so that garlic cooks but does not burn.  Add canned tomatoes, and a little bit of water (use the tomato can), sugar, oregano, pepper and salt.  Cook for 5 minutes or until comes to boil.  Lower heat to a simmer and add basil.  Let cook for 45 minutes.  Can also be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated or frozen until ready to use.

{The recipes in this post are original recipes of Mom a la Mode’s. Please feel free to share with others, but kindly include credit to Mom a la Mode (http://momalamode.net) if printing, posting via social media, sharing electronically, etc. I was not compensated monetarily for this post.  As always, all opinions expressed in this post are solely mine.}