eat make read

Yesterday I wrote about how all I want to do is cool off. There are only a few things that tempt me to turn that oven knob in an unair-conditioned kitchen in August. Pizza is one of them (sweets are another, but that’s a whole other story). This pizza is the perfect way to use all the delicious vegetables that are in their prime. Although it means turning the oven on, if there’s only two of you (like in my apartment) it also means leftovers so you don’t even have to think about dinner the next night.

Tomatoes are everywhere right now, even with the East coast tomato blight (everywhere except my poor fire escape garden… sighhh). I’ve been buying them up and making a super simple sauce with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. It’s great on this pizza, but also makes a great pasta sauce too. I wanted to the let the tomatoes to shine on this pizza, so I just added some dollops of fresh ricotta, some onion slices and jalepeño, my new favorite pizza topping. I also tried a new crust recipe that the ladies over on num num chronicles made during market week. A crust that includes honey is a crust for me.

After about 12 minutes in the oven, I pulled the pizza out to find a lovely golden, slightly puffy crust. Just the way I like it. I quickly turned the oven off and started cutting myself a slice. I don’t think there will ever be a time when pizza isn’t good, but this was a great way to enjoy it. The crust was baked just right, the tomatoes and onions held their own and the cheese, oh the cheese was like heaven in my mouth, all light and pillowy. But my favorite part of this pizza is the touch of spice from the jalepeño that keeps you on your toes. And while it’s not the same the next day, it’s still pretty darn good.

simple homemade tomato sauce
there aren’t really any rules to this recipe, just use it as a guideline. use as many tomatoes as you have. add herbs if you have them. get crazy!

tomatoes (I used plum)
garlic, smashed (use as many or as little as you’d like)
1 Tablespoon per 5 tomatoes

1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath and set aside.
2
Cut an X on the bottom of your tomatoes.
3
Place them in the boiling water for 15 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon and place in ice bath.
4
The skin should easily peel off.
5
Cut, core and seed the tomatoes.
6
Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Simmer for about 1/2 hour or until the tomatoes begin to break down and create a sauce. You may have to do a little smashing.

pizza crust
makes 2 big, fairly thick pizzas
adapted from num num chronicles

1 1/4 cups warm water
2 packages of dry yeast
1 Tbsp. honey
Good olive oil (we got ours from Brooklyn Larder and it has been worth every cent of those $22)
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
Kosher salt

toppings
tomato sauce (recipe above)
1 jalepeño, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
ricotta cheese

1
Combine the water, yeast, honey, and 3 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large bowl.
2
When yeast is dissolved, about 5 mintues, add 3 cups of the flour, then 2 tsp. salt, and mix. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make the dough soft. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl. Then turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic.
3
Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow it to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4
Dump the dough onto a board and divide into 2 equal pieces. Use immediately, refrigerate up to 4 hours or freeze.
5
Press dough into the shape of your choice and add tomato sauce, onions, cheese and pepper.
6
Bake for 10-12 minutes until crust is golden.