Three Cheese Pizzettas Recipes

THREE CHEESE PIZZA

Steps:

• Prep the ingredients. Remove the dough from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 475°F. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Grate the fontina cheese on the large side of a box grater. Tear the mozzarella cheese into small pieces. Grate the Grana Padano cheese on the small side of a box grater.
• Make the sauce. In a small pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the chopped garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until slightly softened. Add the tomatoes (carefully, as the liquid may splatter) and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Turn off the heat, add the Quark Cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Assemble and bake the pizza. Lightly oil a sheet pan. On a work surface, using your hands and a rolling pin (or a wine bottle), gently stretch and roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. (If the dough is resistant, let rest 5 minutes.) Carefully transfer to the sheet pan; rub into the pan to coat the bottom in oil.
• Leaving a 1-inch border around the edges, spread enough of the sauce onto the dough to coat (you may have extra sauce). Evenly top with the grated fontina cheese, torn mozzarella cheese, and half the grated Grana Padano cheese; season with salt and pepper.
• Blue Apron's recommendation is to bake 17 to 19 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown; however my pizza was done after 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand at least 2 minutes.
• Slice pizza and serve. Transfer the baked pizza to a cutting board and cut into equal-sized pieces. Serve the sliced pizza with the salad on the side. Garnish the pizza with the remaining grated Grana Padano cheese.
• Prepare the salad. While the pizza bakes, wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut off and discard the root end of the lettuce; separate the leaves. Peel the carrots and grate on the large side of a box grater. Quarter, core, and thinly slice the apple. Combine in a large bowl.
• Make the dressing. In a bowl, whisk together the creamy mustard sauce and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, add the almonds and enough of the dressing to coat to the bowl of prepared salad ingredients (you may have extra dressing); season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

GARLIC AND HERB THREE CHEESE PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Stretch dough out and form a thin round. Use a little flour or cornmeal on your hands if dough sticks. Mix the garlic, parsley, ricotta, herb cheese and lemon zest. Spread the soft cheese mixture across the pizza dough to the edges then top with an even layer of provolone. Scatter thyme over the cheese mixture. Bake until crisp and bubbly-brown on top, 18 to 20 minutes.

GRILLED PIZZETTAS

Steps:

• Make the dough: Fill a liquid measuring cup or small bowl with 1/2 cup warm (not hot) water. Add the yeast and sugar and stir with a fork; let sit 15 minutes. The top of the water will bubble and it will smell very yeasty-this is what you want!
• Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil and the yeast mixture.
• Using a fork, gradually stir the flour into the yeast mixture until mostly combined, then mix with your hands to bring the dough together. Turn out onto a clean surface.
• Knead the dough until smooth, dusting with flour as needed. Lightly oil a bowl; add the dough, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Prep the toppings: For prosciutto-arugula pizzas, make the chile oil: Bring the chiles and olive oil to a simmer; remove from the heat and let steep 1 hour. (This makes extra oil; store in a sealed container for up to 1 week.)
• For puttanesca pizzas, make the topping: Mix the tomatoes, olives, capers and red pepper flakes in a bowl; add salt and drizzle with olive oil.
• Preheat the grill: Preheat a grill to medium high (you don't want it to be too hot or the crusts will burn before the cheese melts). Brush the grill to remove any crud.
• Roll out the dough: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
• Use a rolling pin to roll out each ball into an irregular oval, dusting with flour as needed.
• For cracker-thin crusts, use your hands to gently stretch the dough even more.
• Stack the dough between layers of plastic wrap and head to the grill (or wrap and refrigerate overnight).
• Grill the crusts: Oil the grill (Anne uses a rolled-up towel and tongs), then carefully add a few pieces of dough.
• Grill until the top is bubbly and the bottom is marked, about 2 minutes.
• Flip with tongs and grill until just marked on the other side. Remove from the grill and transfer to baking sheets; repeat with the remaining dough.
• Add the toppings: Working on the baking sheets, top the crusts with parmigiano and prosciutto, or top with taleggio and the puttanesca mixture; return to the grill. Crack an egg directly onto each prosciutto pizza, if you want. Cover the grill and cook until the cheese melts and the eggs are set, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Finish the pizzas: Remove from the grill and top the prosciutto pizzas with arugula; drizzle with the prepared chile oil. Top the puttanesca pizzas with chives.

CHEESE PIZZETTES

Steps:

• Mix the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan together in a medium bowl, then set aside. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1/4-inch thick. Using a 2 3/4-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut out dough rounds.
• Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan with 3-inch sides to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Drop a scrap of dough into the oil to ensure the oil is hot enough. If the dough sizzles, then the oil is hot enough. Working in batches, add the dough rounds to the hot oil (being sure not to crowd them in the pan) and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rounds to paper towels to drain the excess oil. Immediately sprinkle the cheese mixture over the hot pizzas. Serve warm.

PIZZETTAS WITH OLIVE TAPENADE AND PECORINO CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Stir the garlic into the tapenade. Separate the ready made/store bought pizza dough into 1 1/2-ounce pieces and roll them out to 1/8-inch (if possible, roll out to desired thickness by using a pasta machine). Cover the top of the rolled out dough with olive paste and garlic mixture. Sprinkle the thyme on top. Lay the pecorino on top of pizzetta. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Bake the pizza for 15 minutes or until light brown (a cracker like thinness and texture). Let cool for about 10 minutes, and serve.

GRILLED PIZZETTAS WITH MUSHROOMS, PANCETTA, AND STRACCHINO

Steps:

• To make the dough:
• Combine the dry yeast, sugar and WARM not hot tap water in a small bowl. Stir to combine and let sit for about 15 minutes. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast and if it is too cold the yeast will not activate. When ready the yeast will look bubbly on top and smell very yeasty.
• Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the olive oil and the yeast mixture. Using a fork, gradually stir the flour into the liquids until combined. Turn the dough out onto a smooth clean work surface and use your hands to knead the dough to a smooth homogeneous consistency. Lightly coat the mixing bowl with olive oil, and return the kneaded dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, and preheat the grill.
• For the topping:
• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the smashed garlic cloves, crushed red pepper and pancetta to a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook the pancetta slowly until it gets brown and crispy. Once the garlic has become golden brown remove it and discard. Turn the heat up to high and add the mushrooms. Season with salt and saute until the mushrooms are soft and wilted, about 5 minutes. Reserve.
• Portion the prepared dough into golf ball-size pieces. Dust a work surface with flour and roll each piece of dough into a rectangle (or whatever shape you like, I like irregular shapes). If not using the dough right away, wrap each piece individually in plastic and reserve until ready to use.
• Brush the preheated grill with oil to remove any crud. Carefully arrange each piece of dough on the grill and grill on both sides until the dough is stiff and crisp and has grill marks on both sides. That little bit of char adds a DELICIOUS flavor!
• Schmear each piece with stracchino, top with the pancetta/mushroom mixture, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Put the pizza in the preheated oven until the cheese has melted, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with chives and drizzle with the aged balsamic, if desired.
• Mamma mia, what pizza!