Friday, April 20, 2012

Buffalo mozzarella, artichoke and lemon pizza - a great idea for the weekend

Buffalo mozzarella, artichoke and lemon pizza / Pizza de mozarela de búfala, alcachofra e limão siciliano

Mark Bittman is trying to convince people to make pizza at home and his argument is that not only is it budget-friendly but the pizza also tastes better – I have got to agree with the guy. :)
The last time I ordered pizza at my house was nearly 7 years ago and so far we haven’t missed it – actually, to be honest, the pizzas we ate at other people’s homes (because I am the only “crazy person” who makes them at home) cost a lot and/or weren’t all that in terms of flavor.

Here’s my pizza, if you’re interested in becoming a “crazy person” like me; I used to make Richard Bertinet's pizza dough (which is amazing) but since I am always pressed for time I’ve switched to Donna Hay's recipe: it is much faster and equally delicious.

Buffalo mozzarella, artichoke and lemon pizza
adapted from the wonderful Modern Classics (Book 1) and from the always delicious Donna Hay Magazine

Pizza dough:
1 teaspoon dried yeast
pinch of sugar
2/3 cup (160ml) lukewarm water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 ¾ cups + ½ tablespoon (250g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt

Topping:
1/3 cup tomato sauce (more if you like it)
200g buffalo mozzarella, coarsely grated
6-8 store-bought marinated artichoke hearts, drained and halved lengthwise
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
fresh basil leaves

Place the yeast and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the water and mix with a fork. Let stand for 2-3 minutes or until foamy. Add the olive oil, flour and salt and mix to combine. Transfer to a clean surface (no need to flour it) and knead until smooth and elastic – sprinkle with a little flour if necessary. Form dough into a ball. Lightly oil the same bowl and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 250°C/480°F. With your hands, shape the dough into a rough circle and transfer to a large baking sheet*. Spread with the tomato sauce and cover with the mozzarella. Arrange the artichoke halves on top of the cheese, sprinkle with the lemon zest and bake until golden, 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil leaves and serve.

* I place the baking sheet in the oven for a good while before baking the pizza; then, I place the dough onto it when it’s really hot, spread the sauce and topping over it very quickly and put it back in the oven – it works really well (since I do not have a pizza stone) and the crust doesn’t get soggy

Serves 4 (at my house it serves 2). :)

13 comments:

Sara said...

Yum, this pizza looks incredible! Great choices of toppings!

Anonymous said...

You know waht? Your pizza looks beautiful...!!!

Laura (Tutti Dolci) said...

Gorgeous little pizza, and I happen to have all those toppings on hand at the moment!

zazacook said...

Wow this pizza looks delicious, love mozarella and artichoke hearts!

anilou said...

Agreed, home made pizza is so much nicer. I love a sprinkle of semolina or polenta on the bottom of the oven tray too for extra crunch.

Julia @The Roasted Root said...

Your pizza crust looks fluffy, yet crispy. And the toppings look awesome - I love the buffalo chicken idea! Great flavor combos - looking forward to trying it! Have an awesome weekend!

Rachel @ Bakerita said...

3 of my favorites on one pizza! Such a good flavor combo. I always want to make pizza myself but I never do it, but I think this may inspire me to follow through! Looks too good not too.

Unknown said...

That looks delicious!!!

Martha said...

Donna Hay never disappoints. Your pizza looks very tasty!

Zurynee said...

that sure looks delicious !

katarzynka said...

True beauty! Eat or admire, this is the question :)

Sara said...

Hi there, just wanted to let you know that I made this pizza and it was INCREDIBLE! So so tasty...the lemon zest is such a nice touch. Thank you for sharing a great recipe!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Hey, Sara! That is great news, dearie! I'm glad to know the recipe worked out for you - thank YOU for letting me know!
xx

Related Posts with Thumbnails