Classic Sicilian Pizza

We made it through another week! We thought we deserved some deeply satisfying Sicilian pizza to celebrate. A kid hosted cooking video is below!

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One of the most important parts of this pizza is the sauce. It’s simple, uses high quality ingredients, and is laden with parmesan cheese.

The Red Sauce

Ingredients

Stewed whole San Marzano tomatoes

Garlic

Yellow onion

Basil

Parmesan Rind

Salt

Pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

The key here is simplicity, and good ingredients (especially the tomatoes). Lightly puree the tomatoes in a processor or with a stick blender. Be careful not to aerate the tomatoes too much. For a chunkier sauce you can simply crush the tomatoes by hand. Set aside in a bowl. Peel and dice three to five cloves of garlic and set aside. Peel and chop the onion in half. By cooking the entire halves you will impart the flavor of the onion and the sauce won’t have chunks of onion in it. 

Heat a generous pour of EVOO in your saucepan at medium to low heat. Add your garlic and onion halves and let simmer for a few minutes. Be careful not to burn anything. Add a piece of parmesan rind into the hot oil, and let it simmer for another minute. The oils from the cheese will add depth to the sauce. Add your tomatoes to the pan, and bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add some chopped basil, stir, and set on medium/low. You want your sauce to simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure it's not sticking to the bottom.

The Dough

Ingredients

Bread Flour

Active Starter

Salt

Water

This is my go-to recipe for focaccia, sfincione, and Sicilian style pizza. Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the quantity depending on your size of pan. This is designed for approximately an 11” x 14” pan.

  1. Mix together 410 g of water and 530 g of bread flour and set to autolyse for up to six hours.  Add 15 g of salt and 90 g of active sourdough starter and start working into the dough with your hands or with a rubber spatula until more or less homogenous. Let rest for 45 minutes.

  2. You’ll want to fold the dough two more times (with your hands) over the course of the next 1 - 2 hours to develop the gluten. By the end the dough should be very smooth and should not stick to your hands while folding. Cover and rest overnight at room temperature.

  3. In the morning transfer the dough to the refrigerator and take out one hour before you’ll be making your pizza.

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The Pizza

Ingredients

Olive Oil

Red Sauce

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Grated parmesan

Basil

Instructions

  1. After the dough has come to room temperature, dump it out into a well oiled pan. Spread the dough out so it has a uniform thickness. Use the tips of your fingers to press down into dough to push it into the edges of the pan. Drizzle more olive oil on top.

  2. Cover the entire surface of the dough with shredded cheese.

  3. Ladle on the tomato sauce generously so it covers all of the cheese.

  4. Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan on top.

  5. Set oven to 425F and allow the dough to proof for another 30 mins.

  6. Bake for 30 minutes and serve.

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Whole Wheat Pancakes with Farmer Cheese

Cooking in the time of quarantine. Stuck at home with your parents? Are you tired of your dad’s lousy old pancakes? Here’s a little video to get you through your morning. These are unusual times, but we can all get through this together! This recipe is for semi-healthy and super-tasty whole wheat pancakes. We’re using a special tumminia flour from Castelvetrano, Sicily thanks to our friends at Gustiamo - but any old whole wheat flour will do. Enjoy! Video below.

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Ingredients

1/2 cup of whole wheat flour

1/2 cup of all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp brown sugar

a pinch of salt

1 tbsp melted butter

1 cup of milk

1 egg

1 cap of vanilla

1/4 cup of farmer cheese, or ricotta (optional)

Flake salt for finishing

Maple syrup

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and mix well. Add the farmer’s cheese last and gently mix in without breaking it up too much. You want it a little chunky.

Heat up butter in a skillet (a generous amount is recommended) and cook pancakes over medium/high heat until crispy along the edges.

Finish with some nice flake salt and maple syrup. Enjoy!