It’s a kindofa vicious cycle:
I made the Boom Boom Sauce, so then needed to make a ‘Za! to serve it with. Of course, the dough recipe for the ‘Za makes enough for two pies, so I’m left to either make another pie or mebbe some flatbread.
Except…
This time, I tossed that extra dough into a lightly floured zipper bag and stashed it in the freezer.
Brilliant!
I took the bag from the freezer and let it that in the fridge overnight, and by the time Rich and I and his mom came back from a day of shopping and errands, I was good to go with a nice bit of honey-rye dough (see the recipe here) for a ‘Za! on the grill.
INGREDIENTS
•1 pizza dough
•Olive oil
•1 large plum tomato, thinly sliced
•1 tbsp sliced fresh basil
•Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
•1 head garlic, roasted
•Marinated artichoke hearts
•Sea salt
•Black (Tellicherry) pepper
Pull your dough out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temp on the counter.
First, the roasted garlic: heat the oven to 400°.
Cut the top off a bulb or two of garlic and peel away the outer skin.
Arrange on a square of foil in a baking dish, season with a bit of sea salt and black pepper, then drizzle with olive oil.
Fold the foil up and over the garlic to make a packet and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Now, for the ‘Za!: heat your oven or grill to 475° and place your pizza stone inside – you want to let it heat for at least 30 minutes, tho’ an hour would be better.
Note: I am still learning how best to cook with my dough, but this seems to be about the best method so for.
Roll out your dough on a lightly floured board and let rest while the stone is heating.
When ready to bake, transfer the dough to a parchment paper-lined peel.
Push the individual garlic cloves out of the head and crush lightly with a fork. Drizzle with the leftover olive oil from the foil packet and brush over the dough – the olive oil will create a barrier that will help to keep the dough from getting soggy once you’ve added sauce (if you’re adding, which I am not, for this particular ‘Za!) and toppings.
Arrange the cheese on the dough, then add the sliced tomato, drained marinated artichoke hearts, and fresh basil.
Transfer the ‘za! on the parchment to your pizza stone and bake for 20 to 30 minutes – if you’re doing this on your grill, close the lid.
Rich did ours on the Weber for 30 minutes, and parts of the crust were a bit, ermmm, blackened, but still might-y-fine. All in all, a great crust, and one tasty ‘Za!
I served it with a bit of Aleppo pepper to sprinkle and a nice 25 year old balsamic vinegar to drizzle over the the top. Nice.