This summer (I know, i'm atrociously late in posting about this seeing as it's November. butt...cest la vie) we grew some rather delicious heirloom tomatoes in our tiny little garden. My favorite were these little lime green, yellow tomatoes called Green Sausage Tomatoes. They had this rich, tangy taste and were a little bit meatier tasting than your average tomato. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend munching on them. We got them randomly from Patrick's boss who showed up at work one day with a truck bed full of tomato plants. These were the rejects of the bunch, but it was everyone else's loss, because they are such a fantastic tomato.
Anyway, this pizza was one of my favorites I've made. Since it doesn't have a marinara base it's a little bit lighter and the garlic and basil infused olive oil really compliment the vegetables. And I mean, who doesn't love feta? I know I do.
*Both recipes adapted from The New Best Recipe cookbook
Pizza Dough:
1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cups flour (the original recipe called for bread flour but I use regular white flour and it worked just fine)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray for oiling the bowl
1. Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room-temperature water and oil and stir to combine.
2. Combine the flour and salt in mixer (using the paddle fixture). Continue stirring while pouring the liquid ingredients. Use the paddle to combine the wet and dry ingredients and then switch to the dough hook for kneading when the dough forms a cohesive mass.
3. The dough will be a bit tacky, so use a rubber spatula to turn it out onto a lightly-floured surface. Knead by hand for a few strokes to form a smooth, round ball. Put the dough in a deep oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate.
This recipe makes enough for three medium pizzas. Once the dough is done rising, separate into three sections if you're just making the medium pizza. The other sections can be sealed in airtight containers and stored in the freezer for several weeks.
Toppings
Basil and Garlic Olive Oil:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
A bunch of basil leaves, chopped (I think it was about 2-4 tablespoons chopped basil. Just do whatever your heart tells you)
Salt and ground black pepper
Tomatoes and onions to cover the whole pizza and as much feta as you can handle (my threshold is rather high).
A sprinkle of cornmeal so the dough doesn't stick to the pizza stone*
1.Preheat the oven to 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes with the pizza stone inside the oven.
2.Combine the oil, garlic, bowl and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Set the herb oil aside.
3. Shape the dough into a round working it with your hands. Transfer the dough to a pizza stone that is lightly dusted with cornmeal.
4. Lightly brush the dough with some of the oil. Prick the dough all over with a fork to prevent it from ballooning in the oven.
5. Slid the dough onto the heated stone. Bake until the crust begins to brown just slightly 3-4 minutes. Brush the crust with the rest of the oil and place the on the tomatoes, onion and feta. Continue baking until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the tomato and onion are cooked, about 5-6 minutes. Remove the pizza from the oven, cut into wedges and serve immediately.
*If you don't have a pizza stone a baking sheet turned upside down works fine too. The point is to have a hot surface for the crust to rest on while baking so it gives you a nice even bake rather than having browned edges and a doughy bottom.
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