photo: andychef.ru Pizza Margarita

Pizza Margarita

I really love pizza! As they say in such cases – most likely I was Italian in a past life! I was looking for the right dough recipe and stuffing. I promise that there will be a lot of pizza recipes, but it is always helpful to start with basic recipes to understand how and why the ingredients interact.


Ingredients

  • Pizza dough
    1 pcs
  • Mozzarella cheese
    100 g
  • Basil
    6-8 pcs
  • Tomato sauce
    3-4 tbsp
  • Tomato
    1 pcs



Steps

  • 1. I will immediately answer the very first question – use anything and in any combination. If not talking about Margarita, then use any products that remain after your work week. These can be pieces of meat, sausages, herbs, vegetables, cheeses, mushrooms and stuff.
  • 2. Put the dough, tomato sauce and herbs aside.
  • 3. Now prepare the filling. Cut the tomatoes with thin rings. And yes, cut all the ingredients thinner – as pizza cooks for 3-4 minutes, we do not need semi-prepared vegetables. But cut the cheese with thick bars in 1 cm thick. I always use Mozzarella, let's say it is cheese that is very resistant to temperatures – it slowly melts and it takes a long time to wait until it starts to boil – this is to our advantage.
  • 4. When the whole filling is prepared, proceed to the dough. Spray the table with flour and roll the ball into a thin layer, the thickness is no more than 3 mm. I do this: roll it in one direction, turn it over, sprinkle it with flour and trace it in the opposite direction. And do so several times. So the form will turn round, but not elongated (if you roll in the same direction). You do not need much flour, just pass a dusty hand over the surface of the dough. Next, I use a plate to make the shape of the pizza as round as possible. You can skip this step. Transfer the finished dough carefully to the parchment (or roll it out immediately on it).
  • 5. In the center of the dough, lay tomato sauce with spoons – take whatever you like the most, preferably with herbs, garlic, pepper and rather thick, you can take tomato paste of good quality. And smear it with a spoon. If you like pizza with sides, wrap the edges of the dough around the perimeter. In any case, do not sauce to the very edge of the pizza.
  • 6. Then chaotically scatter the pieces of cheese. There are two classic ways – cheese on top of the entire filling and at the very bottom (in sauce). The second option is better – the cheese fastens the filling and connects the cake with the filling so that it does not slip.
  • 7. On top – the grass (half) and the rings of tomatoes. Pepper, spices and a couple more pieces of cheese on top.
  • 8. Preheat the oven to the maximum. Transfer the pizza with the parchment to the hot baking sheet (let it lie in the oven for about 10 minutes before transferring the pizza to it) and bake for 3-6 minutes on the lowest shelf. During this time, the cake will begin being covered with a ruddy crust, and the filling will be prepared. The indicator here is cheese. It begins to melt and almost loses its shape, but has not yet turned into a puddle.
  • 9. Let ready pizza cool down a little, literally for a minute. Cut with a special knife (see photo). Do not listen to anyone, no semicircular knives and much less simple kitchen ones will not cut the pizza so carefully. But it is important that the filling does not fall apart and does not move. From above, I sprinkle with fresh herbs (we did not use left part).
  • 10. And of course, pizza should be eaten by hand (folding the triangle in half) with a good wine and the most loved people!
  • 11. By the way, from the remnants of the dough, you can make a great calzone, which will remain tasty even the next day. If you ask for a recipe, I will tell you, there is nothing complicated here.
  • 12. Roll the remnants of the dough into a ball and roll it back into the formation again. Here, see for yourself, the principle is like the one for pies – what size you want, do such dough beds. I got somewhere about 16 cm in diameter. Put stuffing in the center of the layer – again, anything: sauce, cheeses, herbs, meat and so on.
  • 13. And fold the edges of the dough to the center, tearing the seam. Look at the photo, it should be all clear. Bake the same way as pizza – on a baking sheet with parchment, but on the central shelf until golden crust appears.
  • 14. Let finished calzone cool down a bit and serve it to the table. In a sealed container, boldly leave them for the night. They taste slightly juicier than pizza, because the filling is stewed inside the dough, which turns tender inside and crispy from the outside. Really good replacement for the usual patties.