Carbonara Inspired Pizza

Carbona is a simple dish. You have a limited amount of ingredients but you have to get the process right. The same goes for this pizza recipe which plays off of the same classics ingredients but reimagines them for the new format. Video of the process down at the bottom.

The egg yolks here are the biggest x factor and I did a lot of experimenting to get it right. I’ve been using a lot of salt cured egg yolks in the kitchen for garnishing toasts, salads, etc. They pack a lot of punch with their saltiness and umami. But for a pizza that requires a lot of egg, it ultimately ended up being a little too salty in combination with the guanciale. What I found worked best was a freeze + dehydrate method to get the same umami without an overload of salt. It also melds wonderfully into the hot pizza when grated right out of the oven. For anyone curious, the freeze-only method failed on multiple levels - it’s messy to work with, and doesn’t really add any worthwhile texture. If you think it would melt into a silky consistency, you’re wrong. It firms up and doesn’t add anything. The salt cured yolks are wonderful in more restrained applications. More about the simple process below.

Ingredients:

-Dough of your choice

-low hyrdation mozzarella (shredded)

-pecorino romano

-extra virgin olive oil

-black pepper

-cured egg yolk

-guanciale

Directions:

The egg yolk:

Separate egg yolk and white carefully and place yolk in a freezer safe container for at least two hours until frozen solid. Remove from the freezer and immediately place into dehydrator set to the temperature of 160F. It should take about 4 hrs until it is cured enough to grate with a microplane. Freezing helps the yolk keep it’s shape once the dehydration process begins.

Slice the guanciale very thin ribbons and cut into smaller pieces. On low heat, cook the guanciale until the fat renders out and it begins to crisp in the pan. Transfer to a small bowl and allow to cool. You can use bacon as a substitute here but guanciale is definitely preferred.

When your dough is fully proofed and has come to room temperature, stretch and shape on your working surface. Sprinkle a good amount of shredded mozzarella across the surface of the pizza. Grate a layer of pecorino across the top and hit it with some freshly cracked black pepper. Evenly distribute the guanciale across the surface and drizzle a little of olive oil. Carefully transfer to your pizza peel and put it into the oven. It’s winter and I’m baking this directly on a stone in a conventional oven at 500F (as high as I can get it). It takes roughly 7-8 minutes to complete.

Remove from the oven and while it’s still hot, grate an entire egg yolk over the top. If done properly it will partially melt/dissolve into the hot cheese. Slice immediately and enjoy.

How to Hack a New York Style Pizza Slice in a Small Home Oven

After a few months of testing, here’s my recipe for how to get as close to a classic NY slice you can get using your ordinary home oven. The “hack” is really just a way to cut the pizza into a proper adult size slice out of a smaller pie - but hack aside I fully advocate for this recipe and can’t get enough of it.

This recipe is a roughly 17 hour room-temperature fermentation at 64% hydration with sourdough. It yields a flavorful, chewy, and sturdy crust - and when baked properly you’ll get zero flop if that’s what you’re searching for. The schedule for the dough below is built around starting fermentation in the evening and having everything ready by lunch the following day. You can adjust your timing as you see fit - or retard the fermentation by transferring to the refrigerator after dividing and shaping. If refrigerating, be sure to remove your dough at least an hour before baking to bring it up to room temperature before baking.

Baking this pizza requires a baking stone for your oven.

The Dough

Ingredients

450 g bread flour

50 g whole wheat flour

320 g water

95 g active sourdough starter

11 g salt

Yields 3x approximately 300 g balls dough.

Directions

In the afternoon, mix together the water and the flour and set to autolyse for one hour up to six hours. Because of the lower hydration, it will be a little shaggy which is okay.

At about 7 pm add the salt and 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.

You’ll want to fold the dough at least 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. I generally do my nighttime folds as I go about whatever else is happening in the house. The timing does not need to be precise, but you should try to get in a few cycles for optimal gluten formation.

In the morning (approximately 7am) divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and shape into balls, folding the dough into itself, and using the table/counter surface to create tension. Transfer to air tight containers and keep out at room temperature if baking off at lunch.

The Red Sauce

This red sauce is more or less exactly the way my Nonna used to make it.

Ingredients

Stewed whole San Marzano tomatoes (good ones make a difference)

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 Pizza

Ingredients

The red sauce

Good extra virgin olive oil

Parmesan cheese

Pecorino

Shredded low-moisture mozzarella

Directions

Set your oven to 500F.

Flour your work surface and set the first dough ball down. Begin to stretch and shape it carefully to remove all pockets of air in the center and only leaving a small rim around the entire pie. There are various techniques you can use from tossing in the air, to gently using both hands to stretch the edges of the dough (check out Youtube for that). Key here is getting as thin as you can without tearing the dough.

Spoon on a thin layer of red sauce but don’t go all the way to the edge.

Sprinkle on a layer of low-moisture mozzarella. Don’t go overboard here. You should still see the sauce beneath the cheese. Add some freshly grated parmesan and a drizzle of good olive oil.

Transfer to your peel (very carefully) and slide into the hot oven directly onto the pizza stone. Bake for 7-9 minutes depending on your preference of crispiness. I like mine on the more crispier side, but you can dial it back if you want a softer crust.

Remove from the oven and finish with freshly grated pecorino and more olive oil. Here you can add basil, dried oregano, or chili flakes - however you like to dress it up. This is a great base to make all sorts of other pies too. Enjoy while it’s hot!

The Hack

Instead of cutting the pie up into 6 or 8 standard slices, my move is to cut one giant slice out of the entire pie, and just cut up the edge pieces in whatever way works for you. Those are perfect for little ones. What’s left is a giant, beautiful, NY Style slice.

Pizza al Fumo

A pizza inspired by the Tuscan pasta dish from Cortona called Pasta al Fumo, which translates to "smoked pasta." The smoke flavor comes from the smoked bacon which is cooked down with rosemary and garlic in a tomato cream sauce. Some folks add vodka, but my preference is to omit it (politics aside). It's traditionally served with a type of eggless pasta called pici, sometimes penne, but I wanted to see how it translated into a pizza format. Spooned on top of a 00 + AP + Maiorca + semola rimacinata cuore dough, and topped with mozzarella ciliegine + grated pecorino and some good EVOO. This came out even better than I could have imagined.

The Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)

• 3 sprigs of rosemary

• 1/2 cup of smoked bacon (or smoked pancetta) finely minced

• high quality tomatoes (about 1 cup, crushed by hand)

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a skillet to medium/low heat and add the olive oil.

2. Saute the minced garlic, bacon, and rosemary for about 5 minutes until there is a nice color on the bacon and the fat begins to render down. Be mindful not to burn the garlic if the pan is too hot.

3. Add the tomato paste and incorporate into the mixture.

4. Add the crushed tomatoes and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.

5. Slowly add in the cream, stirring constantly. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

6. Remove from the heat and remove the rosemary from the sauce. Set aside and allow to cool. Can be made up to 3 days in advance.

The Pizza

Ingredients:

• Al fumo sauce

• Good olive oil

• Pecorino romano

• Dough of your choice

Directions:

1. I’m not including the entire dough recipe here yet although I may add it eventually. You can use whatever dough recipe you prefer. For this pizza I am using a combination of King Arthur all purpose flour, and some Sicilian Maiorca and Semola Rimacinata Cuore.

2. Stretch your dough and prepare for the toppings.

3. Spoon on a layer of the al fumo sauce evenly across the surface leaving the edges clear.

4. Break apart the mozzarella with your fingers, tearing little roughly shaped pieces. Distribute evenly across the pizza, being mindful not to overload it. Leave plently of space for the cheese to melt together with the sauce.

5. Grate on some Pecorino romano across the top and drizzle with a high quality olive oil

6. Slide the pizza on your peel and launch directly into your oven.

7. If baking at high temperatures in a wood fired oven, the pizza should be done in about 2 minutes.

8. If baking indoors in a conventional oven, at 500F, this will take roughly 7-8 minutes.

Sun Gold Margherita

It’s that time of year again when we’re flush with sun golds. The occasion calls for making one of my favorite summer sauces from slow and low roasted sun gold tomatoes, garlic, basil and a generous bath of olive oil. After cooking for about an hour and a half, each tomato is peeled and pressed through a fine mesh strainer or food mill. The resulting sauce is so incredible on pizza or pasta and the oil that remains in the pan is a revelation- drizzled on some good bread, used in a salad dressing, or on whatever else you can think of. The skins can also be used to make a killer tomato paste/spread - pulverized with a mortar and pestle - and slathered onto some toast. Nothing gets wasted. The sauce is so perfect I wanted to keep this pizza super simple with sun gold sauce, mozzarella, basil, and grated pecorino Romano. Video of the process is below.

Ingredients:

Sun Gold cherry tomatoes (2 – 3 lbs)

Garlic (4 cloves smashed)

Grated pecorino Romano cheese

Extra Virgin Olive oil

Basil

Mozzarella

Sauce Instructions:

1. The real heart of this pizza is the Sun Gold sauce. It’s so simple but as Frank Prisinzano would say – it’s insane. Set your oven to 275F.

2. Fill a deep skillet with the tomatoes. Pour in a generous amount of olive oil. The tomatoes don’t need to be submerged, but you want a healthy layer on oil in the bottom of the pan. This oil, by the time you’re done, will be a transcendent addition to grilled veggies, salads, or anything else you can think of.

3. Add the garlic and a generous amount of basil, toss together.

4. Roast for about an hour and a half until the tomatoes are fragrant, soft, and the skin is starting to fall off.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before handling.

6. The next part is the most labor intensive. You will now peel each individual tomato and squeeze out the meat into a bowl.

7. Reserve the tomato skins which can be dehydrated and made into salt, or pulverized in a mortar and pestle to make a delicious tomato paste/spread.

8. Use your fingers to mash the tomatoes and transfer to a wire mesh colander or a food mill and press to remove the seeds.

9. What’s left is an amazing bright orange tomato sauce that works well for pizza and pasta dishes.

The Dough:

For the pizza dough I have been very happy using a Ken Forkish recipe from Flour Water Salt Yeast for an overnight dough with levain. It’s one of the few recipes that I have decided not to mess with as it always yields great results. Recently I’ve been using Caputo Manitoba flour which has been delivering wonderful results.

The Assembly & Finishing:

1. Stretch your dough working on a lightly floured work surface.

2. Spoon on the Sun Gold sauce evenly and generously.

3. Evenly spread out slices or torn chunks of mozzarella on the pizza.

4. Hit it with a layer of freshly grated pecorino.

5. Drizzle a little olive oil on top.

6. Bake in the oven according to your specific temperature and style of oven. I use a wood fired oven and like to keep it around 750-800F and it cooks in about 2-3 minutes, constantly rotating the pie with a peel. If baking in a conventional oven, this will typically be at a lower temperature (550F) and it will take several more minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and finish with some more freshly grated pecorino and fresh basil leaves.

8. Slice and enjoy!

The Tiktok Baked Feta Craze as a Pizza

Here’s a little riff on the insanely popular baked feta pasta trend that went around this past year. It’s perfect for those amazingly sweet summer cherry tomatoes that are just around the corner. This was baked in an Ooni Pro using wood as the fuel source. Part of the appeal with the baked feta craze was how easy it was. Throw it all in a pan, bake it, and mix it with the pasta. The pizza version requires a little more finessing but at the end of the day, it’s still remarkably simple. Video of the process below.

Ingredients:

Ripe cherry tomatoes

A block of feta cheese

Thyme

2-3 cloves of garlic, sliced

Basil for garnish

High quality olive oil

Salt to taste (the feta is already very salty, so this might not be necessary)

Your dough of choice (I’m using a naturally leavened 67% hydration overnight dough)

Directions:

1. In a heavy duty skillet (I like to use cast iron), arrange your tomatoes, feta cheese, garlic, herbs, and a generous pour of olive oil over the entire surface.

2. Heat your oven. I’m using a wood fired Ooni pro that I bring up to about 600F. If using a conventional oven, set it to 450F.

3. Bake the tomatoes and feta until the tomatoes begin to blister and their juices start to bubble out. The feta will begin to soften and slump down in the skillet. At higher temperatures (600F) this takes approximately 10 minutes. At a lower temperature this part may take about 20 minutes. If using a wood fire, be careful that the cheese does not become burnt on the top - adjust the fire accordingly.

4. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool down a little.

5. Shape your pizza dough and drizzle a light coating of olive oil in the middle.

6. Using a peel, slide the dough into your oven. My Ooni Pro was set to about 750F when the dough goes in. Bake for about 2 minutes, carefully rotating the dough with a turning peel so it gets evenly baked on all sides. The key here is that you only want to go half-way so you’ll remove it before you start to see blisters on the cornicione. If using a conventional oven at a lower setting (500F), this might take about 5 minutes.

7. Remove the dough and set onto a work surface. Spoon on a layer of the softened feta followed by spoonfuls of the blistered tomatoes. Finish it off with a spoonful of the amazing juice in the bottom of the pan. Return to the oven and cook until finished (another 1-2 minutes) when you have a perfected leoparded crust.

8. Garnish with some fresh basil and allow to cool. The cherry tomatoes retain their heat for a long time and you’ll be sorry if you take a bite too quickly. For me, the best part of this pizza is dunking the crust in the leftover juices in the pan - it’s pure heaven.

Stinging Nettle & Ramp Leaf Oil Pizza

Always a thrill stumbling into new areas- creeks lush with watercress and nettles and unfamiliar hillsides with healthy populations of ramps. It was still a little early for morels but I came home with plenty. We fired up a bunch of pizzas but I was most excited about this nettle, ramp leaf oil, sausage, and lemon zest pie. It was a good day. Video of the process below.

Ingredients:

Fresh stinging nettle tips (handle with care)

Fresh ramps (leaves only) *please leave bulbs in the ground

Shredded mozzarella

Crumbled sausage (sauteed in advance)

Lemon (to zest)

Good olive oil

Pecorino Romano

Pizza dough

The Nettles

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Prepare a large ice bath in a bowl.

3. Using tongs, drop your stinging nettle into a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Blanching will immediately nullify the stinging power of the nettle and you’ll then be able to handle it without concern.

4. Transfers the blanched nettle to the ice bath to shock them.

5. Drain, and squeeze out as much water as you can. Allow to air dry to remove even more water.

6. Drizzle with olive oil and set aside.

The Ramp Oil

1. Clean your ramp leaves in a cold bowl of water to remove any bits of dirt.

2. Trim the stems off completely leaving only the leaves behind.

3. Lay in the ramp leaves into your food processor (or blender) and add in good quality olive oil. You’ll have to use your best judgement on the amount depending on how many ramps you’re using. The consistency should be thinner than pesto.

4. Add a little dash of salt, and blitz for about a minute.

5. Transfer the puree into a fine mesh sieve and use a rubber spatula to press the oil down into a bowl. What’s left behind is a fragrant mash of ramp leaves with some traces of oil. This can be saved / frozen / and incorporated into countless other dishes. For now, you’re focusing on just the extracted oil that comes out of the sieve.

6. Transfer the oil into a container, ideally a squeeze bottle with cap. It’s ready to go. Store in the refrigerator.

The Dough

For the pizza dough I have been very happy using a Ken Forkish recipe from Flour Water Salt Yeast for an overnight dough (67% hydration) with levain. It’s one of the few recipes that I have decided not to mess with as it always yields great results.

The Assembly & Finishing

1. Stretch your dough and drizzle first with a little bit of olive oil.

2. Layer on your shredded mozzarella cheese.

3. Now evenly distribute the blanched nettles (in olive oil).

4. Spread out the cooked sausage crumble evenly.

5. Grate fresh Pecorino Romano over the top of the pie.

6. Bake your pizza. I use a wood fired Ooni Pro but use whatever works for you.

7. Drizzle on a generous amount of ramp oil.

8. Add fresh lemon zest.

9. Enjoy!

Sfincione 2.0

An updated sfincione recipe with a few small tweaks. I find this version to be superior than it’s predecessor in a few key ways. The onions are finely diced (after sauteing) so they melt in your mouth. I add more sauce in this version giving it a sweeter, saucier bite. And I’ve added two layers of grated cheese which melds it all together.

Ingredients:

2 large onions 

1 x 16 oz can of high quality tomatoes - crushed

Grated pecorino or caciocavallo

Anchovy fillets mashed into small pieces to taste

Dried oregano to taste

High quality olive oil

Toasted breadcrumbs preferably coarse and unseasoned

Salt and pepper

Pizza dough (see recipe here)

Directions:

Oil a rectangular pizza pan liberally. Spread the dough out with your fingers so that it covers the bottom evenly. Press into the dough to ensure you’re spreading it evenly across the pan. Allow it to relax a little if it’s pulling back into the center. Cover with a cloth and allow it to rest while you prepare the other ingredients.

Finely dice 2 yellow onions. Saute onions in olive oil on medium heat until golden and soft. Allow to cool down. Now mince the onions down even further so it almost forms a paste like consistency.

Using a spoon or your fingers, sprinkle the mashed anchovies across the surface of the dough, massaging them into the dough. Drizzle some more olive oil over the surface. Sprinkle on a layer of dried oregano evenly across the surface. Add a layer of grated cheese evenly across the surface.

Ladle on the crushed tomatoes evenly across the entire surface. Be generous here.

Add another layer of cheese evenly on top of the tomatoes. Spoon on the onion mixture and spread out evenly across the entire surface. Make sure it completely covers the surface.

Sprinkle on a layer of breadcrumbs, and work into the onions mixture with a spatula or your fingers. Drizzle the entire thing with some more olive oil.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes, checking periodically. As it bakes the edges will crisp and the onions and breadcrumbs will be a beautiful golden brown. 

Grandma Style Pan Pizza 2.0

After much trial and error I’ve landed on a Grandma style pan pizza dough formulation that I’m really happy with. The end result is a 75% hydration naturally leavened dough that yields a wonderfully light and thin pizza with crispy edges. It’s a higher hydration pizza dough but because there really is no shaping involved it’s very easy to work with. The fermentation time is very flexible; from 20 hrs up to 36 hrs once it goes into the refrigerator. In my opinion, the key things for a Grandma pie are 1) lots of garlic 2) a classic red sauce on top of the cheese 3) a thin, crispy edged dough baked in a pan vs directly on a stone.

The Dough

Ingredients

533 grams Type 0 Manitoba Flour

400 grams Water

96 grams Active Starter

10 grams Salt

These quantities are designed for 2 X 11” x 14” pans.

1. Mix together the water and the flour and set to autolyse for one hour up to six hours.  At about 7 pm add the salt and 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 (approximately 7am) divide the dough and keep in air tight containers. Transfer to the refrigerator and take out 30 minutes before you’ll be making your pizza. If making pizza that evening you’re looking at about 12 hours of room temperature fermentation followed by about 10 hours of cold fermentation. I’ve kept the dough in the fridge until the next day and still have been very pleased with the results. If baking early in the day, there’s no need to put it into the fridge. You can transfer directly to your baking pan from the bulk ferment container.

Classic Grandma Recipe

Ingredients

Olive Oil

Red Sauce (see recipe for red sauce here)

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Thinly sliced garlic (2 -3 cloves)

Grated parmesan

Basil

Instructions

1. Set oven to 425F.

2. Slice 2-3 cloves of garlic as thin as you can. Cover them with enough olive oil so they are completely submerged in a small bowl.

3. 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. Pop any large bubbles. Grandma is a generally thinner pie, so it should be worked into the pan fairly well. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top.

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

5. Ladle on the tomato sauce generously on top of the cheese. For Grandma style pies I like to ladle on dollops of sauce evenly, but leave a little cheese exposed for visual effect.

6. Spoon on the thinly sliced garlic over the surface along with some of the oil.

7. Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan or pecorino on top.

8. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes and serve.

9. Garnish with fresh basil.

Other Variations

Using this dough recipe as a foundation, the possibilities are endless. Here are a few of my favorites so far.

Marinated artichoke, prosciutto, pickled pepperoncini peppers, mozzarella, grated cacciocavallo, basil.

Nduja, Broccoli rabe, red onion, mozzarella, red sauce base.

Morel mushrooms, ramp oil, pecorino.

Black Trumpet Pizza "The Dark Side"

One of my goals for the summer was to find Black Trumpets, also called Horn of Plenty or Trumpets of Death. They are elusive to find and have a smell and flavor that is almost impossible to describe. Finally after countless miles walked, I found them. My mind almost always immediately starts thinking about pizza or pasta when cooking with wild mushrooms. I decided I wanted to do a pizza that really highlighted the mushrooms' wild flavors - which ultimately meant keeping it super simple. I left out anything that would distract from it's unique profile, so no garlic, no herbs, no overpowering cheese or spice. I started off with 4 ingredients; fontina, black trumpets, grated pecorino romano, and a high quality olive oil on a sourdough crust fired in a wood oven. After testing it, I added some finely minced chives from the garden and a tiny bit of lemon zest, and it was winning over the mushroom skeptics in the house. Video of the whole process below.

Ingredients:

Black Trumpets (sauteed in olive oil)

Fontina cheese

Grated pecorino romano cheese

Olive oil

Lemon Zest

Chives (finely diced)

Instructions:

The Mushrooms

1. The real heart of this pizza are the black trumpets. For this recipe I used fresh mushrooms but you can swap out with re-hydrated dried trumpets.

2. Saute the mushrooms in olive oil on medium low heat for just about a minute or two. Black trumpets cook very rapidly.

The Dough:

For the pizza dough I have been very happy using a Ken Forkish recipe from Flour Water Salt Yeast for an overnight dough with levain. It’s one of the few recipes that I have decided not to mess with as it always yields great results. Recently I’ve been using Caputo Manitoba flour which has been delivering wonderful results.

The Assembly & Finishing:

1. Stretch your dough.

2. Layer on small cubes of fontina cheese equally across the dough.

3. Sprinkle with a generous portion of grated pecorino.

4. Layer on the cooked mushrooms evenly across the middle of the dough.

5. Sprinkle on more pecorino.

6. Bake your pizza. I use a wood fired Ooni Pro but use whatever works for you.

7. Once it comes out of the oven, piping hot, drizzle on some high quality olive oil.

8. Sprinkle on finely diced chives.

9. Top with fresh lemon zest.

10. Enjoy!

Summer Sun Gold Sfincione

Summer is in full effect and to celebrate the season I wanted to make this variation on the classic Sicilian sfincione. All of the essential flavors are present but modified to fit the season. Fresh oregano, the sweetest sun gold tomatoes, slivers of sauteed onions, beautiful Spanish anchovies and Sicilian olive oil from Baker Street Market , freshly grated caciocavallo, and breadcrumbs. All topped with a dollop of fresh ricotta, just because why not. Naturally leavened, using Caputo Manitoba flour. Light as a cloud and packed with incredible flavor, this will definitely be added to the rotation! Full recipe and video below.

Ingredients for the pizza

1 whole yellow onion (sliced in slivers and sauteed until soft)

Sun Gold tomatoes or similar cherry tomatoes (enough to cover surface)

Bread crumbs (1/2 cup)

Anchovies (preserved in oil)

Fresh oregano

High quality olive oil

Caciocavallo cheese

Instructions for the pizza

1. Set your oven to 425 F.

2. Liberally oil your pan or cast iron skillet with olive oil. After your dough has come to room temperature dump it out directly into the pan and stretch and press it so it completely fills the entire area. Drizzle with more olive oil. Press into the dough to create dimples all over the surface.

3. Layer in the anchovies. I like to use high quality Spanish anchovies and pull them apart with my fingers and distribute them evenly across the surface. Alternatively, you can mash the anchovies with a fork, and spread them around as more of a paste if you prefer. Either works well.

4. Layer on the fresh oregano, and press into the dough with your fingers.

5. Using a cheese grater, layer on some fresh caciocavallo cheese to cover the surface.

6. Layer on the Sun Gold tomatoes evenly across the surface and press down so they are incorporated into the dough. Drizzle another thin coat of oil on the surface.

7. Layer on the onions evenly across the surface but do not completely cover the tomatoes. The onions can be prepared ahead of time - sliced thinly into slivers and sauteed for about 5 - 10 minutes on medium heat. Allow the onions to cool before topping the dough.

8. Sprinkle a layer of breadcrumbs across the top evenly.

9. Add another layer of caciocavallo cheese to the top.

10. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. The top should be crispy and lightly charred.

11. Remove from the oven and from the pan, and divide into pieces.

12. Top each individual piece with a dollop of fresh ricotta.

13. Enjoy.

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.

Spring Morel + Ramp Oil Pizza

This is one of those pizzas that only happens once a year. It is spring at its best in pizza form. And after several years unsuccessfully searching for morels I finally had an opportunity to do what I've been thinking about for a very long time. Sauteed morels, ricotta and mozzarella cheese, ramp oil, wild violet flowers, fresh mint, and a little drizzle of honey on a sourdough crust wood fired in my Ooni Pro. Video of the whole process is embedded below.

Ingredients:

Fresh morels (sauteed in olive oil)

Fresh ricotta cheese

Shredded mozzarella

Ramp Oil (see instructions below)

Fresh mint

Wild Violet Flowers

Honey

Instructions:

The Morels

1. The real heart of this pizza are the morel mushrooms. For this recipe I chose only the ones in most perfect condition and sliced them in half lengthwise.

2. Saute the morels in olive oil on medium low heat until they begin to brown. This will take about ten minutes to soften them up. It’s important to cook morels thoroughly.

The Ramp Oil

1. Clean your ramp leaves in a cold bowl of water to remove any bits of dirt.

2. Trim the stems off completely leaving only the leaves behind.

3. Lay in the ramp leaves into your food processor (or blender) and add in good quality olive oil. You’ll have to use your best judgement on the amount depending on how many ramps you’re using. The consistency should be thinner than pesto.

4. Add a little dash of salt, and blitz for about a minute.

5. Transfer the puree into a fine mesh sieve and use a rubber spatula to press the oil down into a bowl. What’s left behind is a fragrant mash of ramp leaves with some traces of oil. This can be saved / frozen / and incorporated into countless other dishes. For now, you’re focusing on just the extracted oil that comes out of the sieve.

6. Transfer the oil into a container, ideally a squeeze bottle with cap. It’s ready to go. Store in the refrigerator.

The Dough

For the pizza dough I have been very happy using a Ken Forkish recipe from Flour Water Salt Yeast for an overnight dough with levain. It’s one of the few recipes that I have decided not to mess with as it always yields great results.

The Assembly & Finishing

1. Stretch your dough and drizzle first with a little bit of olive oil.

2. Layer on your shredded mozzarella cheese.

3. Now evenly distribute the sauteed morels.

4. Using a spoon, dollop on the fresh ricotta evenly across the pie.

5. Bake your pizza. I use a wood fired Ooni Pro but use whatever works for you.

6. Drizzle on a generous amount of ramp oil.

7. Drizzle on a swirl of honey.

8. Top with fresh mint and wild violet flowers.

9. Enjoy!

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!

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.

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.

Seasonal Spring Sea of Green Pie with Ramp Dust

I drew some inspiration from @danieleuditi at @pizzana with his use of dehydrated basil. This time of year in the northeast, ramps (allium tricoccum) are in their full glory. If you know where to look, you'll find vast hillsides of vibrant green ramps. I wanted to make a seasonal pie that pays tribute to this incredible woodland ingredient. I harvested just the tender leaves of the plant, leaving the bulbs in the ground, and made a dehydrated ramp dust that is central to this pie. The powder retains the most amazing deep green color so we decided to call it the Sea of Green. Fired in my @oonihq Pro. Video of the whole process below.

Just a reminder to harvest ramps responsibly. Don't yank the bulbs or harvest more than you need! It takes seven years for ramps to reach maturity from seed.

Once you have your fresh ramps, I like to trim the stems off so you’re only drying the green leafy section of the plant. The stems are great as a pickled condiment, which can get eaten as is or processed into salad dressing. Any of your favorite pickling recipes will be great for the stems.

Place the leaves in the dehydrator and it should take about 2 - 3 hours until the leaves are fully dry. When done, they should be brittle and break apart in your fingertips.

In a bowl, crush the leaves with your hands to break them down to a smaller size. You can use a mortar and pestle to break down further or just skip ahead and blitz everything in a spice grinder to create a fine powder. You’ll be left with an amazing green colored dust that you can store by itself or mix it 50/50 with salt to make ramp salt. The raw ramp dust is extremely versatile and can be used to spice meat, vegetables, fused into sauces, etc.  I keep a jar of it in my spice cabinet and I store the rest in the freezer for future use. Like any spices, it will lose its potency over time.

For the pizza I have been very happy using a Ken Forkish recipe from Flour Water Salt Yeast for an overnight dough with levain. It’s one of the few recipes that I have decided not to mess with as it always yields great results.

The foundation of the pizza is a plain pie, with a parmesan laden red sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. The pie comes to life with a generous dusting of the ramp dust all over the top of the pie, followed by fresh basil leaves. It’s subtle and delicious.

New England Style Clam Pizza

When the world seems like it's on its head, I can always find comfort in the things that taste good. And as the weather warms up, I'm feeling a bit more motivated to fire up some pizzas. I haven't had much of a chance this winter to test out the new Ooni Karu - but this past weekend was the perfect opportunity to give it another go. This is my spin on the iconic New England style clam pizza from Frank Pepe's with the addition of broccoli rabe and saffron. This one really hit on all cylinders and will be replicated again. Short video of the entire process below.

Broccoli Rabe

Olive Oil

Dried chili peppers

Garlic

Clams (2 dozen)

Shallots (2 -3)

Thyme

Parsely

Saffron

White Wine

Heavy Cream

Salt

Pepper

The Broccoli Rabe

Blanch broccoli rabe in a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Remove, rinse with cold water and chop into small pieces. Heat oil in a skillet and saute garlic and chili flakes for a minute or so and then add the broccoli rabe to saute for another few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

The Clams

Finely dice shallots, 2 cloves of garlic, thyme, and parsley. Bring a heat resistant pan up to temperature in the wood burning oven (or stovetop) and add the olive oil. Saute the aromatics for a minute or so until softened and fragrant. Add the saffron and stir. Add in about a half a cup of white wine and return to the heat for another minute. And the clams (as many as will fit in your skillet), mix together, and place back into the heat. Stir occasionally until the clams begin to open. Discard any clams that fail to open up. Remove the clams and allow the liquid to cool down a little. Remove the clam meat from the shells and chop roughly on a cutting board.

The Sauce

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the heavy cream until frothy and thickened. Slowly pour in the liquid from the clams and continue whisking vigorously until well incorporated. 

Assembly

Stretch your dough. Spoon on the cream sauce leaving an edge around the entire dough. Layer on the chopped broccoli rabe and clams and slide onto your pizza peel. Fire in the oven for 60 - 90 seconds (or until fully cooked through with leoparding around the crust).

Finishing

Finish the pizza with freshly chopped parsley and a big squeeze of lemon juice. 

The Dough

I have been using the overnight levain recipe from Ken Forkish’s Flour Water Salt Yeast and I really haven’t found a good reason to deviate from the recipe.

Detroit Style Sfincione Pizza

I’ve been in a focaccia / pan pizza kind of mood recently and decided to give a go at a hybrid of a traditional Sicilian Sfincione and a classic Detroit pizza. It’s really the best of both worlds where the salty umami punch of the sfincione meets the crispy caramelized crust of the Detroit pizza. Short video about the process below.

The dough is an adaptation of my focaccia recipe (link here) where I have increased the hydration by 2%.

Ingredients:

2 large onions 

6 drained, peeled, crushed tomatoes from can

Grated parmigiano or fresh diced caciocavallo

Anchovy fillets mashed into small pieces to taste

Dried oregano to taste

Olive oil

Toasted breadcrumbs preferably coarse

Salt and pepper

Pizza dough

Directions:

Oil a rectangular pizza pan liberally. Line the edges of the pan with shredded mozzarella and spread the dough out with your fingers so that it covers the bottom evenly. Press into the dough to ensure you’re spreading it evenly across the pan. Add more shredded mozzarella to the top side of the dough along the edges. 

Cover with a cloth and allow it to rise for about 1 hour. In the meantime finely dice 2 yellow onions. Saute onions in olive oil on medium heat until golden. Mix in half a cup of breadcrumbs and dried oregano and toss until evenly mixed through. Allow to cool. 

Using a spoon or your fingers, sprinkle the mashed anchovies across the surface of the dough. Spoon on a thin layer of the crushed tomatoes so it covers the entire surface. Using a cheese grater, add a layer of caciocavallo evenly across the entire surface of the dough. On top of the grated cheese, spoon on the sauteed onions mixture and spread out evenly across the entire surface. Using a knife, cut thin strips of caciocavallo and line the top edge of the pan, on top of the shredded mozzarella, with even more cheese. 

Cover again and allow to rise for one more hour. Bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes, checking periodically. As it bakes the outer edge of cheese will form a wonderful crispy crust. 

Slow Pizza : 120 Days Start to Finish

Firing this pizza in the @oonihq Pro oven only takes about 60 to 90 seconds. But this peak season pie, built around sweet golden cherry tomatoes, padron peppers, and basil took 120 days to make - from the planting of each seed, to the transfer outdoors, and to the ultimate harvest when the vegetables are in peak form. It’s a pie that only happens during a short window during the summer, and with the addition of soppressata - it’s one that is essential every year at the height of the summer season. Video about the process below.

Chanterelle and Pesto Pizza

Summer is in full effect. With a bounty of chanterelles the next obvious thing to do was pizza. This pie features fresh chanterelles, basil pesto, shredded mozzarella, and nastrutium flowers. I wanted to keep it limited to simple fresh ingredients and make the mushrooms really shine. The nasturtium flowers add a subtle sweet and peppery kick and I loved the way the mimic the shape and color of the chanterelles.

The crust is naturally leavened using a Ken Forkish (Flour Water Salt Yeast) recipe as the basis of the dough with some slight timing deviations. Wood fired in the Ooni pro in approximately 60 seconds. I made a short video about the forage and pizza making process. (Embedded below)

These were the best chanterelles that I’ve ever found - a large patch of Cantharellus Lateritius in western New Jersey. They were in perfect condition and we came home with a few bags full.

I highly recommend Flour Water Salt Yeast if you’re interested in making bread and pizza dough. There are recipes that use commercial yeasts and wild yeasts and all recipes are flexible and easy to adapt for real-world schedules.

Grandma Style Pizza in Cast Iron Skillet

I’ve been fine tuning this wood fired cast-iron Grandma style pie and finally getting the hang of it. The line between Sicilian and Grandma style is thin, and generally defined by the thickness of the dough and how long it proofs in the pan. This version lives somewhere in the space in between, with a nice airy crumb but not overwhelmingly bready. Earlier iterations were a bit thinner, and in the future I may want to go back to a thinner crust. Video about the process below.

The Spring Fling Pie: Seasonal Toppings from Garden and Forest

Before we hit our stride in mid to late summer I started to brainstorm what kind of pizza to make with early season ingredients. What started off as a late spring garden pie took on a new form after a successful day foraging for spring mushrooms.

Tatsoi greens, Egyptian Walking Onions, wild Crown Tipped Coral and Chicken of the Woods mushrooms, sweet and sour chive blossoms, tatsoi blossoms and a blend of mozzarella, fontina, and provolone cheese all on a sourdough crust - wood fired with the Ooni Pro.

Perfect specimen of Laetiporus Sulphureus.

Detroit Style Pizza

After a few months of making Neapolitan style pizzas in my new wood fired oven I wanted to try something a little different. It was a little more challenging than making a quick 60 second pizza right on the stones and maintaining steady temperature over a longer period of time. Ultimately the pizza tasted really good but I definitely need to work on the temperature regulation next time around. Some areas got a little too charred.

In the process I learned a lot about the origin of Detroit pizza and how it relates to Sicilian pizza. I made a short video that dives into the history of Detroit Style and the evolution of Sicilian pizza.