Big-Red Pizza Recipe

4

Ingredients

Pesto Sauce
1 large or 2 small sweet red peppers
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil
½ tsp (2 mL) balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp (1 mL) each of salt and freshly
ground black pepper
⅔ cup (150 mL) freshly grated `Za hard-cheese blend or hard-cheese of choice
¼ cup (50 mL) chopped fresh basil or parsley
Pizza
1 recipe pizza dough (recipe follows) or purchased dough, about 1 lb (500 g)
1 ½ lb (750 g) medium raw shrimp, defrosted
3 cups (750 mL) cubed `Za soft-cheese blend or soft-cheese of choice
1 cup (250 mL) thinly sliced red onion
¼ cup (50 mL) chopped fresh basil or parsley
`Za Cheese Blend
12 oz (375 g) mozzarella
12 oz (375 g) mild provolone or unsmoked, fresh scamorza
12 oz (375 g) Friulano
4 oz (125 g) Parmesan
4 oz (125 g) Romano or Asiago
1 . Using a heavy chef’s knife, dice mozzarella, provolone and Friulano into scant ½-inch (1-cm) cubes. Toss to mix. There should be about 6 cups (1.5 L).
2 . Using food processor fitted with a medium grating blade or a hand grater, grate Parmesan and Romano or Asiago. There should be about 4 cups (1 L).
3 . Transfer cubed soft cheeses to a freezer-weight reclosable plastic bag. (Heavy-gauge bags prevent cheese from picking up refrigerator odors.) Grated cheese is best placed in a rigid-sided container to avoid clumping.
4 . Chilled, cheese keeps well for a week. Or better still, freeze and use on future pizzas directly from the freezer. (Cheese used for cooking suffers little loss of quality when frozen.)

Preparation

Step 1

1. To make sauce, roast red pepper until skin is loose and blackened in spots. Cool until able to handle; then remove skin and seed. Whirl red pepper with garlic in blender or food processor until puréed. Add olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whirl until mixed. Whirl in cheese and basil until just mixed. Sauce can be made ahead; cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

2. To make pizza, pat out dough in two 12-inch (30-cm) round oiled pizza pans for thin crusts or a half-sheet pan for medium-thick crust. If using a jelly-roll pan for thick crust, reduce topping quantities by a third. Form a rim around edges. Dough resists flattening so let rest between patting while continuing with toppings.

3. Peel shrimp, removing shells including tails. (Keep cold until ready to use as shrimp rapidly spoils at room temperature.) Pat dry with paper towels just before using.

4. Arrange oven racks with one on lowest level and one just above oven centre.

5. Preheat oven to 475°F (240°C) at least 15 minutes before baking.

6. Spread dough with pesto. Scatter evenly overtop with shrimp and cheese cubes; then top with onions. Let rise, uncovered, for 10 to 20 minutes or until dough has almost doubled.

7. Place pizza on lowest rack. Bake 5 to 10 minutes. Use a spatula, turn up one corner of the dough to check for browning. When nicely browned, move pizza to top rack for 5 to 8 minutes or until top is golden. Scatter basil overtop of hot pizza. To preserve crispy bottom crust, slide onto a cooling rack; use kitchen shears to cut into pieces.