Is a pizza w/o tomatoes really a pizza?
I think it is a pizza, because I didn’t intend to create any new type of quiche or tarte flambée. Except of the lack of tomatoes the rest fits in a traditional pizza creation.
The tomatoes – if like a tomato sauce or tomato pesto or fresh tomatoes?
I simply substituted ricotta for tomatoes. So the basic creaminess of the pizza remained & the ricotta mingled w/ the rest of the topping.
… if you didn’t notice until now, because I posted some pizza creations on my blog: I (or: my better half & I) like generously piled on pizzas – always even covering the edges w/ topping. My pizza w/o tomatoes will fit in this club.
Just as last time I started w/ preparing the pizza pastry according to a recipe in Meike Peters’ last cookbook, using:
- all-purpose flour
- warm water
- olive oil
- salt.
I mixed the ingredients w/ a spoon, kneaded the result & formed a ball.
I set my oven to 50° C fan for about 2 min … then I put the pizza pastry, covered w/ a tea towel, in the oven & let it rest for about 1 h.
Afterwards I lined a baking tray w/ baking parchment & flattened the pizza pastry into a round shape – back into the still warm oven for about 30 min.
Then I rolled out the pizza pastry … & added the toppings.
I prepared the toppings when the pizza pastry chilled in the oven. As soon as the pastry had left the oven I preheated the oven to 180° C fan.
For my topping I worked with:
- creamy ricotta
- thinly sliced courgette
- thinly sliced scallions
- some oily anchovies
- a ball of burrata.
The pizza pastry is covered w/ some olive oil & dried Italian herbs. Afterwards the ricotta is added & spread evenly all over the pastry.
Then the courgette slices are distributed & on top the anchovies & the scallions follow.
Finally the ball of burrata is torn apart & ends up on everything.
The pizza marches into the preheated oven for about 25-30 min.
If you wonder … I always use my oven in my kitchen, which is a straightforward oven. I don’t own a special pizza oven or any of these pizza stones. Therefore my pizzas usually need about 25-30 min for their oven session. (Of course the baking process is a lot shorter when using one of these gadgets!)
The result is delicious: there is a crispy pizza pastry, there is creamy ricotta w/ soft courgette, there are salty bits where the anchovies sit – and ob top the melted burrata.
Enjoy!
- 175 g all-purpose flour
- ½ packet dry yeast (3,5 g)
- ½ tsp salt
- 90 ml water (lukewarm)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
- 150 g ricotta
- 1 courgette (medium size)
- 2 scallions
- 10-12 anchovies (in oil)
- 1 ball burrata (100 g)
- Mix flour, dry yeast, salt, water & olive oil w/ your hands, knead the mess & form a ball.
- Start the oven for 2 min w/ 50° C fan. Let the bowl w/ the pastry ball sit in your oven – covered w/ a tea towel for about 60 min in order to rise.
- Knead & roll out the pastry on a baking tray lined w/ baking parchment. Let it sit in the still warm oven for another 30 min in order to rise even more.
- Roll the pastry finally out for the pizza.
- Start w/ slicing the courgette into thin slices (about 1-2 mm).
- Peel & trim the scallions & cut them into thin slices (1-2 mm).
- When the pizza pastry is finally fine & rolled out, preheat the oven to 180° C fan.
- Add olive oil onto the pizza pastry & brush all over the pastry.
- Sprinkle the dry Italian herbs all over the pastry.
- Add the ricotta & spread all over the pastry.
- Add the courgette in order to cover all of the pastry.
- Add the anchovies.
- Sprinkle the scallions on top.
- Finally tear apart the burrata & distribute all over everything.
- Bake the pizza in the preheated oven for about 25-30 min.
