Colavita Top Your Pizza Book

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table of

CONTENTS CARAMELIZED ONION & GRUYERE page 1

SUN DRIED TOMATO, BROCCOLI RABE & WHITE BEAN page 14

PEAR & GORGONZOLA page 6

BASIL, TOMATO & MOZZARELLA page 19

POLENTA CRUST page 23 CAULIFLOWER & CHICKPEA page 1o

WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA DOUGH page 25

levels of

DIFFICULTY Easy:

(your house pets could do it)

Moderate: Challenging:

(possible supervision required) (timing is everything )

Have you ever caramelized an onion? Sometimes I caramelize onions just for the smell. That sweet and tangy aroma permeates my entire apartment for a day or two. It’s pure bliss and better than any scented candle I’ve ever found. Caramelization is a slow, methodical process but the result is worth every minute of wait, especially combined with a Gruyere cheese-topped pizza dough. Make it happen.

2

INGREDIENTS 1 recipe pizza dough, salt and freshly ground black pepper and...

Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil

one sweet onion...

1lb wedge Gruyere cheese

...chopped and caramelized fresh chives 3

INSTRUCTIONS

1 2 Heat 3 Stretch

Caramelize your onions ahead of time according to the following recipe. the oven to 500 degrees. If using a pizza stone, allow the stone to heat up along with the oven for a half hour before baking on it. out your dough on a cornmeal-dusted peel to about 10-12� in diameter. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the top of the dough.

4 Cut

strips or cubes of the Gruyere cheese and distribute along the top of the oiled dough.

5 6 Drizzle

Top the cheese with the caramelized onions. with Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

7 Garnish 8 Slide 9 Remove

with freshly chopped chives.

your pizza onto the stone in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

from the oven and garnish with fresh basil. Serve!

I NGREDIENTS 1 large sweet onion (like a Vidalia).

Feel free to use more onions. However, this may increase your total cooking time 1 tablespoon of Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 LARGE skillet a wooden spoon time This process may take 25-35 minutes.

4

I NST RUC TIONS

1 2 3

Slice up the onions into strips.

Heat up the olive oil in a skillet or frying pan.

Throw in the onions. Then....wait. No, seriously, you have to wait a while.

Maybe about 45 minutes depending on how many onions you crammed into that frying pan.

4

Stir only OCCASIONALLY. You want them to get toasty brown and they can’t do that if you’re constantly flippin’ ‘em around like a maniac. They will wilt, because they are losing water. And they will get nice and brown (like caramel, see?). You could watch them do this, but it’s like watching the grass grow.

5

Check up on them every now and again to give them a gentle turn and make sure everything is on the up-and-up.

5

Sweet. Powerful. Innovative. Who says fruit doesn’t belong on

pizza? It does when you’re craving that sweet-meets-savory flavor combination, which is precisely what this pie is. You’ll dig the candy-like transformation of your oven-crusted pears, particularly when they’re contrasted with some tangy, oozing Gorgonzola.

Serve and impress—yourself.

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INGREDIENTS 1 recipe pizza dough, salt, freshly ground black pepper and...

Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil

fresh rosemary

1-2 ripe pears, sliced into 1/4� thick slices 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled 8

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Heat

the oven to 500 degrees. If using a pizza stone, allow the stone to heat up along with the oven for a half hour before baking on it.

2

Stretch out your dough on a cornmeal-dusted peel to about 10-12�

3

Scatter the Gorgonzola cheese on top of the pears.

4

Drizzle with Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, season with salt, freshly

5

Slide your pizza onto the stone in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

in diameter. Distribute the sliced pears evenly on the top of the dough.

ground black pepper and fresh rosemary (as much as you like).

6 Remove

from the oven and serve!

Tip: This recipe uses Bosc pears (pictured here), but any type of pear will work nicely.

The beauty

of pizza is its flexibility. Not just a vehicle for cheese and sauce, pizza can be transformed into a healthy meal with whole wheat crust and a mix of seasonal vegetables. For this winter slice, we combined roasted cauliflower, chickpeas and onions with a touch of harissa for heat and cumin for Moroccan flair.

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IIN NG GR RE DI E N NT TSS 1 recipe whole wheat pizza ingredient dough, salt, list goes freshly here... ground black pepper and...

1 lemon 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 cup feta cheese

1 15-ounce can of chick peas

2 tablespoons harissa

Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 small sweet onion, sliced

12

fresh parsley

1 head of cauliflower, sliced into florets

II N S T R U UC CT TIIO ON NSS

1 1

22 3

34 45 6

57 68

Place dried kaleMeanwhile, in a sealable plastic bag. Addand 1 tablespoon Heatchopped the oven and to 400 degrees. chop the cauliflower spread it onto Colavita olive Add oil, ¼ teaspoon sea ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black a baking sheet.

3 tablespoons ofsalt the and Colavita Extra Virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon pepper.

Shake to distribute evenly. Set aside. You can prepare the kale up to salt, freshly ground pepper and the cumin seeds. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon 2 hours ahead of time. over the top, and mix it up with your hands to combine.

Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and browning along the Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil or

edges. Add the chickpeas and roast an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven

parchment paper. Slice the carrots and parsnips (if using) and spread them and set aside. out on the baking sheet. Drizzle them with Colavita olive oil and the juice from ½ a lemon. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon sea salt, some freshly ground black Meanwhile, ExtraRoast Virgininolive in afor skillet over pepper (to taste),heat andthe theremaining chopped,Colavita fresh thyme. the oil oven about medium-low heat.flip Addthe theslices onionand androast a pinch Cook until the onionsfrom are soft 10 minutes, then forof10salt. more minutes.

Remove and turning a golden brown. Stir in the harissa along with 1 tablespoon water. the oven and set aside.

Pick the leaves off the parsley and chop them roughly. Mix together the onions,

Increase

cauliflower and cantodo right on baking sheet.

Squeeze thechickpeas. heat of theYou oven 500this degrees.

If the using a pizza stone, allowthe juicestone fromto theheat remaining half lemon over the sprinkle the chopped the up along with the oven for top, a halfand hour beforewith baking on it. parsley.

Stretch out yourofdough on to a cornmeal-dusted peela to about 10-12” Increase the heat the oven 500 degrees. If using pizza stone, allowinthe diameter.

Place a layer of the theoven marinated kale onbefore top ofbaking the dough. stone to heat up along with for a half hour on it. On top of that, add on the roasted carrot and parsnip slices. Dollop some ricotta cheese thedough vegetables in teaspoon-sized Drizzle a Stretchamongst out your on a cornmeal-dusted peel amounts. to about 10-12” in with diameter. little more oil and sprinkle more fresh Scatter the Colavita vegetableolive mixture on top of thewith dough and top thyme. with the feta cheese.

Drizzle with a little more Colavita olive oil.

Slide your pizza onto the stone in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Slide your pizza onto the stone in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve!

Remove from the oven and serve!

Who says pizza has to include bread? Remember what I said about flexibility being a key characteristic of pizza? Well, that goes for the changing things up—like the crust. For this recipe, I created a polenta crust with fresh herbs, topped with bitter broccoli rabe, sweet sun dried tomatoes and meaty white beans. Garnished with a few shavings of salty Pecorino cheese and crunchy pine nuts, this pizza leaves nothing wanting...not even the bread. Best of all, it’s gluten free!

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INGREDIENTS 1 recipe polenta crust, salt, freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and...

a handful of sun dried tomatoes Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 15-ounce can white beans 1 bunch broccoli rabe

fresh parsley 2 cloves garlic, crushed shavings of Pecorino Romano cheese 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted 16

INSTRUCTIONS

1 SautĂŠ 2 Rehydrate 3

Prepare the polenta crust according to the recipe on page 23. the broccoli rabe according to the recipe on the next page.

the sun dried tomatoes by placing them in a small bowl of hot water. Allow them to soak for about 10 minutes, the drain.

4

Remove the un-topped polenta crust from the oven, and increase the oven heat to broil.

5 Drizzle 6

Top with the sauteed broccoli rabe and white beans, sun dried tomatoes, and sprinkle with pine nuts.

with Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

7

Slide your pizza into the oven and bake for about 5 minutes. Keep a close

8

Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh parsley and shavings of

eye on your pizza, as the broiler tends to be very hot and cook quickly.

Parmesan cheese. Serve!

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Fill 2

Rinse the broccoli rabe thoroughly with water. a large pot with about 2 quarts of water and bring it to a boil. Submerge the broccoli rabe in the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain the broccoli rabe in a colander for 5 minutes to remove all the water (excess water will splash when you add it to the hot oil...).

3 Peel 4

Heat 2 tablespoons of Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a small skillet over medium heat.

2 cloves of garlic and crush them with the side of a knife. Add the crushed garlic and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to the skillet and olive oil. Stir with a wooden spoon and allow the garlic and pepper to become aromatic.

5

Add the broccoli rabe to the skillet and sautĂŠ for about 10 minutes. The greens should start to wilt.

6 7 Remove

Mix in the white beans, and stir to combine. from the heat and set aside for your pizza topping.

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What do we have here? Only the most popular food ever created— the Margherita pizza. You know what we’re dealing with: bread, cheese, sauce. The makeup is simple, yet the final product is indisputably supreme.

You’ve probably had it a million times, except now, you’re making it yourself.

Fresh, and with love.

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INGREDIENTS 1 recipe pizza dough, salt, and...

Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil

fresh basil

1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes 21

OR

1 package grape, san marzano, cherry, plum or any kind of tomato!

1 lb lightly salted mozzarella cheese (or water-packed balls of mozz )

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Heat

the oven to 500 degrees. If using a pizza stone, allow the stone to

heat up along with the oven for a half hour before baking on it.

2 Stretch

out your dough on a cornmeal-dusted peel to about 10-12�

3 Using

a spoon, dollop the crushed tomatoes directly from the can onto

in diameter. Distribute the sliced pears evenly on the top of the dough.

the dough. If using whole tomatoes, give them a whirl in your food processor and then spoon onto the dough.

4

Slice the mozzarella over the tomatoes and distribute evenly around the pizza surface.

5 6 Slide Remove 7

Drizzle with Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil and season with salt. your pizza onto the stone in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

from the oven and garnish with fresh basil. Serve!

POLENTA

PIZZA CRUST I am a big fan of bread (especially when it concerns pizza), but in this case stepping outside the bread box is a welcome change. Polenta is ground cornmeal and when boiled in water with some herbs and spices it becomes a wonderful vehicle for added flavor. Below is my suggestion (and pairs best with the Broccoli Rabe & Sun Dried Tomato Pizza), but I encourage you to add in the herbs of your choosing—even a little Parmesan cheese

I NGRE DIE N T S This recipe makes one 11” x 14” rectangluar crust.

You can also make smaller, round crusts.

3 1/2 cups water 1 1/3 cups Colavita Polenta 2 tablespoons Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil

P RO C ESS

1 2

1 teaspoon salt

Heat up an baking sheet in the oven. When you are ready to bake the polenta crust, transfer it from the cold, refrigerated sheet to the hot one by lifting it from the parchment paper. This will allow the bottom of the crust to toast nicely.

23

Slowly add 1 1/3 cups Colavita Polenta to the boiling

water, and stir. Reduce the heat, and continue stirring for about 5 minutes, until thickened.

Pour in the 2 tablespoons of Colavita Extra Virgin Olive

4

Remove from the heat and prepare a baking sheet lined

freshly ground black pepper

T IP!

cups of water to a boil. Add the salt.

3

1/8 cup chopped, fresh parsley 1/2 teaspoon oregano

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the 3 1/2

5 6

Oil and stir to incorporate. Add the chopped parsley, oregano and freshly ground black pepper (to taste). Stir to combine.

with parchment paper. Using a spatula (a silicone spatula works the best), spread the polenta evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.

Cover the pan and refrigerate for about an hour to set the polenta. You can also chill it overnight.

Once chilled, heat the oven to 450 degrees. You will want

to toast up the polenta crust before topping it. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until slightly crispy on top.

Remove from the oven, and apply your pizza toppings!

WHOLE WHEAT

PIZZA DOUGH The prospect of making your own dough can be intimidating. In reality, it’s surprisingly simple. Aside from the ingredients listed below, the only other requirement is time—to rise.

Dough is slow food at its best—the yeast, flour and water do their own thing once you throw them together. So go rearrange your furniture and come back later. It’ll all work out.

INGRE DIE N T S This recipe makes four 8-10” personal pizzas.

Store unsused dough in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2 days.

For longer storage, freeze for up to a week.

1 envelope active dried yeast 1 ½ cups warm water (100 degrees F) 2 cups all-purpose flour (or bread flour) 2 cups whole wheat flour If you don’t want whole wheat dough, just continue using the all-purpose flour.

1 teaspoon salt

1 2 3 4 5

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of warm water.

Stir in ½ cup of the all-purpose flour. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

Add the remaining ½ cup of warm water and salt. Slowly

begin to mix in the remaining flours. When all of the flour is incorporated kneed the dough until it is smooth. It may take about 10 minutes.

Dust the dough lightly with flour and place in a bowl.

Cover with a cloth (not terry cloth) to rise for 1 hour.

After the hour, the dough should have doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and divide into 4-5 parts. Form each part into a smooth ball and it let rise, covered on a floured board for 30 minutes.

At this point, you can stretch out the dough balls into

pizza rounds. Place the dough on a floured surface and press from the inside out in a circular motion. You can stretch the dough as thin as you like, but be careful not to break it. If you do break it, you can pinch it back together with your fingers.

6

Always, ALWAYS heat the oven to 500 degrees for 30

7

The dough should be topped while on a pizza peel that

T IP! You can use a food processor or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to mix your dough. But you can also do it by hand with a sturdy whisk.

P RO C ESS

minutes with a pizza stone in the top third of the oven.

The pizza stone needs to be hot in order for the heat to best transfer to the bottom of the dough. So don’t skip this heating process. You can use a baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone. No need to pre-heat the baking sheet. has been dusted with either cornmeal or semolina flour for easy peel-to-stone transfer.

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For me, pizza is about love.

I love making it, and I love eating it.

Within these pages are five recipes for pizza that you are going to love making and eating too.

As great pizza starts with flour, water and yeast, I included a simple homemade dough recipe with whole wheat and polenta variations.

So fire up your ovens, dust those peels with semolina and make some pizza!

About me

My name is Elana Iaciofano.

I’m a Creative Director and Food Photographer in New York City.

I have a brother John (same last name).

Together, we have a food blog called John and Elana Talk About Food.

You can check it out here: johnandelana.com Or follow us on twitter here: @johnandelana