NY Style Pizza with Mortadella, Stracciatella and Pistachio Pesto
This is another of Anthony Falco’s pizza recipes. This one pairs really well for champagne, which makes it perfect for New Years Eve, but don’t let that stop you from making it any day of the week! The pesto can be made ahead of time, so it’s a really simple pizza, but doesn’t taste that way!
Recipe Resource: Anthony Falco
Adapted by Tierney Larson
Servings: This recipe makes 7 250g balls of Pizza Dough, if you want a small recipe, check this one out…or just use the *bakers percentage below to adjust the servings.
Ingredients:
For the Dough: If you don’t have sourdough starter, use this recipe
1000 grams (8 cups) flour (50% high protein bread flour 40% all-purpose 10% freshly milled whole grain)-If you don’t have freshly milled whole grain, use 60 % Bread Flour and 40% All Purpose.
600 grams (2 1/2 cups) of lukewarm water, 72F
150 grams (3/4 cup) of ripe starter (3-5 hours after feeding room temperature)
40 grams (4 tbl) of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
30 grams (2tbl) of sea salt
*Bakers Percentages: 100% flour, 60% water, 15% starter, 4% extra virgin olive oil, 3% sea salt
Ok for the Dough…
Mix the flours in a large bowl and set aside. Then in a medium bowl, break the starter up with 590g of the water, leaving the extra 10g of water to the side for later. Make a crater in the center of the flour and pour the starter mixture into the center. Using your hand like a claw, slowly mix the starter in a clockwise motion, pushing a small amount of flour into the starter mixture (almost like making pasta) and stirring until a rough ball of dough forms. Pour in the extra virgin olive oil, and squeeze it into the dough until it’s incorporated and the bowl is clean. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 min, pour the remaining 10g of water into the dough, and add the salt a little at a time, squeezing it into the dough. Make sure you can’t feel anymore of the granules of salt, and form the dough into a ball. Then place in a lightly oiled container and cover for 5 hours at room temperature, doing a stretch and fold half way through.
Carefully remove the dough and place onto a lightly floured surface, and portion it out into 250g balls. Cinch the bottoms of the balls by folding the dough into the center and pinching it together, then gently pull the ball, seam side down along the counter to tighten it a few times turning the dough as you pull it towards you. Place the all of the portioned dough seam side down on a floured rimmed sheet pan and then sprinkle flour on top of the dough as well. Cover them with plastic and then an upside down rimmed sheet pan. Let the doughs rest at room temp until doubled in size, around 12-18 hours depending on how warm your house is. Then make pizza or store in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
For the toppings: The pesto recipe is enough for about 5 pizzas.
Ingredients:
1 ball of dough (recipe above)
40 grams fresh garlic about 8 cloves
100 grams (6 oz) pistachios
50 grams (3 oz) almonds
50 grams (3 oz) of cashews
75 grams (6 ½ oz) Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
200 grams (1 ½ cups) Extra-Virgin olive oil
5 grams (1 tsp) kosher salt
100 grams (½ cup) of shredded low moisture mozzarella
50 grams (4 oz) of Stracciatella (Buffalo mozzerella)
50 grams (6 slices) Thinly sliced mortadella
20g grams (2 oz) grated parmigiana Reggiano
5 grams (1 tsp) crushed pistachio
Ok so…Preheat the oven with a pizza stone on the middle rack, to the highest setting, usually 550F. Start by making the pesto. Add the garlic to a small food processor or blender and pulse until minced. Then add the cashews and almonds and blend until they’re pea sized. Add the pistachios and blend while drizzling in the olive oil. Then blend until smooth. Pour the pesto into a bowl and fold in the 75 grams of grated parmigiana reggiano. Taste and add 5 grams of kosher salt if necessary.
When you’re ready, sprinkle a ball of dough with flour and using a bench scraper move it carefully to a floured surface. Using your fingers, press down from the center out, leaving an edge where the crust would be. Continue to press the dough until you have an even circle with a crust around the edge. Then cup your hands and toss the dough back and forth turning the dough 45 degrees each time, until you have a 11-12 inch circle.
Place the dough onto a floured peel and give it a shake to make sure it will slide off when the time comes. Quickly top with a spoonful or two of the pesto, enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pizza again leaving the crust alone. Then sprinkle the mozzarella on top of the pesto, evenly spread out. Bake for 5 1/2 minutes.
When the pizza is done, cut it into 6 slices. Top each slice with a crumpled piece of mortadella, then break apart the stracciatella on top of each slice, and sprinkle the whole pie with parmigiana and the crushed pistachios.
Enjoy!
