Pizza Margherita

Recipe Ingredients

		Marinara Sauce
3 tablespoons	45ml	Olive oil
3		Garlic cloves - minced
2		Onions - finely chopped
1		Red bell pepper - chopped
2		Carrots - finely chopped
2		Celery stalks - finely chopped
1		Crushed tomatoes - (28 oz) - with liquid
1 cup	237ml	Dry red wine
1 tablespoon	15ml	Minced fresh oregano
		= (or 1 tspn dried oregano)
1 tablespoon	15ml	Minced fresh basil
		= (or 1 tspn dried basil)
2 tablespoons	30ml	Minced parsley
1 teaspoon	5ml	Sugar
		Salt - to taste
		Freshly-ground black pepper - to taste
		Basic Pizza Dough
2		Active dry yeast - (1/4 oz ea)
1/8 teaspoon	0.6ml	Sugar
1 1/4 cups	296ml	Warm water - (110 to 115 degrees) - divided
1/4 cup	59ml	Olive oil
3 1/2 cups	218g / 7.7oz	Flour
1 teaspoon	5ml	Salt
		Assembly
		Basic Pizza Dough
		Cornmeal
2 cups	474ml	Marinara Sauce
2 cups	292g / 10oz	Grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup	73g / 2.6oz	Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons	30ml	Olive oil

Recipe Instructions

For the Marinara Sauce: Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, onions, bell pepper, carrots and celery and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes with the liquid, the red wine, oregano, basil, parsley and sugar. Bring the sauce to a boil, cover and simmer until it's thick, about 30 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer it to a bowl to cool, cover it with plastic wrap and set it aside. (Makes 3 cups) Save the leftover Marinara Sauce for another use.

For the Basic Pizza Dough: Dissolve the yeast with the sugar in 1/2 cup of the water and set aside until foamy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining 3/4 cup warm water, the olive oil and yeast mixture. Stir in the flour, 1 cup at a time, and salt mixing until the dough begins to come together in a ball. Spoon the dough onto a floured board and knead it until it's smooth, elastic and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and set it aside in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. It is then ready to use. This makes enough dough for 2 pizzas.

For Assembly: Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Divide the dough into 2 equal balls. Roll 1 ball out on a floured board into a thin circle, about 12 to 14 inches in diameter. Dust a round pizza baking pan or baking sheet with cornmeal and slip the rolled dough onto the prepared pan.

Spoon 1 cup of sauce in a thin coating on the pizza, spreading it with the back of a spoon to within 1 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the pizza generously with half the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil over the top. Repeat with the second ball and ingredients to make a second pizza.

Bake the pizzas in batches on the lowest rack of the oven until the crust is crisp and brown and the cheese is hot and bubbling, 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

This recipe yields 2 pizzas, 4 servings each.

Each of 8 servings: 506 calories; 723 mg sodium; 27 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 58 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams protein; 5.26 grams fiber.

Source:
The Los Angeles Times, 03-21-2001

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