New York Style Pizza Dough

PREP TIME FOR DOUGH TO RISE

Recipe Found HERE 

Article about how this recipe compares to others 

"This recipe, adapted from Roberta’s, the pizza and hipster haute-cuisine utopia in Bushwick, Brooklyn, provides a delicate, extraordinarily flavorful dough that will last in the refrigerator for up to a week. It rewards close attention to weight rather than volume in the matter of the ingredients, and asks for a mixture of finely ground Italian pizza flour (designated “00” on the bags and available in some supermarkets, many specialty groceries and always online) and regular all-purpose flour. As ever with breads, rise time will depend on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen and refrigerator."

153 grams 00 flour (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon)
153 grams all-purpose flour (1 cup plus 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons)
8 grams fine sea salt (1 teaspoon)

200 grams lukewarm water (a little less than 1 cup)
2 grams active dry yeast (3/4 teaspoon)
4 grams extra-virgin olive oil (1 teaspoon)

Food Scale
parchment paper
Semolina flour
1 15 oz jar pizza sauce (I prefer Le Roselli's, Amazon sometimes has it)
16 oz block whole-milk, low-moisture mozzarella (Polly-O recommended), will cover 3 pizzas
Desired Toppings

DOUGH
In a large mixing bowl, combine flours and salt.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together 200 grams (a little less than 1 cup) lukewarm tap water, the yeast and the olive oil, then pour it into flour mixture. Knead with your hands until well combined, approximately 3 minutes, then let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.

Knead rested dough for 3 minutes. Cut into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a heavily floured surface, cover with dampened cloth, and let rest and rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature or for 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. (If you refrigerate the dough, remove it 30 to 45 minutes before you begin to shape it for pizza.)

MAKE THE PIZZA
Place each dough ball on a lightly floured surface/parchment (use the semolina flour for this) and use your fingers to stretch it, then your hands/fists to shape it into 10-12 inch rounds.

I bake it on a pizza steel 

Put the stone/pizza steel in the oven and preheat it on 500-550 degrees (your highest setting). I use my true convection bake/convection bake setting. Let the stone/pizza steel sit in the oven for at least 45-60 minutes BEFORE baking the pizza.

Top and transfer the assembled pizza onto the pizza stone (use a pizza peel or you can use a cookie sheet to do this). If you have the pizza lightly floured it should move back and forth easily on the peel or you can bake it with the parchment paper still underneath, if it's easier to just slide it all in on top of the pizza stone. Bake the pizza at 525 degrees for 5-7 minutes, watch not to burn. 

I have started putting the crust in for 2 minutes, then removing to put sauce/toppings, then back in oven for 3-4 minutes. 

We do 4-6 pizzas and as the door keeps opening the oven loses heat. Baking the crust first ensures a crispy crust on bottom without over baking the cheese. 

You can also GRILL THE PIZZA. Place the pizza stone on the grill and heat the grill to the highest temperature. This worked great and took about 4-5 minutes to baked each pizza. I put the pizzas in ready to go, no pre-baking the crust before adding toppings. 

Lisa's Favorite Toppings:

Green olives
red onion
roasted red peppers 
Fresh diced garlic
Fresh tomatoes

These pizza's were grilled outside on a gas grill. 

Baked Ziti with Sausage

Recipe Found HERE

We've also made this dish with ground beef, for a more mild (kid friendly) taste and it works wonderfully!*

1 lb ziti noodles
1.5 lbs ground Hot Italian sausage (I use 1 lb, can substitute with ground beef if desired)*
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmigiano Reggiano) cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving
8 oz whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ziti according to the package directions for very al dente, about 7 minutes. (It will continue to cook in the oven so you want to under cook it just a bit.) Drain and add the pasta back to the pot. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425°F and set the oven rack in the middle position.

Heat a large sauté pan (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a plate. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan and set over low heat (if you don't have enough fat in the pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil). Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until soft but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, sugar and red pepper flakes and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Add the heavy cream, 1/3 cup of the Pecorino Romano, cooked sausage, and basil to the pan; stir until evenly combined. Carefully pour the contents of the sauté pan into the large pot with the pasta and gently stir to combine. Spoon half of the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the shredded mozzarella and half of the remaining Pecorino Romano. Spoon the remaining pasta mixture on top and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Pecorino Romano. Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the cheese has melted and browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with more basil and serve.

Make Ahead: This dish can be assembled and refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days in advance. Since the dish will be cold, the baking time will need to be increased. To bake, cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in a 425°F oven for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned and the pasta is hot throughout.

Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The dish can be frozen unbaked. When you’re ready to cook it, defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then proceed with the Make Ahead instructions above.

Shepherd's Pie

Another fabulous recipe for Shepherd's Pie is found at Once Upon a Chef, it is more work, but very "restaurant quality."

1 pound ground beef
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (14oz ) can cut green beans, drained
1 (10 3/4 oz) can tomato soup (can substitute can tomato sauce in a pinch)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Mashed potatoes (I just buy pre-made in the refrigerated section)

Brown ground beef until no longer pink, drain. Add onion powder, salt and pepper. Mix well. Put into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with drained green beans. Spread tomato soup over beans. Spoon potatoes over mixture. Top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Homemade Noodles

If you don't have time to wait for the noodles to dry out, you can boil them and they will taste great.

(Mormon Cooking)

1 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2-4 Tablespoons cold water

Place flour and salt in a large bowl; make a depression in the center and add eggs and oil. Gradually stir in flour from the edges adding water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until flour is moistened enough to form a ball. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll one part at a time into a paper-thin rectangle on well-floured board. Loosely fold lengthwise into thirds and cut crosswise into strips. Lay on towel until stiff and dry, about 2 hours. Break dry strips into smaller pieces. Cook in boiling salted water until noodles are tender. Serves 8 to 10.

***French Bread Pizza***

(Cook's Country)

Contadina brand pizza sauce is the test kitchen's favorite. For crisp (but not tough) crust, use supermarket French bread rather than a baguette.

6 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (24-inch) loaf French bread, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 8 even pieces
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (whole milk cheese is best)

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475˚. Microwave oil, garlic, 2 Tablespoons basil, and pepper flakes on high power in small microwave-safe bowl, 30 to 60 seconds.

Brush half of oil mixture over crust and edges of bread and arrange cut-side up on foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle Parmesan evenly over bread and bake until cheese begins to brown, about 3 minutes.

Whisk pizza sauce, remaining basil, and remaining oil mixture in bowl. Spread sauce evenly over bread, then top with mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve.

recipe found here