I reside squarely in the fancy pizza camp. I like pizza featuring everything from figs and Brussels sprouts to chorizo and bacon, and I do not apologize for this fact. I see pizza dough as a blank canvas on which I get to experiment with flavor combinations.
That said, there is an old-school combination I often find myself coming back to: the margherita. Simply fresh tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil after baking, it’s a true classic. There are 2 keys to making a perfect pizza margherita: use the freshest ingredients available and be sure to show restraint with them—this is not supposed to be a goopy, overly-cheesy pizza.
Ingredients
- flour for dusting pantry
- 1 recipe pizza dough $1.50
- 1 15-oz. can chopped tomatoes, drained $1.50
- 1 handful fresh basil, chopped, plus more for garnish $1 for a bunch
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish pantry
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped pantry
- salt and pepper to taste pantry
- 2 4-oz. balls mozzarella di bufala (fresh mozzarella), sliced into about 12 medallions $3.50
Recipe Serves 4-6
Directions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Lightly flour two baking sheets or pizza pans and set aside.
- On a floured surface, stretch out the pizza dough into two 12" circles. Transfer to the prepared pan and set aside.
- Stir together the tomatoes, basil, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over the pizza dough rounds, leaving a 1/2" border for the crust.
- Scatter the cheese medallions over the sauce, spacing evenly.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes (you may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your oven), or until crust is golden-brown and cheese is bubbly.
- Top with a light drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper and a shower of fresh basil.
- Cut into wedges and serve.
