Recipe

Friday with San Marzanos

Recipe
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Photo by thirschfeld

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe Using Heirloom Tomatoes
Chef
thirschfeld's Notes: Each day this week, after dinner and at the end of the day I have been taking the San Marzano tomatoes I picked from the garden each morning and have been slicing them in half lengthwise and...
Each day this week, after dinner and at the end of the day I have been taking the San Marzano tomatoes I picked from the garden each morning and have been slicing them in half lengthwise and placing them on sheet trays, seasoning them with salt, pepper and olive oil and then a handful of time sprigs. I turn the oven on to 150 degrees, slide the tomatoes in and let them slow roast all night. Today I used 10lbs of the tomatoes to make sauce and Idid some canning. I saved some fresh tomatoes for this evening. This is the essence of the tomato in my mind. Gooey, juicy, caramel, raisin and sweet. To me it is the essence of a sun drenched summer. Add the rosemary, prosciutto and goat cheese and you have quite possibly, to me, the best pizza ever. A great glass of red wine is in order here. Yes it is pizza but a good glass of vino will be rewarding. The dough makes two small 9 x 12 pizzas or one 12 x 18. The crust is light and airy and not super crispy but I think it works as a great back drop for the tomatoes.

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Serves 2 to 4

For the Barley Flour Dough::

For the sponge- Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup warm water Ask a question about this ingredient

1 tablespoon dry active yeast Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup barley flour Ask a question about this ingredient

For the dough- Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup warm water Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons buttermilk Ask a question about this ingredient

4 tablespoons olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon kosher salt Ask a question about this ingredient

2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour Ask a question about this ingredient

3/4 cups unbleached bread flour Ask a question about this ingredient

For the topping::

1 small onion, finely diced Ask a question about this ingredient

2 garlic cloves, minced Ask a question about this ingredient

1 1/2 cup San Marzano tomato sauce, or strained tomatoes by Pomi Ask a question about this ingredient

6 prosciutto slices, torn into thin strips Ask a question about this ingredient

12 ripe San Marzano tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds Ask a question about this ingredient

24 slow roasted San Marzano tomato halves, minced (see head note) Ask a question about this ingredient

1 1/2 cup fontina cheese, grated Ask a question about this ingredient

3/4 cups goat cheese, crumbled Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely minced Ask a question about this ingredient

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

cornmeal for dusting Ask a question about this ingredient

Make the sponge by placing the water into a mixing bowl with a dough hook attachment. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it bloom. Once it has dissolved add the barley flour and mix to combine. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
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If the sponge is good and frothy add the rest of the dough ingredients and mix with the dough hook until the dough comes together. If it is to wet add a little flour. It is a soft dough and might be a little sticky but it is manageable.
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Remove the dough from the bowl and kneed it briefly to build the gluten.
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Wipe a little olive oil over the interior of the dough bowl and place the dough back into it rolling the dough around to cover it with a little oil. Cover the dough with a wet towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Place a medium sauce pan over medium heat and add some olive oil and sweat the onions until they soften and then add the garlic. Stir and then add the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is reduced to a cup. It should be somewhere between tomato sauce and tomato paste.
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Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle a little cornmeal over the bottom of a 18 x 12 sheet tray.
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Remove the dough from the bowl and punch it down. Kneed it a few times to bring it together. Cover it and let it rest for 10 minutes.
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After the dough has rested, dust the dough with some flour on both sides and then flatten it into a 8 inch disk. Then roll it with a rolling pin into a square that fits the 18 x 12 sheet tray. Place the dough into the sheet tray. Cover it and let the sough rise for 20 minutes.
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It is important to put the ingredients on the the right order so everything cooks right. Start with the sauce, just a light coating is all that is needed, by placeing a large spoonful in the middle and use the spoon to spread it outwards. Then spread the fontina out across the sauce. Now the fresh tomato slices followed by the minced slow roasted tomatoes and finally top with the goat cheese, prosciutto and rosemary. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil across the top and then season the pizza with pepper and a touch of salt.
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Side the pizza into the oven and set a time for 8 minutes. At the end of the 8 minutes rotate the pizza 180 degrees. Turn the oven down to 450 degrees. Set the timer for another 8 minutes and bake it until the crust and cheese start to brown.
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Remove it from the oven and let it rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately.
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