Easy Pizzette You Can Make For Dinner Tonight!
If you have nothing planned for dinner, you can make this. Promise.
It just might remind you of faraway friends that live in New York that you once walked the ancient streets of Sicily with, devouring all the Italian foods you came within an arm’s reach of, always a glass of wine or espresso in hand (or maybe that’s just me).
You can top the pizzette with whatever you like, though I’m partial to zucchini and goat cheese myself.
It’s Monday.
Let’s make it a beautiful, delicious one.
Pizzette (pee-zett-ey)
For the dough:
2 cups warm water
4 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons instant yeast
6 cups flour
4 cups oil, tallow, or lard, for frying*
For the toppings:
Mozzarella
Salami
Cherry tomatoes
Zucchini
Goat cheese
Prosciutto
Whatever the heck you want
Instructions:
Mix the water, salt, and yeast together in a bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes. Add in the flour and mix well to combine.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface until smooth.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside for 45 minutes, or until roughly doubled in size.
While the dough rises, prepare your toppings of choice and set them aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom Dutch oven until it reaches 375 degrees.
Divide the dough into the desired number of pieces (roughly 100 grams each works well). Use a rolling pin and a gently floured work surface to roll each piece of dough into a round. Set aside.
Carefully add one piece of dough into the hot oil. Cook for 2 minutes per side or until golden and cooked through. Remove the dough with tongs and place it on a paper-towel-lined plate. Continue with the remaining dough pieces.
Serve each pizza fritta with your toppings of choice. Best served immediately.
*These can also be shallow-fried in avocado or olive oil in a pan; I use tallow and reuse it again and again and again and again…
Dolores Alfieri Taranto, I love you and can’t wait to see you again!
