~Sunday, July 21, 2013
It’s been a samba/salsa kinda
week for me—both in the world of music (at a lively Latin jazz event at the
Hollywood Bowl), and in the sweet and spicy notes of a perfect summertime pizza
recipe I conjured up in my kitchen!
Salsa’s are used to compliment
fish, chicken, tortilla chips—I’ve even seen a recipe to scoop on top of
vanilla ice cream!—so why not pizza? Besides,
you simply cannot go wrong with any
topping on pizza. (Dining out this week,
my husband had a nutella pizza topped with whipped cream and strawberries, and
my pizza was topped with spicy tomato sauce, mussels, clams, calamari, and
zucchini: They were both delicious!)
Hence, between the samba sounds
of Sergio Mendes at the Hollywood Bowl Wednesday night, and my jazzy pizza
ensemble Monday night for dinner, ‘Salsa Fever’ is shakin’ at “Club Pollo.”
 |
| fresh-picked tomatoes from my mom's garden came in handy! |
Salsa
Pizza
Ingredients
(Serves 4 to 6)
1 1-pound ball store-bought
pizza dough, brought to room temperature
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil, plus more to drizzle
¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino
Romano cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano,
crushed
1 small red onion, finely
chopped
2 cup assortment of ripe
cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 ½ cups fresh pineapple, cut
into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon fresh mint, finely
chopped
1 teaspoon fresh cilantro,
finely chopped
6 ounces Mozzarella cheese,
broken into bite-size pieces
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
On a lightly floured work
surface, roll out the dough into a 14-inch circle. Transfer to a baking sheet and lightly brush
the dough with olive oil. Sprinkle with
the Pecorino Romano cheese and crushed oregano.
Evenly scatter the red onion, tomatoes, pineapple, mint, cilantro, and
Mozzarella cheese on top of pizza dough.
Season with a generous amount of freshly ground pepper.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until
edges are golden brown and cheese is bubbling. Right before serving, drizzle with olive oil and lime juice, and season with salt to taste.
