"Squash Blossom" Pizza

Taste Level: VGR

Cost: $20 and over

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 40-45 min.

Cook Time: 25-30 min.

Difficulty: 2

My sista from another mother Nell came over for her B-day and asked that I make pizza.  Since I am still on a squash blossom kick I threw together a simple yet super flavorful squash blossom pizza with prosciutto.  I hope you enjoy!

(For instructions on how to make your own sourdough pizza skin check posting dated 7/7/09.)

Ingredients:
Toppings
8 oz fresh mozzarella (sliced)
3 tbsp-1/4 cup Parmesan (freshly grated)
8 squash blossoms (cleaned, trimmed)
4 slices prosciutto (sliced, chopped)
9 fresh basil leaves

Sauce
4.25 oz Julianned sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil with Italian herbs (do not drain oil)
7-8 fresh basil leaves (diced)
1 tsp Italian pasta dust

Crust

1 portion of sourdough pizza dough check posting for 7/7/09 or pre-made crust

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Tossing dough

What works best for me is I strongly throw the ball of dough down on a solid flat surface covered with a piece of wax paper until it is large and flat enough for me to easily balance on top of both of my fists. Then I make an X with my arms keeping my fists close together (backhand to back hand, the dough atop of them both) and I fling the dough upwards with my fingers as I simultaneously bring my arms quickly parallel (palm to palm) about 3-4 inches apart. As the dough falls I remake my fists and catch the dough atop them again in the X position and repeat until the dough has formed a 12-14 inch crust.

(Alternately you can lay dough on a solid flat surface covered with wax paper and squish flat with hands. Roll into a ball and slam the dough down onto your solid flat surface covered with a piece of wax paper. Using your fist mush the dough down repeatedly as if you were punching it softly but firmly (this helps get any air bubbles out of it.) Now using your finger tips press and stretch dough until you have formed a 12-14 inch circular pizza skin (you can also make an easier rectangle skin.)

Sauce
In a small bowl mix together all sauce ingredients and then sit to side until ready to use.

Pizza

Sprinkle corn meal onto a baking sheet and lay skin on to it. Pour sauce into the center of crust and spread sauce evenly up to about an inch and a half away from the edge of the crust (I find using a pastry spatula works great for spreading tomato sauce.) Spread prosciutto slices over sauce.

Place pizza on baking sheet lightly coated with corn meal. Arrange your oven racks to where they are on the upper and lower thirds of the oven. If you are using a baking stone as we do place it directly onto the floor of a preheated oven for 45 minutes (but you will be less likely to ruin your pizza stone if you place it on a rack at its lowest position.) Place baking sheet with pizza on the lower oven rack and bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove pizza and layer basil leaves, squash blossoms, mozzarella slices and then sprinkle fresh Parmesan evenly over pizza.   Move pizza on baking sheet to upper rack and bake 7-10 minutes (if cooking a second pizza you can put it on the lower rack now on a separate baking sheet.) 

Slide Pizza off of baking sheet directly onto baking stone and cook for 3-8 minutes or until crisp and bottom is browning (if you were cooking a second pizza you would move it to the top rack on its baking sheet once you slide the first pizza onto the baking stone and of course you would move it to the baking stone once you have remove the first pizza and cooked the second one 7-10 minutes on the upper rack.) Slide pizza onto a cutting board or baking sheet and use a pizza slicer to cut into 8-10 slices and serve hot with your favorite pizza sides, seasonings and sauces!