Petrich

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As much as I love lemons, the thought of placing them atop pizza never would have crossed my mind. Squeezing a wedge of lemon over a slice of white clam pizza — that’s natural; biting into whole slices of lemon, rind and seeds included — that takes some convincing.

But the story and photo of Kesté’s Pizza Sorrentina, a Neapolitan pizza topped with lemon slices, basil and smoked mozzarella, in the WSJ a few weekends ago sent me racing off to the store to find smoked mozzarella. Story goes that this pie was invented in Naples by a great pizza maestro’s daughter who created it for her lemon-adoring mother.

Never would I have imagined such an unsuspecting group of ingredients to work so well together, but they do. And it makes sense. Lemon cuts the smokiness of the mozzarella; basil, even after seven minutes in the oven, adds a touch of freshness. The bites with lemon slices are big — tart and tangy and refreshing all at the same time; the bites without beg for one. But the beauty of the pizza lies in the balance: it would be a shame to overdo the lemon, to be flinging pieces aside rather than longing for more.

For lemon lovers, of course, this pie is a winner; but skeptics beware: it’s beguiling enough to win you over, too.

Pizza Sorrentina
Source: WSJ: Pizza with a Twist

Notes: I used the Jim Lahey pizza-making method with tipo 00 flour, which I wrote about more extensively back here. If you want to use the Kesté dough recipe, find it here. Also, if you don’t have the 18 hours required to make the Lahey dough, this Todd English recipe is fantastic — it was my favorite for many many many years:

Topping for one pizza:

6 thin lemon slices (as thin as possible)
3 ounces smoked fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
5 large leaves fresh basil
extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Jim Lahey Pizza Dough:
Source: Bon Appetit

7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (1000 grams) plus more for shaping dough
4 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

1. Whisk flour, salt, and yeast in a medium bowl. While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add 3 cups water; stir until well incorporated. Mix dough gently with your hands to bring it together and form into a rough ball. Transfer to a large clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise at room temperature (about 72°) in a draft-free area until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and dough has more than doubled in size, about 18 hours (time will vary depending on the temperature in the room).

2. Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Gently shape into a rough rectangle. Divide into 6 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, gather 4 corners to center to create 4 folds. Turn seam side down and mold gently into a ball. Dust dough with flour; set aside on work surface or a floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining portions.

3. Let dough rest, covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, until soft and pliable, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Wrap each dough ball separately in plastic wrap and chill. Unwrap and let rest at room temperature on a lightly floured work surface, covered with plastic wrap, for 2–3 hours before shaping.

To Make the Pizzas:

4. During the last hour of dough’s resting, prepare oven: If using a pizza stone, arrange a rack in upper third of oven and place stone on rack; preheat oven to its hottest setting, 500°–550°, for 1 hour. If using a baking sheet, arrange a rack in middle of oven and preheat to its hottest setting, 500°–550°. (You do not need to preheat the baking sheet.)

5. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, dust dough generously with flour and place on a floured work surface. Meanwhile, soak lemon slices in water for 15 minutes, then pat dry.

6. Place dough on a rimmed baking sheet and stretch, using your fingers, until it is approximately 8 to 10 inches in diameter. Distribute 3 ounces cheese over the surface, leaving a 1-inch rim. Arrange 6 lemon slices over cheese and tuck in 5 basil leaves, then drizzle everything lightly with oil, including the rim. Place on highest rack in the oven and bake until puffy, about 6 minutes; then turn on the broiler and broil until the crust takes on some color, 30-60 seconds. (Note: I skipped the broiling step.) Remove pizza from oven and serve. Repeat with remaining dough.

[Photograph: Chichi Wang]

About the author: Chichi Wang took her degree in philosophy, but decided that writing about food would be much more fun than writing about Plato. She firmly believes in all things offal, the importance of reading great books, and the necessity of three-hour meals. If she were ever to get a tattoo, it would say "Fat is flavor." Visit her blog, The Offal Cook.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

Ingredients

serves serves 4 to 6, active time 45 minutes, total time 4 hours, 45 minutes

• 2 lamb's heads
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 5 ribs celery (divided)
• 1/4 cup roasted chili oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon tahini (optional)
• 1 tablespoon cumin seed, toasted and ground coarsely
• 1 whole star anise, toasted and ground medium-fine
• One 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick, toasted and ground medium-fine
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1 medium-sized cucumber, cut into julienne (about 1 1/2 cups)
• Chopped cilantro, to garnish

Procedures

1. Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 300°F. Place the lambs' heads in a pot or pan large enough to fit them snugly. Scatter onion and 3 ribs roughly chopped celery over top. Add water until it comes up half way over the heads. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover the pot or pan with its lid or foil and transfer to the oven. Cook until meat is tender and falling off the bone, at least 3 hours. Let heads cool in liquid. At this point, the heads may be stored (covered with foil) in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Gently reheat in a 300 F oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together chili oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, tahini, cumin, star anise, and cinnamon. Season to taste with salt. Sauce can be made and stored in refrigerator up to 1 week in advance.

3. When heads are cool enough to handle, remove all meat from skull and discard skulls. Peel the outer layer off the tongue and discard. Slice the tongue thinly. Chop or tear all the meat into slivers. Set aside.

4. Bring a medium sized pot of water to boil. Add bean sprouts and boil until tender crisp, about 2 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain carefully. Thinly slice remaining two ribs celery on a bias.

5. Toss the lamb meat and tongue with the cucumber, bean sprouts, celery, and dressing, adding more soy sauce and salt to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve.

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The Knit Turkey Hat by Fred Flare makes it look like you have a roasted turkey comfortably resting on your head. It might be just the thing to wear to your Thanksgiving shindig. It will available to order soon at Fred Flare.

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images by Fred Flare via Foodiggity

via Foodiggity

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