Rapini, Salami, Meyer Lemon and Robiola Pizza
May 16, 2016Posted by Brigit BinnsPrint
It’s not that I dislike putting tomato sauce on pizza—and even if I did, I wouldn’t admit to it here!—but I like to let the dough shine through in all its glory, with a light topping of rustic greenery and salumery. Here’s an excellent example of my California Wine-Country style with pizza: we use admirable restraint with the amount of toppings, but all the flavors are big and powerful. My favorite secret topping (OK, not so secret anymore): tiny dice of Meyer lemon zest; this really pops the flavor and acidity—try it and you’ll soon be adding Meyer dice to almost any pizza or flatbread.
Makes one @13-inch pizza; may be doubled or tripled
Handful of rapini, woody ends trimmed on a diagonal
1 Meyer lemon, scrubbed
One 9-ounce dough ball, at room temperature
Rice flour and cornmeal, for shaping and cooking the pizza
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ ounces thinly sliced dry salami, cut into ¼-inch strips
1 ½ ounces Robiola (Taleggio) or fresh whole-milk mozzarella, or burrata, cut into chunks
Red pepper flakes (optional)
In a steamer set over simmering water, steam the rapini for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still bright green. Transfer to a cutting board and chop coarsely. Trim the ends from the lemon and cut it lengthwise into very thin wedges. Trim the lemon flesh so that only about 1/8-inch is left attached to the peel (save the flesh for another use). Slice the peel crosswise into 1/8-inch dice. Measure about 1 tablespoon of the tiny dice; reserve the rest for another use.
Build a very hot fire in your oven, and wait until the floor and walls achieve your target temperature. Flour a board and your hands with rice flour, then stretch and pull the dough (never press) into a roughly 13-inch round or oval; don’t try to make it perfect. Transfer the dough circle to a wooden pizza peel liberally sprinkled with cornmeal. Working quickly, drizzle (or spray) the dough with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, staying away from the edges, and scatter the rapini evenly over the dough; season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter the salami, lemon dice, and then the cheese evenly over the whole circle, again leaving a 1-inch border. Scatter with a big pinch of pepper flakes, if desired.
Jiggle the dough on the peel to make sure it’s still mobile, then slide it smoothly onto the floor in the hot oven. Bake until the edges are golden and the cheese is melty, 1 ½ to 4 minutes, depending on your oven. Retrieve with a metal pizza peel, transfer to a cutting board, slice, and enjoy.
Let the revels begin!
Brigit
