lunaticsinge.com - Italian Cuisine Sandwiches & Pizza

Sausage, Egg, & Peppers Breakfast Sub - (Makes 2 - 6-inch subs or 4 rolls)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 links sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing (8 oz.)

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, cored& seeded, sliced 1/2 inch thick

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

4 large eggs

2 (6-inch lengths) Italian bread, or 4 crusty rolls, split & toasted

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the sausage, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the onion and bell pepper, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover, and cook until the vegetables are wilted and lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.

3. Beat the eggs with the remaining salt in a small bowl. When the peppers and onions are wilted, pour the eggs into skillet and cook until the eggs are just set, but still a little wet, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. (The eggs will finish cooking in the pan.)

4. Mound the frittata on the bread or rolls, and serve immediately.

Asparagus, Onion, & Eggs Sandwich - (Makes 2 hero sandwiches or 4 rolls)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/2 bunch asparagus, peeled & cut into 2-inch lengths

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 large eggs

4 oz. mild provola cheese, shredded

2 (6-inch lengths) semolina bread, or 4 crusty rolls, lightly toasted

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the onion, asparagus, and 1/4 cup water. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, then cover and let simmer until the water has boiled away and the asparagus is tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Beat the eggs with the remaining salt. Pour the eggs into the skillet over the vegetables, and cook, stirring, until just beginning to set, but still wet, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the shredded provola, then cover and cook until the cheese melts, about 1 minute more. Uncover, stir to mix the cheese into the omelets, and serve on the toasted bread or rolls.

Pizza Dough - (Makes enough dough for 2 pizzas or a batch of 18 small)

Ingredients:

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon sugar

6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Olive oil for the bowl

1. Heat 2 cups water between 90 and 110 degrees F. Stir in the yeast and sugar until dissolved; let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Combine the yeast mixture, flour, and salt in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix at medium speed until the dough comes together. Switch to you dough-hook attachment. Increase speed to medium-high, and mix until the dough comes together into a smooth mass, about 2 to 3 minutes. The dough will not clear the sides of the work bowl at this point, but should not be too wet. Add a little more water or flour as necessary to get the right consistency, springy to the touch.

3. Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface and knead several times, until the dough comes together in a smooth ball. Oil a large bowl, then turn the dough in the bowl until it is coated with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubles, about 1 to 1 1/2hours. Punch down the dough and divide in half or into 18 pieces for calzones.

Pizza Margherita - (Makes 2 pizzas)

Ingredients:

1 batch pizza dough (recipe above)

1/2 to 3/4 cup marinara sauce (recipe on sauce page)

4 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a pizza stone on the rack in the lower third of the oven. (You can use a sheet pan or a 10-inch cast-iron skillet if you don't have a pizza stone.)

2. Divide the dough in half, then form each half into a flat round and let rest on top of your knuckles on both raised fists. Use your knuckles to pull out and stretch the round into a thin circle. Place the dough circle on your work surface, and press it out as thin as you can with your fingertips.

3. Place the dough circle on a piece of parchment on a pizza peel-paddle (or, if you don't have a pizza paddle, slide the parchment paper with the pizza-dough circle onto the back of a sheet pan).

4. Spread half of the sauce on the dough, using just enough sauce to dot about half of the pizzas surface, leaving a lip around the edge, In the spaces where you haven't dotted sauce, lay half the cheese. Drizzle with half of the olive oil. Slide off the pizza peel or sheet pan onto the baking stone (or onto your cast-iron skillet).

4. Bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the crust is browned and crisp on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and repeat with the remaining dough, sauce, cheese, and olive oil.

NOTE: A Pizza Stone is usually a rectangular stone made of terracotta - it helps in baking a good crusty pizza and focaccia, because it heats to high temperature and disperses the heat evenly and crisply. A pizza stone should not be washed, since it is porous - just scrape and brush off any remaining debris.