Pizza With Blue Cheese Butternut Squash And Fried Sage Leaves Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If using, place a pizza stone in the oven.
• Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Hold one half on its end, and with a sharp knife, shave the tough peel. Remove the seeds and pith. Set the squash flat side down and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Repeat with the other half, or until you have 2 cups sliced squash.
• Spread the squash out on an oiled baking sheet. Brush it liberally with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until soft. It is okay if the squash is slightly underdone since it will continue to cook on top of the pizza.
• Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees F.
• In a small saute pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to darken, remove the pan from the stove and toss in the garlic, swirling it around to caramelize it. Set aside.
• In another small saute pan, heat the butter over high heat. When it begins to bubble, add the sage leaves and cook for 30 seconds. Watch carefully, the leaves can easily burn. Remove from the butter and drain on a paper towel.
• Dust the pizza pan with cornmeal. Stretch the dough out on the pan, using your fingers to stretch it from the center toward the edges. (Since the dough is very loose and pliable, this takes a little patience.) The middle of the dough will be paper-thin. Brush it liberally with the garlic oil. Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese over the dough. Arrange the squash slices in concentric circles over the cheese, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Bake for 15 mintues. Remove from the oven and top with blue cheese and sage leaves, placing the leaves decoratively on the pizza. Continue baking until the cheese is bubbling and the edges of the crust have browned, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
• Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, until it becomes foamy.
• In a large bowl, mix together the oil and the salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir well. Slowly add 3 cups of the flour and mix until the dough sticks together but isn't too dry. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead in the remaining 1/2 cup flour, or as much as you need until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. (For a thinner crust, use slightly less flour. The dough will be a little stickier, however.)
• Form the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl, turning once to coat the dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and set in a warm place. Let rise until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Divide the dough into two balls. Let rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Proceed according to individual recipe.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500˚ F. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the squash to the skillet and cook until soft and browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Cover an inverted large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Stretch the pizza dough into a 12-inch oval on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to the baking sheet, prick the top with a fork and bake until the dough just begins to turn golden and looks dry, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
• Mix together the ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, the Parmesan, chopped sage and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Spread on the crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with the bacon, squash and sage leaves. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella. Return to the oven and bake until the crust is golden, about 10 minutes. Slide the pizza onto a cutting board, sprinkle with more Parmesan and let stand 5 minutes.
• Toss the arugula in a bowl with the olive oil and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Slice the pizza and serve with the salad.

Steps:

• Make pizza dough:
• In a large bowl stir together water and yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and salt and blend until mixture forms a dough, adding additional tablespoon water if too dry. On a lightly floured surface knead dough about 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. (Alternatively, dough may be made in a standing electric mixer. In bowl of mixer make dough as described above. With dough hook knead dough about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.)
• Put dough in a very lightly oiled deep bowl, turning to coat, and let rise, covered loosely, in a warm place 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. Punch down dough and divide into 4 equal pieces. Dough keeps, each piece put in a small, sealable plastic bag and sealed, pressing out excess air, chilled overnight or frozen 2 weeks. If dough is frozen, thaw overnight in refrigerator before using. Makes enough dough for four 12- by 6-inch oval pizzas.
• Make the pizza:
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• In a bowl toss squash with oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread squash in one layer in a shallow baking pan and roast in middle of oven, stirring once halfway through roasting, 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove pan from oven and loosen squash with a metal spatula. Squash may be roasted 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• In a medium heavy saucepan stir together milk and flour and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring constantly. Simmer sauce, stirring, 2 minutes and stir in nutmeg and salt to taste. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Increase temperature to 500°F.
• On a work surface sprinkled with 1 teaspoon cornmeal roll out 1 piece of dough into a 12- by 6-inch oval and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cornmeal and dough, ending up with 2 ovals on each of 2 baking sheets.
• Spread sauce on dough ovals, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge of each pizza, and sprinkle with Parmesan, squash, chopped sage, garlic, and pepper.
• Bake pizzas in lower and middle thirds of oven 15 minutes, or until crusts are crisp and pale golden. Garnish pizzas with sage sprigs.