Pizza della Riviera di ponente (Piscialandrea) - Pizza Riviera di Ponente style
The food of Liguria is representative of the area’s unique climate and uses many ingredients that are more common to Southern-Italian cuisine. Liguria is located closer to France than it is to Naples, but the abundant use of garlic, olive oil instead of butter or lard and tomatoes are all reminiscent of cooking from the south.
Ponente means "spot on the horizon where the sun sets," which in northeastern Italy corresponds to the narrow strip of coast and precipitous alpine foothills that you first encounter upon arriving from Monte Carlo or the French Riviera. This part of Liguria is also known as La Riviera dei Fiori (the Flowering Coastline), cut flowers being among its most lucrative exports.
The olive oil of the region is known as Riviera Ligure and is protected by a PDO designation
Seafood plays a large role in the local diet with fresh caught anchovies being a favorite antipasti or main dish.
Sprits range from the citrus based Limoncello Ligure to walnut-infused Nocino and the ever-popular Grappa, still made at home in many areas of Liguria.
Serves 10
Ingredients
- 28 oz milk
- 2.6 oz yeast
- 3.3 pounds Caputo 00 Flour
- 1.2 oz salt
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil Riviera Ligure DOP Academia Barilla
- 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 12 salted anchovies
- 42 oz Peeled Cherry Tomatoes Academia Barilla
- 7 oz black olives, sliced
- 8 basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon oregano, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- Salt to taste
Procedure
- Place pizza stone the oven and preheat oven to 475°F. Stone needs to heat in the oven at for 1½-2 hours before baking pizza.
- In a measuring cup stir together milk and yeast until yeast is dissolved and set aside. In a large bowl whisk together flour and salt and add yeast mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. On a
- lightly floured surface knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Let dough rest for 1 hour.
- While dough is resting, in a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat and saute onions and anchovies until they are lightly caramelized, about 12-15 minutes.
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin, stretching corners with your hands to form a 16x13 inch rectangle. (Dough will be easier to roll out as it warms.) Transfer to a floured pizza peel and top with the onion and anchovy mixture, peeled cherry tomatoes, olives, basil, oregano and garlic, and drizzle with a few drops of olive oil. Bake pizza 10-12 minutes, or until dough is crisp and browned, and transfer with pizza peel to a cutting board.
Original recipe courtesy of Academia Barilla, adapted in the Sur La Table kitchen.
