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cooking Polpo style ... pizette


Just me and Martha on Saturday, and the addition of Joe on Sunday.
I was going to do tapas but I decided to cook from the excellent Polpo book instead. For those of you who don't know it (or haven't been to one of the restaurants ) the vibe is Venetian and has at its heart the notion of Cicchetti or 'little bites'.
On Saturday we had a couple of pickled pork pizzete using the unbelievably easy dough recipe. This is like an upmarket version of Pizza express's American Hot btw.

For the pizzetta base (makes 12 bases)
Ingredients
1 × 7g sachet fast-action yeast)
tepid water 300ml
extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
fine salt 2 tsp
strong white flour, Italian 00 is good 500g

Method
In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and dried yeast with the olive oil and the water and form the mixture into a ball. 
Now knead the dough on a floured work surface. To do this, push the dough backwards and forwards simultaneously with your two hands so that you are stretching it and then pushing it back down into a ball. Repeat this, giving the dough a good working over. You shouldn't break into a sweat but it should feel like a little workout for your hands and forearms, and you should be feeling the dough getting more and more springy. 
After 10 minutes of kneading, push the dough back into a ball, flour the top, place in a bowl and cover with oiled clingfilm. Leave to rise in a warm place.
Pizza dough Photograph: Jenny Zarins
After at least 30 minutes, but ideally when doubled in size, your dough is ready. Divide the dough into 12 large golf-ball-sized pieces and then roll them into thin 20cm discs. 
Top with the rest of your ingredients (below) and cook.
If you want to use the dough later, place the balls of dough on a tray, cover with a damp cloth and leave in the fridge for up to 12 hours. Just remember to take them out 30 minutes before you're ready to use them.
Remember that your pizza will benefit from being placed directly on to a hot baking sheet or pizza stone within a preheated oven – our pizzas take no longer than 5 minutes. At 250C/gas mark 9, yours will take about 6-8 minutes.
Finally, please don't worry about getting totally round and even bases for your pizzetta. In fact, it's much better if they are not; you'll get some lovely bubbling and occasional charring.





Pork and pickled pepper pizetta


Ingredients

  • 1 large golf-ball-sized piece of pizza dough (see above)
  • 2tbsp passata
  • 1/2 ball mozarella torn into pieces (the recipe says parmesan)
  • 2-3 very thin slices of coppa (cured pork shoulder).... nb we used salami
  • 2 pickled jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
  • extra virgin olive oil

Method

Preheat your oven to its highest setting (250°C/475°F/Gas 9 or above), and put a pizza stone or baking sheet in to heat up. Roll out the dough into a 20cm disc. Spread the base with passata. Lightly sprinkle with grated Parmesan and lay the salami on top. Add the sliced pickled peppers. Pop the pizzetta into the oven straight on to a pre heated oven tray or pizza stone and cook for 8 minutes or so. Add a few drops of olive oil and serve.


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