From Denny: Ever tried making your own pizza dough? It's easy and fun and the flavor is awesome compared to most commercial pizzas. Besides, you can spice it up however you like. At our house we always drizzle some extra virgin olive oil or clarified butter on top along with garlic powder and specialty chili powders from New Mexico.
This restaurant pizza is famous for its light crust and bright sauce. This recipe makes two pies to enjoy. They use the herb marjoram like we do. If you haven't tried this delightfully fragrant herb you will love it. It tastes sweet and combines well with tomato to help balance the sour taste without adding sugar to the sauce.
Café del Rey shares the recipes for the yeast pizza dough, their tomato sauce, and their basil pesto. What a recipe bonanza! In case you are traveling their way any time soon I've included links to their restaurant site. Check out their blog too as they list events and new menu choices.
Café del Rey's Mediterranean Pizza
From: Café del Rey
Tavistock Restaurants
Café del Rey blog
cafe del Rey
4451 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
310-823-6395
Total time: 11/2 hours, plus rising times
Servings: 6 to 8
Ingredients:
Pizza dough
11/4 cups sparkling mineral water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups (15.5 ounces) bread flour, divided, plus more as needed for kneading
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the water, oil, sugar and yeast. Set aside the mixture for 15 minutes to hydrate the yeast.
2. Stir in the salt and two-thirds of the flour, 1 spoonful at a time, to achieve a very soft dough.
3. Turn out the dough onto a well-floured board and continue kneading in additional flour until a soft, sticky dough is achieved. The dough should be very moist; the more flour added, the heavier the dough and final crust.
4. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set aside the dough until it doubles in volume, about 1 to 11/2 hours. (While the dough is rising, make the tomato and pesto sauces, and assemble the toppings.)
5. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto a floured board. Halve the dough and roll each half into a ball. Place the balls on the floured board and lightly flour the top of each. Loosely cover each ball with plastic wrap and set aside until almost doubled again.
Tomato sauce
11/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
3/4 cup diced yellow onion
1 1/2 cups (9 ounces, about 4 whole tomatoes with sauce) canned plum tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan heated over medium heat, add the oil, garlic and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, careful not to burn the garlic.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and sugar. Cover the pan and gently simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the herbs.
3. Pass the sauce through a food mill, or purée using a food processor or blender. This makes 1 scant cup tomato sauce. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Basil pesto
2 small garlic cloves
1 teaspoon toasted pine nuts Small pinch red chile flakes
1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups loosely packed basil leaves Lemon juice, to taste
1. In a large mortar and pestle or using a food processor, grind together the garlic, pine nuts, chile flakes, Parmigiano and olive oil. Add the basil leaves, a few at a time, until they are incorporated and a coarse paste is formed.
2. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired with additional Parmigiano, lemon juice, pine nuts or olive oil. Thin as desired with a little olive oil.
3. Refrigerate the pesto in a nonreactive container with the surface covered with plastic wrap until needed; the pesto will keep for up to 1 day.
Pizza and assembly
Prepared pizza dough
Prepared tomato sauce
2 cups fresh grated mozzarella
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 cup drained marinated artichokes Prepared basil pesto
Directions:
1. Place a pizza stone on a rack in the oven, and heat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Roll out each dough ball to a 12- to 14-inch round and place on a floured pizza peel. Divide the sauce between the two rounds, ladling evenly over each round and leaving a 1-inch border around each.
3. Sprinkle the mozzarella and feta evenly over the pizzas, and garnish the top of each pie with the tomatoes, olives and artichokes.
4. Gently slide the first pizza on the stone. Bake until the crust is puffed and golden-brown, about 8 to 10 minutes (timing will vary depending on the thickness of the pie and heat of the oven). Remove the pizza and slide the second into the oven. Cool the pizzas slightly, then spoon the pesto over and slice. Serve immediately.
Each serving: 415 calories; 16 grams protein; 50 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 17 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 31 mg. cholesterol; 4 grams sugar; 692 mg. sodium.
*** Photo by Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times
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