Pizza with chimichurri and a chili tomato sauce
Time: 2,5 hours from start to finish
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
for the pizza
Lukewarm water, 250 ml
Sugar, 1/2 tbsp
Dry yeast, 2 tsp
Olive oil, 2 tbsp
Flour, 300 g
Salt, 1 tsp
1 ball of fresh mozzarella cheese
Parmesan
for the chimichurri
1/2 bunch parsley
1 handful fresh thyme leaves (this is optional, only parsley is fine)
4 cloves of garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp chili flakes
50 g olive oil
Salt to taste
for the chili tomato sauce
25 g olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 clove of garlic
1-2 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
4-5 tbsp water
Method
Let’s start with the dough.
Mix the lukewarm water, sugar and yeast until everything is dissolved.
Add the oil, flour and salt and mix until there are no big lumps of flour. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm cozy spot.
You can of course let it rise for longer than 30 minutes, but i wanted to create a recipe with the minimum amount of time necessary with the best possible outcome.
While the dough is rising, let’s make the chimichurri.
To make the chimichurri, chop the parsley as fine as you can. Add to a bowl alongside the fresh thyme leaves, grated garlic, lemon juice and zest, chili flakes, salt and the olive oil. Give it a good mix and let it sit on the counter for the flavors to marinate.
After 30 minutes, fold all 4 sides of the dough over itself with either a large wooden spoon or with wet hands. Cover and let rise for about 15-20 minutes.
Again, you can by all means let it rise for longer. If you have the time, you can even fold it a couple times more (letting it rise in between each fold!).
Now let’s make the chili tomato sauce.
To make the chili tomato sauce, add the tomato paste to a pot with the oil and let it cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until the tomato starts charring nicely and I even let it burn a little. Now add the grated garlic, chili flakes, sugar and salt and pepper and cook for another minute. Take off the heat and let it cool for at least 5 minutes. Then add the water and lemon juice and mix around until smooth. The water is important in this recipe because it dissolves in the tomato paste, creating a runnier and lighter sauce. Add to a small bowl and set aside.
Now, back to the dough. Preheat your oven to 250 C.
Either oil your baking sheet or use parchment paper (make sure your paper can handle high heat). I prefer using parchment paper.
Dust the top of the dough with flour and gently stretch out the dough on a baking sheet- try not to deflate it too much and especially not on the sides.
Add the fresh mozzarella cheese and some parmesan and bake for about 15 minutes or until nice and golden. Make sure the bottom is also golden brown. If it’s not turning brown on the bottom, add your baking sheet to the bottom of your oven for a couple of minutes.
After removing the pizza from the oven, add half of both sauces on top, more parmesan and a little black pepper. I like to only add half of the sauces and serve the rest on the side.
Method with photos
Let’s start with the dough.
Mix the lukewarm water, sugar and yeast until everything is dissolved.
Add the oil, flour and salt and mix until there are no big lumps of flour. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm cozy spot.
You can of course let it rise for longer than 30 minutes, but i wanted to create a recipe with the minimum amount of time necessary with the best possible outcome.
While the dough is rising, let’s make the chimichurri.
To make the chimichurri, chop the parsley as fine as you can. Add to a bowl alongside the fresh thyme leaves, grated garlic, lemon juice and zest, chili flakes, salt and the olive oil. Give it a good mix and let it sit on the counter for the flavors to marinate.
Add to a bowl alongside the fresh thyme leaves, grated garlic, lemon juice and zest, chili flakes, salt and the olive oil. Give it a good mix and let it sit on the counter for the flavors to marinate.
After 30 minutes, fold all 4 sides of the dough over itself with either a large wooden spoon or with wet hands. Cover and let rise for about 15-20 minutes.
Again, you can by all means let it rise for longer. If you have the time, you can even fold it a couple times more (letting it rise in between each fold!).
Now let’s make the chili tomato sauce.
To make the chili tomato sauce, add the tomato paste to a pot with the oil and let it cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until the tomato starts charring nicely. Now add the grated garlic, chili flakes, sugar and salt and pepper and cook for another minute. Take off the heat and let it cool for at least 5 minutes. Then add the water and lemon juice and mix around until smooth. The water is important in this recipe because it dissolves in the tomato paste, creating a runnier and lighter sauce. Add to a small bowl and set aside.
Now, back to the dough. Preheat your oven to 250 C.
Either oil your baking sheet or use parchment paper (make sure your paper can handle high heat). I prefer using parchment paper.
Dust the top of the dough with flour and gently stretch out the dough on a baking sheet- try not to deflate it too much and especially not on the sides.
Add the fresh mozzarella cheese and some parmesan and bake for about 15 minutes or until nice and golden.
Make sure the bottom is also golden brown. If it’s not turning brown on the bottom, add your baking sheet to the bottom of your oven for a couple of minutes.
After removing the pizza from the oven, add half of both sauces on top, more parmesan and a little black pepper. I like to only add half of the sauces and serve the rest on the side.
