Neapolitan-Style Pizza with Mozzarella, Prosciutto, and Roasted Red Pepper Sponsored by CIA

Fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of fruity, extra-virgin olive oil give this pizza a special character.

Makes 4 servings

2 red bell peppers
Two 12-inch Pizza Crusts (recipe follows)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3/4 lb sliced fresh mozzarella
8 thin slices prosciutto
Extra-virgin olive oil as needed
Salt as needed
Freshly ground black pepper as needed



1.Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Prepare baking sheets by scattering them with cornmeal.
2.Char the red peppers directly in a gas flame until they are charred and blistered on all sides. Immediately place in a bowl or plastic bag and cover the peppers. Once they are cool enough to handle, pull away the skin and cut out the stem, ribs, and seeds. Cut into strips. Set aside.
3.Shape the pizza dough into two 12-inch rounds. Transfer the dough rounds to the cornmeal-scattered baking sheets. Bake the crust until firmed and set, about 10 minutes.
4.Spread 1/4 cup tomato sauce on each pizza. Layer the cheese, prosciutto, and peppers on the pizza crusts. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
5.Bake the pizza until the crust is golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes. Let the pizza rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Pizza Crust
Makes one 16-inch or two 12-inch pizzas

3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus as needed
1/2 cup semolina or durum flour
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups room-temperature water (68–76°F)
3 tbsp olive oil, plus as needed
2 tsp salt
Cornmeal for dusting



1.To prepare the dough, combine the flours and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the water, olive oil, and salt and mix on low speed for 2 minutes.
2.Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is quite elastic but still a little sticky, 4 minutes.
3.Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn the dough to coat it with the oil, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and allow to rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
4.Fold the dough gently, cover, and let rest until relaxed, 15–20 minutes, before cutting it into 2 equal pieces, if necessary, and rounding the dough into a smooth ball(s). Cover the dough and let rest another 15–20 minutes before shaping into a pizza crust.
Cook with the proper tools. Use the 9 1/2" x 13" Baking Sheet and the Pizza Wheel to create Neapolitan-Style Pizza.

How to Clean and Prepare Leeks!

I was in class last week and someone asked me if I knew the proper way to prepare leeks. Well, I told her that I had a good idea but I really wasn’t sure. I promised to do a little research and post the results on my blog. So, here you go Nicki, I hope this help!

Courtesy of startcooking.com

Well, leeks are part of the onion family and, in fact, look like a giant version of green onions. However, the little green onion has a much stronger onion flavor then the leek. Another difference is that you need to cook leeks before eating them. Unlike an onion, you would not add an uncooked leek to a salad!

Green Onions

Leeks are a very mellow version of an onion and when cut they have a beautiful variation in color. They go from white down by the root, to a yellow center, to a really dark green at the top.

Cut the leek just below the really dark green part. Those really dark, green leaves are very tough and you don’t eat them. Like an onion, the leek has a lot of layers on the inside, except that the leek has a lot more finer layers. Each of these layers has an amazing amount of sandy grit between them. Leeks have to get washed really well to get rid of all that grit.

If you are going to cut the leaks into rings or small strips, do that first, and then put them in a bowl of cool water.

I’m using my salad spinner. The leeks will float to the top and the grit will sink to the bottom of the bowl. You will need to swish everything around a bit to make sure all the layers of leek are separated.

You can then run them through your salad spinner or just lay them out on a towel to dry off.


If you are going to cook the leek whole, you still have to cut it in half to wash it. (Or you could just make a cut half way through and spread open the leaves.) Fan out the layers with your fingers and let the water run through.

Now you are ready to cook with leeks!