The history of cooking is inextricably linked with historycountries and peoples. And here's what's remarkable: every famous and respected dish has its own history, and sometimes more than one. For example, the famous Italian pizza Margherita. Do you know why it's called that and what famous names it's associated with? This pizza owes its name to the wife of the King of Italy Umberto I, Margherita of Savoy. One version of the origin of the Margherita pizza claims that its author was the owner of the most popular pizzeria in Naples, Raffaello Esposito. According to another version, this pizza was prepared for the queen by his wife Rosina, and the third version gives the authorship to the chef Pappino Brandi. By the way, it was the latter version that found documentary evidence in the form of a royal charter issued by Pappino. Be that as it may, the pizza is indeed named in honor of Margherita of Savoy and differs from all other pizzas in that it is colored like the Italian flag: green, white and red. This is such a patriotic pizza – food of the poor with the name of the queen and the colors of the national flag. And all that remains for us is to find out the recipe for its preparation and evaluate its appearance and taste.
Classic pizza Margarita
It is believed that the recipe for the classic Margaritais the simplest, and its calorie content is so low that pizza is "safe" even for those on a diet. However, the low calorie content of pizza is a controversial statement, after all, it is baked goods. But the composition of the filling is really quite dietary. To prepare a classic "Margarita" we will need very specific ingredients:
- Flour grit (with the addition of corn flour) - 2 cups;
- Yeast - 7 g;
- Water - 1 glass;
- Salt - 1 tablespoon;
- Olive oil - 1 tablespoon;
- Sugar - 1 tablespoon.
For the filling:
- Mozzarella cheese - 200 g;
- Parmesan cheese (grated) - 50 g;
- Fresh tomatoes - 200 g;
- The leaves of the green basil are a handful;
- Olive oil - 3 tablespoons;
- Salt and pepper - to your taste.
Preparation:To prepare the dough, mix dry yeast with sugar and pour four tablespoons over it. Stir the dough and leave it in a warm place for about fifteen minutes. During this time, the yeast will rise: the dough will foam and rise like a “cap”. Then mix the sifted flour with salt, put it in a mound in a bowl, and make a small depression in the center of the mound. Pour the dough and vegetable oil into this depression and, gradually adding the remaining water, knead the dough. The dough should be dense but soft, so the amount of water may differ slightly from that specified in the recipe (different flours have different amounts of gluten). Cover the prepared dough with a towel or cling film and leave it to rise for half an hour. While the dough is rising, you need to prepare the filling. To do this, cut the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese balls into circles, and finely chop the basil leaves. Place the risen dough, which should “grow” twice as big, on the table and knead, then form a round flatbread out of it, transfer it to a baking sheet covered with baking paper, and stretch it with your hands to the desired size. Remember that the pizza base should not be too thick – five to seven millimeters will be enough. Grease the dough with olive oil, arrange tomato and cheese slices on it, season with pepper and salt, and sprinkle basil and Parmesan cheese on top. Sprinkle the pizza with olive oil again and put it in the oven for twenty minutes. Note: Some housewives advise letting the pizza stand for another fifteen minutes before baking. During this time, the dough will have time to rise again, and the pizza will be softer and tastier.
Margarita with canned tomatoes
The recipe for the classic Margarita is far fromthe only version of this famous pizza. And if the composition of the filling is practically unchanged (tomatoes, cheese, basil), then the methods of its preparation differ greatly. We offer you the recipe for "Margarita", which includes canned tomatoes. Ingredients:
- Yeast dough - a pound;
- Preserved tomatoes - 1 can (250-300 g);
- Mozzarella cheese - 200 g;
- Garlic - 3 cloves;
- Sugar - 1 teaspoon;
- Olive oil - 2 tablespoons;
- Salt is at your discretion.
Preparation:Let's prepare yeast dough for pizza according to the traditional version: flour, yeast, water, oil, salt. But the recipe for the filling is special: we need to prepare it in the form of a sauce. First, you need to take the canned tomatoes out of the jar and peel them (if you don't do this, the scraps of skin in the sauce will spoil the taste and appearance of the finished pizza). Next, you need to chop (or grind in a blender) the tomatoes and put them in a frying pan with heated olive oil. Let the tomatoes boil, add salt, garlic, sugar and cook the sauce until it thickens. Then you need to do the following. Cover the baking sheet with baking paper or simply grease it with vegetable oil, put the dough on the baking sheet, form a round pizza base out of it and generously grease it with sauce. All that remains is to sprinkle the pizza with cheese grated on a coarse grater and bake in the oven. Note: This recipe is one of the pizza sauce options. And you can make this sauce with both canned and fresh tomatoes.
Russian variant of pizza "Margarita"
Any recipe for national cuisine sooner or lateradapts: it is not always possible to find original ingredients, and not everyone likes them. "Margarita" is no exception. In our country, no one sees much difference between cheeses. Especially when it comes to cheese for pizza. For our unsophisticated taste, pizza with any cheese is good. Therefore, many do not bother with searching for special cheeses (parmesan, mozzarella, ricotta) and add any hard cheese to the pizza. Ingredients:
- Wheat flour - 2 cups;
- Yeast - 1 teaspoon;
- Water - 1 part glass;
- Salt - 1 tablespoon;
- Vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon;
- Sugar - 1 tablespoon.
For the filling:
- Cheese hard - 250 g;
- Fresh tomatoes - 200 g;
- The leaves of the green basil are a handful;
- Vegetable oil - 3 tablespoons;
- Salt and pepper - to your taste.
Preparation:To prepare the dough, pour three tablespoons of sweetened water over the yeast and let it rise (foam and rise). Mix the flour with salt, add olive oil and the risen yeast, and then, gradually adding water, knead a dense soft dough. Leave it to rise for another half hour. Before preparing the pizza, wash the tomatoes and cut them into rings, grate the cheese, and grease the baking sheet with vegetable oil or cover it with baking paper. Form a round or rectangular pizza base from the dough and place it on the baking sheet, then grease the dough with oil, arrange the tomato slices on it and sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Then put the baking sheet with the pizza in the oven, bake for twenty minutes, and decorate the finished pizza with basil leaves. As you can see, making pizza Margherita is very simple, not for nothing its recipe is one of the most famous pizza recipes. So make classic Margherita with mozzarella and parmesan, with sauce or with fresh tomatoes, and if you want, try the Russian version of making the famous Italian pizza. And even better - try all the recipes and, as they say, feel the difference. Enjoy your meal! We recommend reading:
