Shrimp and Grape Tomatoes Pizza

Every day around 5 o’clock my hubby calls to check what’s for dinner, if we are going to stay in? Or going somewhere? Or if he should bring something. Most of the time I tell him I have it under control. His reactions to food are priceless, if I say the word chocolate he immediately imitates Holmer Simpson; “Chocolaaaaaaaaaaate” and I can totally picture his grin in my mind. If I say salad, he gives me an… oh! Like I cursed him or something, not that he doesn’t like salad but it’s not his favorite thing in the world. So yesterday when he called I told him I was making pizza he gave me the Holmer “pizzaaaaaaaa…” then I said I also baked some chocolate chips cookies. OMG! He was like: “you are the best ‘wifey’ in the whooooooooolle world.” Life is so easy when you marry a Holmer Simpson.

I’m always trying different dough recipes until I find the best one; this recipe is from the book “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes” (Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë Francois). It’s a very interesting method where you make the dough in advance and keep it in the fridge for at least 2 weeks. I loved it because you can use it for bread, focaccia or pizza.

Olive Oil Dough

• 1½ cups lukewarm water
• 1½ tablespoon granulated yeast (1 ½ packets)
• 1 ½ tablespoon sugar
• ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 6 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 of  teaspoon of salt

Mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water in a 5-quart bowl or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

Mix in the flour without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachments), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook). If you are not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.

Cover (not Airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses. Approximately 2 hours.

The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in lidded (not airtight) container and use over next 12 days.

For the topping:

First I tossed the shrimp with olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and roasted the shrimp in a tray in the oven 450 F for exactly 6 minutes. Set a side covered with aluminum foil to keep it warm. In a small pan I fried 5 cloves of garlic shaved very thin in a mandolin and then set a side. I spread my pizza with a bit of marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano, and the grape tomatoes (don’t forget to punch few wholes on the tomatoes with a paring knife so they don’t explode). When it looked ready, I added the shrimp and the shaved garlic on top just to warm up a bit (you don’t want to overcook the shrimp). To finish off, I squeeze some fresh lemon juice and some sprinkled chopped parsley on top.