Ricardo's meat lovers pizza

A satisfying pizza with lots of meat and vegetables

Image for Ricardo's meat lovers pizza

Any night with pizza is a good night, and it's not too late to make the pizza dough for this meat lover's pizza from Ricardo magazine to have tonight. The summer edition is full of ideas and recipes for everything that's in season right now. 

Meat lover's pizza

1 28 oz. can plum tomato
1 recipe pizza dough
2 cups grate mozzarella cheese
8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
8 slices prosciutto, torn
4 slices ham, torn
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 head Boston lettuce, thinly sliced
1 cup arugula
1 green onion, thinly sliced
basil leaves, as desired
olive oil, as desired

Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. Preheat to 450°F (230°C).

Place the tomatoes in a strainer over a bowl and split them in half to drain away the liquid. Keep the tomato juice for another use.

In another bowl, crush the tomatoes using your hands. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece into an 8-inch (20 cm) disc. Place on a sheet of parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Spread the crushed tomatoes onto each disc and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake the pizzas with the parchment paper, one at a time, on the pizza stone for 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven, top with a mixture of the meats and greens or let guests choose their own toppings. Drizzle with olive oil. 

Pizza dough

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tsp sugar
1 tsp instant dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water

In a large bowl using a wooden spoon, or in a stand mixer using the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add the water and stir until a soft ball forms. Knead for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface or in the stand mixer until smooth.

Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm, humid place for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in volume.