GRILLED PIZZA BIANCA WITH ROSEMARY AND SEA SALT (for eight)
What is pizza bianca? Martha Stewart explains that “as with many foods, there is no single answer. In the U.S., pizza bianca, or white pizza, is a pizza that does not have cooked tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes. Generally, it is simply topped with cheese—usually more than one cheese, and often ricotta and mozzarella, along with an aged cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano that adds a rich, salty umami flavor, contrasting with the two creamy fresh cheeses.
In Italy, pizza bianca is different. It is more like a thin, crisp, and chewy version of focaccia than what we call pizza. It is not topped with cheese, in fact it has no toppings other than olive oil, salt, and perhaps sesame seeds or rosemary. This, the original bread-like pizza bianca, is a favorite food of Romans who buy it by weight rather than by the slice.” The recipe below is closer to the Roman version.
1-1/2 pounds fresh pizza dough or two 10-ounce purchased fully baked thin pizza crusts (such as Boboli)
extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary, divided
sea salt
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1. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Divide dough in half. Stretch and roll each piece to 10 inch round. Brush 1 side of each dough round or baked crust with oil, then sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon rosemary, sea salt and pepper.
2. Place on grill, seasoned side down. Brush tops with oil, then sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon rosemary, sea salt and pepper. Grill until just golden, about 4 minutes per side for fresh dough and 2 minutes per side for baked crusts.
NOTE: Antipasto salad is a good accompaniment to this plain pizza.
from Bon Appetit Magazine, May, 2008