In this column we share the cuisine and recipes of Italy and our Italian American communities. Each month we feature recipes curated from our research and those shared by LGI readers.
Food and cooking are important aspects of our cultural identity and sharing recipes is one way for us to connect to our roots and to one another!
We invite you to share your family recipes and the stories behind them with us! Please email your favorite recipes and photos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before November 10. For more recipes like this, subscribe to La Gazzetta Italiana.
Buon appetito!
Pizza Muffins
dalla cucina di Cook Like a Real Italian by Angelo Coassin
These pizza muffins can be topped with your favorite ingredients – just not pineapple. That is NOT SEXY!
Ingredients:
For the Dough:
3 C. Plain flour
¼ oz. Fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp. Salt
1 C. Lukewarm water
For the Topping:
5 oz. Tomato passata (sieved tomatoes)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of dried oregano
Extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling and greasing)
7 oz. Graded or shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast and salt, and mix together. Incorporate the water little by little, mixing between each addition, then continue to knead for about 4-5 minutes or until a smooth dough is formed. Cover with a clean cloth and leave to rest for 30 minutes. In the meantime, add 3 ½ oz. of the tomato passata to a bowl and season it with salt, pepper, oregano, and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease a muffin tray with extra virgin olive oil. Using a rolling pin, roll out your dough on a clean surface to form a square about 1 cm thick, then spread the tomato passata on top. Roll the dough up into a sausage shape, then slice into 12 pieces. Places the 12 slices into the muffin tray molds, cut sides facing up. Top with the remaining tomato passata and the mozzarella, then bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until…mamma mia!
