Rimini

Rimini
Rimini
Mmm. Fried dough. On a trip to Rimini, a resort town on Italy's Adriatic coast, I had a memorable fried pizza topped with cheese and ham. To re-create it, I came up with this shallow-fry method in which you fry the dough, then flip it, top it with mozzarella, and cover it with a lid to melt the cheese. In honor of Rimini, I've topped this one with the region's famous squacquerone cheese, which is as deliciously soft and runny as it is difficult to pronounce. If you can't find it, you can use crescenza (also known as stracchino). It goes on after frying and quickly melts on the hot crust. I also add thin slices of the cooked ham sold in Italian delis as prosciutto cotto. Not to be confused with prosciutto, which is cured but not cooked, this is what we know as ham, but it's a bit paler, less smoky, and more delicate than typical American deli ham. For this method, it's really helpful to roll your dough out as close to the stove top as possible and to have everything set up before you start cooking: your skillet on the stove top, a lid within easy reach, your cheeses and toppings measured out, and a plate lined with paper towels right next to the stove. Keep a close eye on the heat as you fry and adjust it as needed so the dough cooks all the way through without burning on the outside.
  • Preparing Time: -
  • Total Time: -
  • Served Person: Makes one 12-inch pizza; 6 slices
Italian Cheese Garlic Kid-Friendly Dinner Lunch Small Plates
  • 1 (8-ounce/225-gram) ball master dough , preferably with starter, made with poolish
  • semolina, for dusting
  • 1/2 cup (112 grams) olive oil, or more as needed
  • 1-1/2 ounces (45 grams) whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
  • 1 ounce (30 grams) thinly shaved lardo
  • 1-1/2 ounces (45 grams) squacquerone cheese
  • 6 thin slices (2 ounces/55 grams) prosciutto cotto
  • small piece young pecorino romano cheese, cold, for shaving

Preparation Remove the dough ball from the refrigerator and leave wrapped at room temperature until the dough warms to 60°F to 65°F. Line a large dinner plate with paper towels. Pour the oil into a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and have a lid and a pair of tongs nearby. Dust a work surface near the stove with semolina, then move the dough to the surface and dust the top. Press out the dough into a flat disk and roll it out into an 11-1/2-inch round. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, until very hot with ripples covering the surface. Gently lift the dough and lower the bottom of one edge into the side of the pan closest to you, then lower the remaining dough into the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, using tongs to check the bottom often and to rotate the dough as needed to brown evenly. If bubbles form on the top of the dough, pierce them gently with the tongs. When the bottom is golden brown, turn the dough over. Immediately sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the surface and cover the pan. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the bottom of the dough is a rich golden brown. Using the tongs, reach to the center of the pizza and transfer it to the towel-lined plate to drain briefly. Transfer the pizza to the cutting board and cut into 6 wedges. Scatter the lardo and pinches of the squacquerone evenly over the top. Drape a slice of prosciutto cotto on each slice and garnish with shavings of the pecorino. Cooks' Note:If you do not have two pizza baking stones or steels, you can use two 13" x 18" inverted rimmed baking sheets or cookie sheets. —Epicurious Editors Reprinted from The Pizza Bible: The World's Favorite Pizza Styles, from Neapolitan, Deep-Dish, Wood-Fired, Sicilian, Calzones and Focaccia to New York, New Haven, Detroit, and more, by Tony Gemignani, Copyright © 2014, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House LLC. Tony Gemignani has not only been making pizzas for over 20 years, but he is also the chef and owner of eight restaurants and the US Ambassador of Neapolitan Pizza to the city of Naples, Italy. Tony is the proprietor of the International School of Pizza in San Francisco, where he certifies chefs from around the world. Visit him at tonygemignani.com.

Preparation Remove the dough ball from the refrigerator and leave wrapped at room temperature until the dough warms to 60°F to 65°F. Line a large dinner plate with paper towels. Pour the oil into a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and have a lid and a pair of tongs nearby. Dust a work surface near the stove with semolina, then move the dough to the surface and dust the top. Press out the dough into a flat disk and roll it out into an 11-1/2-inch round. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, until very hot with ripples covering the surface. Gently lift the dough and lower the bottom of one edge into the side of the pan closest to you, then lower the remaining dough into the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, using tongs to check the bottom often and to rotate the dough as needed to brown evenly. If bubbles form on the top of the dough, pierce them gently with the tongs. When the bottom is golden brown, turn the dough over. Immediately sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the surface and cover the pan. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the bottom of the dough is a rich golden brown. Using the tongs, reach to the center of the pizza and transfer it to the towel-lined plate to drain briefly. Transfer the pizza to the cutting board and cut into 6 wedges. Scatter the lardo and pinches of the squacquerone evenly over the top. Drape a slice of prosciutto cotto on each slice and garnish with shavings of the pecorino. Cooks' Note:If you do not have two pizza baking stones or steels, you can use two 13" x 18" inverted rimmed baking sheets or cookie sheets. —Epicurious Editors Reprinted from The Pizza Bible: The World's Favorite Pizza Styles, from Neapolitan, Deep-Dish, Wood-Fired, Sicilian, Calzones and Focaccia to New York, New Haven, Detroit, and more, by Tony Gemignani, Copyright © 2014, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House LLC. Tony Gemignani has not only been making pizzas for over 20 years, but he is also the chef and owner of eight restaurants and the US Ambassador of Neapolitan Pizza to the city of Naples, Italy. Tony is the proprietor of the International School of Pizza in San Francisco, where he certifies chefs from around the world. Visit him at tonygemignani.com.

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