Pizza with Pineapple, Prosciutto & Jalapeno

This post almost makes me feel guilty.  Almost.  If it didn’t taste so wonderfully, impossibly good then it would feel like a cop-out.  Far too easy to be worth-while for you all, my darling foodie-friends.  However as hard as I try, I continue to fail – I cannot make this any more complex.  Alas, it is what it is… simple parts combined to produce umami-esque results.  Can you ask for much more?  I’m sure you are at the very least familiar with Hawaiian pizza.  A concoction that seems like it couldn’t possibly make sense but somehow does.  Upon closer examination, when you break down the parts, you can see the magic in it – salty ham, sweet, tangy pineapple and, my personally preferred addition, spicy jalapeno.  Outside of bitter you are hitting all of the tasting-note high points.  Throw in the fact that pizza is, next to pasta, the best damn thing ever created and you have a perfectly addicting recipe that you will find yourself pining for at all hours of the day.  Set upon a base of freshly-tossed dough, bathed in tomato sauce and layered with oozy, gooey mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, the first slice will disappear before you can barely blink.  Did I just eat that?  Surely not, it can’t possibly be gone.  But I do suddenly feel oddly comfortable and warm inside.  Hm.  Perhaps I should try another slice.  Wow.  Still not sure what keeps happening.  The pizza is disappearing into thin air!  Before you know it, it’s gone, and you are left with a blissfully complete feeling of satisfaction.  Not to be found with just any meal.  Unless it’s this pizza.

The stars of the show: three ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, one cup pineapple, cubed, one quarter of a cup thinly sliced jalapeno and a fresh ball of pizza dough.  I’m a HUGE fan of making my own pizza dough.  I’m not at all exaggerating when I say that IT COULDN’T BE EASIER TO CREATE.  However, if you are fresh-dough-making-averse, then I strongly recommend the pizza dough balls from Lotsa Pasta, found in the freezer section.  Find my recipe for hand-made pizza dough in my post for pizza with butternut squash, goat cheese and pancetta.  I’ve been known to come home from an evening out and to decide to make a big batch of pizza dough before bed (yes, yes, after drinking wine).  I like to think this is a testament to how easy it is to make your own dough as well as how deep my true devotion to pizza runs.  Z just finds it strange.  There is nothing like a freshly spun ball of pizza dough though.  The scent it so natural, so visceral, I can’t help but hold it in my hands and inhale the warm aromas from the flour and the yeast.  Try it and tell me that you had the strength to resist!

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  If you have a pizza stone, go ahead and put in the oven, allowing it to pre-heat as well.  You want the stone to be as hot as possible when the dough hits it’s surface.  Sprinkle flour on a clean counter and roll the dough out to a 12 inch diameter round.  I find picking it up with my hands and turning it in circles with my fists helps to stretch the dough.  Once the oven is pre-heated, remove the pizza stone (or baking sheet) and place the pizza base on the top, being careful not to burn yourself.  Drizzle one tbs olive oil on the pizza as well as one half cup of your preferred marinara sauce.  Spread around the surface of the pizza, using a spoon.

Now we begin the wonderful process of laying the toppings!  Begin by sprinkling one tbs freshly minced garlic over the entire surface.  The rest, as promised, is quiet simple!  I start with one half of my toppings and spread them out evenly, letting everything sink into the tomato sauce.  Once accompanied by a layer of mozzarella cheese, the remaining pineapple, jalapeno and prosciutto are put in place.

The final slices of mozzarella cheese are added to the top, only to be covered by a shower of freshly grated parmesan cheese, kosher salt and and freshly cracked black pepper.

Into the oven she goes for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and brown and the prosciutto is crisp and fragrant.  Allow to rest for three minutes before cutting.  Your simple task is complete and the first bite will surely send you into food oblivion.  Try to stay with us and enjoy the moment, as hard as it may be – the pizza will be gone before you know it!

Makes One 12 inch Pizza

• one ball fresh pizza dough
• one tbs olive oil
• one half cup marinara sauce
• one tbs freshly minced garlic
• one quarter cup thinly sliced jalapeno, seeds removed
• one cup pineapple, sliced into one-inch cubes
• three ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
• 12-15 slices fresh mozzarella, about one quarter-inch thick
• one third cup freshly grated mozzarella
• one half tsp kosher salt
• one quarter tsp freshly ground black pepper