Culture Magazine

40 culturecheesemag.com C O O K I N G W I T H C H E E S E 202 3 NEAPOLITAN PIZZA WITH MASCARPONE, SPECK, ARUGULA, AND FIG Written by Cassy Vires Photographed by Jennifer Silverberg Making pizza dough from scratch takes time, but the tang of the finished product is worth it. This dough should be made a day ahead. Serves 4 DOUGH: 4½ cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1½ teaspoons instant yeast 2 cups cold water 2 tablespoons olive oil PIZZA: Cornmeal or semolina, for dusting 8 ounces mascarpone, room temperature Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 4 ounces speck or prosciutto 8 ounces fresh black Mission figs, quartered 4 ounces baby arugula 2 tablespoons olive oil DOUGH: Whisk together flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil and stir until no dry flour remains. Loosely cover bowl with a dishtowel or cling wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes, or until soft and elastic. If dough sticks at any point, sprinkle with additional flour. Place dough in a large greased bowl and loosely cover. Let dough rise until it has doubled in size, about 1½ hours. Divide dough into 4 even balls. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet, brush with a bit of oil, cover with cling wrap, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days. PIZZA: Remove dough from refrigerator and rest on the counter for 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, place a pizza stone on a rack in lower third of oven and heat oven to 500°F. Stretch dough into 10-inch rounds. Dust a pizza peel, cutting board, or overturned baking sheet with semolina or cornmeal. Transfer stretched dough to dusted surface, then give it a little shake to ensure dough isn't sticking. Spread dough with mascarpone and season with salt and pepper. Tear speck into bite-size pieces and scatter on top of mascarpone. Add figs. Transfer pizzas to preheated stone. Bake until crust is well browned, 10 to 12 minutes. When pizzas are cooked, toss arugula with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Top each pizza with dressed greens and serve immediately. GREEN POZOLE Written by Molly Shuster With just a handful of steps, this savory stew is simple to make. Most of your time will be spent waiting for the pork to finish simmering. Serves 6 BRAISED PORK: 1 3½- to 4-pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces 1 white onion, halved 1 head garlic, halved crosswise 1 green chile, such as jalapeño or serrano, stem removed 4 bay leaves 5 to 6 cilantro sprigs 2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican) 2 teaspoons kosher salt POZOLE: 1½ pounds tomatillos (about 9-12 large), husked, washed, and quartered 5 cloves garlic 1 white onion, chopped 1 poblano pepper, seeds removed and chopped 1 green chile, such as jalapeño or serrano, stem removed and chopped (remove seeds for less spice) 2 15-ounce cans hominy, drained and rinsed TO SERVE: 1½ cups crumbled cotija ½ cup finely chopped cilantro BRAISED PORK: Add all ingredients to a large pot or Dutch oven. Add enough cold water to cover the pork (about 8 cups) and bring to a boil. Skim any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer gently until pork is very tender, about 2 hours, skimming as necessary. POZOLE: Meanwhile, add tomatillos and ¾ cup cold water to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool. Once cool, add tomatillos to the bowl of a food processor with garlic, onion, poblano, and green chile. Process until completely smooth. When pork is done cooking, place a colander into a larger bowl and put in the sink. Carefully pour the pork and broth into the colander. Remove colander from the bowl and return broth to the pot over medium heat. Remove pork chunks from the colander and add to the pot with the broth. Discard remaining solids. Stir in tomatillo mixture and hominy, and simmer over medium heat, 15 to 20 minutes, lowering heat if needed. Taste and adjust seasoning. TO SERVE: Ladle pozole into bowls and top with cotija and cilantro. Neapolitan Pizza with Mascarpone, Speck, Arugula, and Fig

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