Pizzettas with Nduja and Prosciutto
Nduja is a particularly spicy, spreadable pork salume from Italy. It is very similar to sobrassada from the island of Mallorca in Spain. It's a spicy, spreadable pork sausage that tastes like fine salami. It's a specialty of Calabria, Italy, where it's often spread on bread or mixed into pasta sauce. Substitute if you must, but ask your local butcher/deli if they can source it for you, or order it online!
Makes 3 pizzettas.
Ingredients
Dough-
l/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water (110ºF)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 to 3 /4 cup lukewarm water (110ºF)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Toppings-
1 cup nduja, room temperature
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
12 paper-thin slices prosciutto
A few handfuls of Arugula
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
The day before, to make a sponge, combine 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water, yeast and ¼ cup of the flour in a large bowl. Let stand for 20 minutes until it bubbles up.
Add the remaining 1 3/4 cup flour, ½ to ¾ cup lukewarm water and salt. Stir together with a wooden spoon to mix the dough thoroughly. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, adding just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking.
Oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it over to coat it with oil. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and place in the refrigerator overnight until it has doubled in size. The next day, 2 hours before using, bring to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 500°F or the hottest temperature your oven will go and place a pizza stone on the bottom shelf of oven.
In the meantime, place the nduja in a bowl and stir in the olive oil until smooth.
Gently, punch down the dough. On a floured surface, divide the dough into 3 pieces and form into round balls but do not work the dough. Roll 1 piece of dough to form a 7-inch circle. Transfer to a well-floured wooden pizza peel or paddle. Using the tines of a fork, pierce the dough in 3 or 4 places. Slide the dough directly onto the pizza stone and bake until golden and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately, spread 1/3 of the nduja onto the top of the pizzetta leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Curl 3 to 4 slices of prosciutto and pile onto the top of the pizzetta. Top with fresh arugula. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.
Repeat with the remaining dough, nduja and prosciutto to make 2 more pizzettas.