Homemade Pizza: One with Peaches, One with Sweet Coppa

Homemade pizza was on the menu for today! I made the pizza dough in the bread machine but that can easily be done by hand or by buying a pre-made dough from the grocery store (I suggest using an uncooked dough if you are getting one from the store).

The first pizza we made had a sun-dried tomato pesto as the sauce, fresh buffalo mozzarella, and sweet coppa from The Meat Market in Great Barrington, MA.  Sweet coppa, also called capocollo, capicollo, or capicolla, is an Italian cold cut meat made from the pork shoulder or neck, and dry-cured whole.

We found some fresh buffalo mozzarella when we were at Costco.  After our trip to Italy regular fresh mozzarella just doesn't live up to buffalo.  For those of you who have never tried buffalo mozzarella it's delicious and definitely worth the extra money.  It is made from the milk of a buffalo which has a higher fat content than cows milk which makes the cheese extra creamy.


Sweet Coppa Pizza
Few spoonfuls of sun-dried tomato pesto
5 oz. fresh (preferably buffalo) mozzarella
EVOO
12 slices of sweet coppa

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees or as hot as your oven will go. Put a few dashes of EVOO on the baking sheet and spread out the pizza dough into the desired shape of pizza, circle or square.  Spread the pesto over the dough but leave a one or two inch border for a crust.  Cut the mozzarella into 1/4 inch slices and place on top on the pesto.  Pull apart the slices of sweet coppa and put them on top of the mozzarella.  Bake the pizza for 5 to 10 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.  Always let your pizza rest for a few minutes to let the cheese set and juices hold in.  Then slice and enjoy!



Peach, Mozzarella, Basil, Balsamic Pizza (1 pizza)
From Two Peas and Their Pod
2 fresh peaches, sliced
5 oz. fresh (preferably buffalo) mozzarella, 1/4 inch slices
EVOO
Small handful of fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons high quality balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees or as hot as your oven will go.  Put a few dashes of EVOO on the baking sheet and spread out the pizza dough into the desired shape of pizza, circle or square.  Place the mozzarella slices on the dough followed by the peaches and basil.  Drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top and place the pizza in the oven.  Bake for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the crust is crispy and golden brown around the edges.  Let the pizza sit for a few minutes and then slice away!

Peach, Mozzarella, Basil and Balsamic Pizza

 We loved both pizzas and it was nice having the meat one as a dinner dish and the peach one as desert.  The one thing we will change for next time is to try grilling the peaches before putting them on the pizza so their juices are more caramelized.