How to Make an Italian margherita pizza

Everybody's favorite food is pizza. But not everybody knows how to actually make a pizza, which is practically a sin. And this "margherita" style pizza is a great one to learn, full of Italian simplicity— red tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and green basil— all the colors of the Italian flag. Check out the recipe for this delicious margherita pizza.

Ingredients:

1 recipe Pizza Dough
2 ounces Reggiano Parmesan, cut into 1-inch cubes
8-10 ounces fresh mozzarella, well chilled
4-5 Roma tomatoes (ripe but still firm)
24 fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
2 extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Prepare the Pizza Dough and let rise. Position the top rack of the oven about 8-inches from the top. If using a baking stone, place it on the rack. Preheat the oven to 500°F for 30 minutes or longer.

Insert the metal blade in the Cuisinart Food Processor. With the machine running, drop the Parmesan cubes through the feed tube and process until finely grated; remove and reserve. Insert the shredding disc. Use medium pressure to shred the mozzarella. Remove and reserve. Insert the slicing disc. Cut the stem end of each tomato so that it is flat. Arrange the tomatoes in the large feed tube. Use light pressure to slice. Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on a triple thickness of paper towels to drain. Stack 12 basil leaves, roll, then use a knife to thinly slice. Repeat with the remaining leaves. This is called a chiffonade.

View the entire recipe at Cuisinart.

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