The Cal-Ital Pizza

The Cal-Ital Pizza
Pair with Diamond Collection Claret

Ingredients:

For the dates in vin cotto:

• 1 bottle of red wine
• Juice of one orange
• 1 orange peel
• 50 g (1/4 cup) sugar
• 10 turns black pepper
• 230 g (1/2 lb) fresh California dates, cut into 1/8” pieces

For the pizza:

• Pizza dough for one 12” pizza
• 100 g (3/4 cup) fresh mozzarella, torn into 1” pieces
• 25 g (2 cups) loosely packed arugula
• 30 g (1 oz) thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma
• 50 g (1/4 cup) cooked dates (recipe above)
• 1 teaspoon vin cotto (recipe above)
• Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Coarse sea salt

Directions:
In a medium saucepan bring wine, orange juice and peel, sugar, and black pepper to a boil. Turn down to simmer and cook until the syrup coats the back of a spoon 25-30 minutes. Remove orange peel. Place the dates into a glass or plastic container and pour the vin cotto (red wine syrup) over. Let the dates cool in the vin cotto then refrigerate covered for up to 3 days.

Pre-heat oven to 500-550 degrees with a pizza stone or steel 6-8” from the top of the oven for a minimum of one hour.

Stretch your pizza dough and place onto a floured pizza peel.

Distribute the fresh mozzarella evenly on top of the dough. Season with coarse sea salt and extra virgin olive oil.

Launch the pizza onto the pizza stone or steel. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is deeply caramelized.

After baking, distribute the arugula, prosciutto, and cooked dates on top of the pizza. Drizzle the vin cotto and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve immediately.