Fried Pizzettes with Spicy Onions and Prosciutto di San Daniele

Ciao a tutti!! Remember I mentioned that I am hosting a Halloween Masquerade Pop Up Dinner? Well, this is one of the recipes that I’ll be preparing for the event….Fried Pizzettes with Spicy Onions and Prosciutto di San Daniele. These are just amazing…sinful and delicious. This is basically fried pizza dough that I top with caramelized spicy onions and some crispy Prosciutto di San Daniele. I used my King Arthur Flour Perfect Pizza Blend for the dough, it creates a fantastic product. I swear by King Arthur products, they never disappoint and there website is a bakers paradise, seriously. You can get step by step instructions for your most delicious baking through their Baking Banter blog or one of over 2,000 free recipes online. Learn more about our flours, our commitment to quality, and why you get so much more with King Arthur Flour. I hope you guys enjoy this recipe just as I much as I do! Enjoy!

Fried Pizzettes with Spicy Onions and Prosciutto di San Daniele

Fried Pizzette

2 cups of King Arthur Flour Perfect Pizza Blend

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. mixed dried Italian seasonings

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. dried active yeast

Warm water, as needed

Vegetable Oil, for frying

Pour your King Arthur Flour Perfect Pizza Blend on a clean, flat surface and shape into a mound. Add salt, dried Italian seasonings mix, olive oil and dried yeast to the flour and mix. Add warm water, just a little at a time, working until you get smooth, dough that is very elastic. Transfer the dough to a bowl and place in a warm spot to rise. While you are waiting for the dough to rise, you can start preparing your onions and Prosciutto di San Daniele….

Caramelized Onions

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 medium size onions, sliced
2 tbsp. brown sugar

In a medium size pan over medium heat, add your olive oil, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Allow the oil to get hot and add your sliced onions. Cook until they have melted down a bit and are slightly caramelized. Add the brown sugar so it can melt. Now you can prepare your crispy Prosciutto di San Daniele!

Crispy Prosciutto di San Daniele!

3 tbsp. olive oil

8 slices of Prosciutto di San Daniele!

In a medium size pan over medium heat, heat your olive oil. Once it is hot, add a few slices of Prosciutto di San Daniele at a time and allow to cook until they are very crispy, do this with all of the slices. Let the slices drain on a paper towel.

When you have finished the onions and prosciutto and when the dough has doubled in volume, heat a large pan with a lot of vegetable oil. Form balls of dough into small, flat shapes with your hands. Put the dough in the hot oil, browning on both sides. Let them cook on each side for at 3-5 minutes, you can play this by ear, but you should certainly be able to see once they are done. After they are done, drain them on paper towels and top each pizzette with a tablespoon or two of the onions and a slice of the Prosciutto di San Daniele. Buon Appetito!!

Olive Oil Muffins with Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Chips and Almonds

Ciao a tutti!! Mi dispiace for not posting for a few days, things have been pretty nuts because…droll roll…. I am so excited to officially announce that I will be attending cooking school in Florence in the fall!!!! I am beyond grateful and so, so excited for this opportunity. Ever since I was little, I would speak about studying opera and cooking in Italy. I studied opera in Italy a few years ago, now cooking gets its turn!! Today I am sharing a yummy American style classic breakfast…or dessert, however you look at it, but with my own Italian twist. Olive Oil Muffins with Dark Chocolate Chips and Almonds.

I loooooove muffins. For me, they have always been one of my favorite comfort foods. When I was little, there was this tiny whole in the wall bakery in my neighborhood that specialized in muffins, they were so perfect. Light, moist, not at all heavy, just delicious. My favorites were of course Chocolate Chip and Double Chocolate Chip….time hasn't really changed!! The other day, all of a sudden I had an intense muffin craving, but no place around me sells really REALLY good muffins. 

What was I to do? Well, make them myself!! These are very yummy. A few tips for making these muffins...for the chocolate chips, I will only use Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate Chips; the chocolate is so rich and intense. Whenever I bake, I also only use King Arthur Flours; they are just lighter and producer a better product. This is a classic bakery style muffin. You will love them!!

Olive Oil Muffins with Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Chips and Almonds

3 cups of King Arthur All Purpose Flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of almond milk (you can use regular milk, the almond milk just adds a slightly sweet almond flavor that I like)

½ cup of olive oil

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. almond extract

1 cup of Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

1 cup of chopped almonds

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 6 muffin tin with non stick spray or you can use muffin liners.

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until combined, add the milk, oil, vanilla and almond extracts. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and gently fold. You do not want to over mix, that will result in heavier muffin. Fold in the chocolate chips and almonds. Pour the batter into your muffin tins, make sure to fill it all the way to the top, you want that nice muffin top!! Bake for 30 minutes or longer if needed. You can stick a tooth pick in to make sure they are set. Everyone’s oven is different so baking time may vary. When they are done, let them cool for around 15 minutes in the pan. Then after 15 minutes….go to town!!!! Buon Appetito!!!