Pistachio and Sausage Pizza

From: Roberto Caporuscio, Don Antonio by Starita, NYC and Atlanta. Yield: 4 pizzas.

4 9-oz. Neapolitan dough balls (recipe follows)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
1½ cups shelled pistachios, lightly toasted
½ cup Parmesan, grated
10½ oz. fresh Italian sausage, casings removed
¼ cup red wine
1 lb. fresh mozzarella, cut into ½” strips
1 oz. grated Pecorino Romano
16-20 fresh basil leaves

Pizza Dough:
2.2 lb. Caputo “00” flour
20 oz. water
1 oz. salt
1 g. fresh yeast

For dough: Melt yeast into ½ of the water and pour into a mixer. Add flour into mixer and begin mixing on slowest speed. Add salt to remaining water, then pour into mixer. Mix for 15 minutes on slowest speed. Place dough on counter, wrap it with plastic and let it stand for 40 minutes. Cut into dough balls and let rest for 4 hours. (Resting period is essential to retard formation of gluten, resulting in chewy, puffed texture that is the signature of Neapolitan pizza.) Place in cooler for use the next day.

The next day, stretch dough. Working with one dough ball at a time, dust heavily with semolina. Using fingertips, press dough from center out into a 10” circle, about ¼” thick and leaving 1” thick crust around the edges. Hold dough straight up and, with fingertips circling crust, let dough naturally fall. Slide fingers around crust in a circular motion as you would turn a steering wheel, until dough in center is stretched to about 1/8” thick. Transfer to a semolina-dusted pizza peel.

For pizza: Puree pistachios, Parmesan, olive oil and salt in a food processor to make a smooth sauce. Set aside. Heat 2 Tbsp. additional olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon until browned but not completely cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add wine and cook, scraping the bottom of the skillet until reduced, about 2 minutes. Set aside and let cool slightly.

Spread about ½ cup pistachio sauce evenly over center of the dough, and distribute ¼ each of the sausage mixture, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and basil leaves. Sprinkle with Pecorino Romano and drizzle with oil. In Neapolitan tradition, bake pizza for approximately 90 seconds in a wood-burning oven.