Bogle Winery is hosting the Flavors of The Nation Pizza Recipe Contest and asking for your best recipe for a pizza that represents your home state. This is my first entry, and I am absolutely in love with it!
I call this pizza “Bogle on the Bayou" Crawfish Pizza with Fried Green Tomatoes, Crispy Andouille & Remoulade Drizzle” Growing up in South Louisiana, one of my favorite things to do was stand around with friends and family at a crawfish boil and I especially loved all the dishes we could create with the leftovers! This pizza is the perfect blend of all the flavors I grew up loving. Crispy fried green tomatoes take this pizza over the top! Don’t worry if you have trouble finding green tomatoes, tomatillos are a fantastic substitute – you’ll never know the difference. Finally, the Remoulade sauce ties everything together and is a fabulous dip for any leftover fried green tomatoes!
"Bogle on the Bayou" Crawfish Pizza with Fried Green Tomatoes, Crispy Andouille & Remoulade Drizzle
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 ½ plus ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
½ teaspoon honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons cornmeal
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon creole style mustard
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 Tablespoon chili sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
2 small to medium green tomatoes (about 10 ounces), cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 cup cubed andouille
5 ½ cups freshly shredded pepper jack cheese
1 ½ cups cooked and peeled Louisiana crawfish tails
1 cup frozen fire roasted corn kernels, thawed
2 Tablespoons sliced green onion
To make the pizza dough put the water in the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle on the yeast and let the mixture sit and foam for 10 minutes. Stir in 1 ½ cups of the flour, salt and honey and stir until smooth.
Add 1 more cup of flour and continue to knead with the dough hook attachment until smooth and no longer sticking to the bowl. Add the remaining flour, by the Tablespoon full, only if needed, until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. Knead on medium speed for about 10 minutes. Remove the dough from the mixer bowl and shape it into a ball. Brush the bowl and dough ball with the olive oil, cover with a towel and set aside to rise for 3 hours.
While the dough is rising, make the Remoulade Sauce. Whisk together the mayonnaise, creole style mustard, hot sauce, chili sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder and white pepper together in a small bowl. Place in the fridge to chill.
To make the Fried Green Tomatoes In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal, breadcrumbs, flour, pepper, and the salt. Pour the buttermilk in a shallow dish.
In a large sauce pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, over medium heat, bring the oil up to 350° degrees.
Working in batches, dredge the tomatoes first in the cornmeal mixture, then in buttermilk, then the cornmeal mixture again, shaking off any excess. Carefully place tomatoes in hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and allow to drain on a wire rack.
In a small frying pan cook the andouille sausage over medium high heat, about 5 minutes, until the sausage is crisp and browned. Set aside for later use
Once the dough has risen, cut in half and roll into smooth balls. Allow to rest 20-45 min before using.
Pre-heat a pizza oven to high heat, or an oven with a pizza stone in it to 500 degrees.
Sprinkle a pizza peel with half of the cornmeal and gently press and stretch a ball of dough into a 10-inch round.
Spread a thin layer of Remoulade sauce on the pizza dough. Sprinkle the dough with 2 cups of the shredded cheese. Place half of each of the andouille, crawfish tails and fire roasted corn evenly across the dough.
Slide into the oven and bake until the crust is golden and crisp and the cheeses have melted, about 10 minutes.
Open the pizza oven and top the pizza with half of the fried green tomatoes and ¾ cup more of the shredded cheese. Close the oven and allow the pizza to continue to bake for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust has browned.
While the first pizza is baking repeat the process with the remaining dough.
Once the pizzas are done cooking drizzle both with the Remoulade Sauce, sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately with plenty of chilled Bogle Sauvignon Blanc Wine!
Makes 2 (10-inch) pizzas