-
1
Pour enough olive oil into a small skillet or saucepan to 1 inch deep and line a small plate with paper towels.
-
2
Heat the oil over medium-high heat until a pinch of salt sizzles when dropped into it.
-
3
Add the whole sage leaves and fry for about 30 seconds, until crisp and bright green.
-
4
(If you overcook them, they turn brown and ugly.)
-
5
Use a slotted spoon to remove the sage from the oil, transfer to the paper towels to drain, and season with salt.
-
6
Strain the sage-infused oil through a fine-mesh strainer and reserve it to fry sage another time or to drizzle over grilled meats or vegetables.
-
7
The sage can be fried up to several hours in advance.
-
8
Store it in an airtight container at room temperature.
-
9
Prepare and stretch the dough and preheat the oven according to the instructions given in Nancys Scuola di Pizza (page 128).
-
10
Brush the rim of the dough with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season the entire surface with salt.
-
11
Spoon the cream onto the center of the dough and use the back of the spoon to spread it over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch rim without any cream.
-
12
Sprinkle the chopped sage over the cream, cover with the shredded sottocenere, and scatter the fontina and mozzarella cubes over the pizza.
-
13
Slide the pizza into the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown and crispy, 8 to 12 minutes.
-
14
Remove the pizza from the oven and carefully tilt it over a plate to drain the excess oil.
-
15
Discard the oil.
-
16
Cut the pizza into quarters, scatter the fried sage leaves over the surface, and serve.
-
17
Valpolicella Classico Superiore (Veneto)
