Cacio e Pepe Pizza

Cacio e Pepe Pizza
Serves 4

Cacio e pepe means cheese and pepper, so this pizza is as straightforward as that. We love hand crushing whole peppercorn for the spiciest, freshest taste. Simply place peppercorn under a heavy bottom pan and crunch on your cutting board. There are two ways to create pizzeria style pizza at home: a hot oven or a combination of broiler + oven. We break both down below. Pair this with our 2020 Chardonnay Kite Tail, with its long succulent finish and high acid, it’s perfect for cutting through the fattiness of the mozzarella and keeping up with the pepper’s personality. 

1 store bought or homemade pizza dough
All purpose flour, dusting 
½ lb. mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons crushed black peppercorn
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt 
½ lemon 

There are two ways to achieve pizzeria taste. First, preheat broiler to high. Dust a large sheet tray with flour and shape pizzas on tray. You can make one large pizza or two smaller pizzas, depending on your preference. Use two trays if you must. 

Garnish and evenly divide doughs with cheese and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Broil for 2-3 minutes until crust begins to rise and char, as would a Neapolitan pizza. Remove from oven and reset oven to 425° F. Place pizza back in the oven and cook for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until bottom is crispy. This may sound tricky but it’s worth it. The alternative is preheating oven to 450° F and letting the pizza rock and roll, as is, for 12-15 minutes or until browned and bubbly. 

Garnish with more salt and a squeeze of lemon to offset richness.