White Pizza with Scamorza, Rosemary, Garlic, and Oil

Pizza Bianca con Scamorza, Rosmarino, Aglio, e Olio
A refreshing change from the numerous tomato-based toppings, this pizza uses smoked scamorza, rosemary, and olive oil for topping. You can use smoked mozzarella instead of the smoked scamorza, and substitute fresh oregano in place of the rosemary.
Scamorza Cheese
A little about scamorza – it’s a close cousin to mozzarella, a bit firmer, made mostly from cow’s milk, and melts better in the oven than mozzarella. I’ve found that the smoked scamorza adds a great flavor to your white pizzas. The smoked version is called scamorza affumicata.
This cheese’s fresh curd matures in its own whey for several hours to allow acidity to develop by the process of lactose being converted to lactic acid. Cheese makers generally form the cheese into a round shape and then tie a string around the mass one third of the distance from the top and hang to dry. The resulting shape is pear-like. This is sometimes referred to as "strangling" the cheese. The cheese is usually white in color unless smoked. When smoked, the color is almond with a lighter interior.
Scamorza can be substituted for mozzarella in most dishes. In Italy, scamorza is more commonly made in the south rather than the north. Technically, scamorza is a product of Puglia, where it is made throughout Bari province. However, it is available across the country, both in the unsmoked and smoked forms.
Some trivia – scamorza is a favorite cheese of the Hazleton, Pennsylvania area and is found on cheese steaks, salads and French fries. In Hazleton, the cheese is pronounced "Scah-muhtz"
Scamorza is also the cheese of choice for a pizza topping in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Elsewhere in the state, mozzarella is used.
Ingredients for the dough for 4 pizze:
See Pizza di Napoli: La Margherita
Ingredients for the Topping:
1 lb of scamorza affumicata (or smoked mozzarella), cut in thin slices (1/8 - ¼ inch)
3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed from branches
4 toes of garlic, minced
Some sea salt
½ c grated Parmigiano Reggiano
A little extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle
Preparation:
See Pizza di Napoli: La Margherita, for the preparation of pizza dough.
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Take the pizza dough and divide it into four pieces. Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface. Take your pizza peel and flour the surface generously to allow for easy transfer to the oven stone. Place dough on the peel, smacking your hand against it to flatten. Then using a rolling pin, stretch the dough out, creating a round shape – get your dough rolled out thin – no thicker than ¼ - 3/8 of an inch for a pizza bianca con scamorza, rosmarino, aglio, e olio. Drizzle a little olive oil over dough surface, and then sprinkle a little salt and a ¼ of the Parmigiano Reggiano. Distribute ¼ of the minced garlic and ¼ of the rosemary on top of that. Finally, take ¼ of the scamorza slices and distribute equally over the pizza. Place the pizza on the oven pizza stone for about 10-14 minutes, depending on your oven (check often to avoid burning cheese). Remove from oven and place on wooden board, and let cool for 10 minutes. Slice and serve!
Buon appetito!