This project has taught me to think on my feet, be flexible, and experiment wildly in the kitchen. While our weekly routine has changed considerably, there is one thing we tend to miss: Pizza.
We used to buy the dough from Trader Joe's, spread it out on our pizza stone, and fill it up with cheese and veggies. I thought I might be able to emulate this process from our local flour with local toppings....and boy was I right! We ended up with a delicious pie, fantastic dough and a finished product that left us feeling full but not stuffed.
I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.
Step 2 > Sprinkle work surface with flour.
Step 3 > Pat dough out, flip it so both sides are covered in flour.
Step 4 > Start rolling out the dough, rotating every so often for an even pie.
Step 5 > Once it's the size and thickness you want, slide it onto your stone or pan.
Step 6 > Once you realize you forgot to pre-heat your stone, slide it onto the pan and shape it into a square.
Here's where many pizza purists will disagree, but this is how we like it.
Spread with olive oil, including on the crust. I am liberal with the oil.
Step 7 > Sprinkle ingredients. Here is what we used (all local):
* 3 Cloves of garlic
* Basil
* Spinach
* Anaheim Pepper
* Yellow Bell Pepper
* Extra sharp cheese from Golden Glen Creamery
I like to layer it, finishing with spinach and cheese.
The best part... topping it with little clumps of "Fromage Blanc" - Truffle flavored, ricotta-textured cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery
Bake in a pre-heated oven (350 degrees) for 20-25 minutes.
Boy, that looks great! I was in a cooking mood yesterday so I did some chili rellenos using peppers from our neighbor's plants. It was super easy and they were delicious even though we had the wrong kind of peppers according to my Mexican food experts. :)
ReplyDeleteHow and where do you put it in the oven? On baking paper and/or straight on the rack? And which level? Placing it too close to the bottom made my crust burn while the toppings were still too juicy. The baking part was the most hard for me. I also had a big bubble in my dough which made the toppings fall off and became charcoal. Man, making pizza is hard! (Nicki is laughing at me now...).
ReplyDeleteBart! Oh no! Sorry to hear that you had trouble with it. I put it onto a baking sheet, and on the middle rack. I diced the toppings very small to help with the cooking. I'm not sure about the bubble...what did you cook it on?
ReplyDeleteI always cook my crust itself, in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes or so. Then, if there are any bubbles, prick and press them down before you put on the toppings. Add toppings and cook again, that way the crust is cooked through when the toppings are hot.
ReplyDeleteYou doing OK, Amy? Busy week?
Paula! Yes, we've been traveling. More on that later, I think... need a few days to decompress and evaluate before writing about it. :)
ReplyDelete