Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Pizza...oh how wonderful you are!!!

Tragically, when I was pregnant, I could not even stomach the word "pizza." My favorite food had suddenly become a source of anxiety and sickness. Thank goodness that passed!!!! I've been exploring with different types of pizzas, and came across a real winner last night.

Let's talk dough...The recipe I use is (note: this recipe makes a lot of dough. You could probably get 2 medium sized pizzas from it. I can't tolerate getting frustrated when stretching my dough out, so I always make a lot to make it easier on myself!):


1 1/2c. warm water

1 Tbsp yeast

1.5c. Bread Flour

2 c. All purpose flour (or substitute whole wh
eat flour)
1.5 tsp salt

1 TBSP olive oil


Then you can experiment with adding different herbs and spices depending on what kind of pizza you are making. I normally add in some red pepper flakes and dried basil.


You can always pick up a round of dough from the gr
ocery store or from a pizzeria, but there is something really satisfying about making your own dough (and if you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, it's ridiculously easy).


So last night, I decided to make a white pizza. I stretched out my dough and rubbed it with some olive oil, and sprinkled it with course sea salt and chopped rosemary. Then I put just a dusting of shredded mozzarella over the top. Next came...potatoes. As thin as you can slice them (I used a mandolin). My next all star ingredient was goat cheese. Goat cheese has a place in just about every dish. It's so silky and luxurious, definitely one of my favorite ingredients to use. So there I was in my kitchen, complete with sous chefs Horton, Morris, and Laine, and the pizza just looked...boring. I didn't want to add anymore strong flavors, but it needed a little, oomph. Out came the jar of red pepper flakes, making a second appearance. I was slightly heavy handed in my "sprinkling." It was the right choice. The
heat seemed to open up the taste buds (totally not sure if that's what happens, but that's how it felt), and it made the pizza come alive!!!






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