Pizza



I was happy to discover when I was in Toronto last month that J and S also celebrate the end of the week with pizza. I made them (actually, I think I sat at the counter with a glass of wine and directed!) a pear, caramelized onions, walnuts and blue cheese combo, which I believe is the pizza pictured here, except this one has pine nuts on it. Pecans also taste good with the pears and cheese.

Unfortunately, upon arriving in TO I discovered my camera was broken, so I couldn't take any food (or baby) pictures while there. Did have some fabulous meals of which I will post menus/recipes for in the near future - mr. anchovy, I have not forgotten that I am to post the Tenderloin with local “Forrester Sauce” recipe. Having not measured anything for that dinner, I have to recreate it here so I can get the figures right. Although...not having those lovely local mushrooms will make for a slightly different sauce here. I guess I'll just have to use morels or chanterelles.

Thanks everyone for your wonderful hospitality! I love Toronto!
And that is saying something, coming from one who dwells in lotus land. Which reminds me, you really should consider coming out here, if only to come and eat with us.

Pizza Dough (given to me by Silver Fox many years ago. It comes from one of Alice Waters cookbooks I think)

Ingredients
4 teaspoon yeast
3 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
½ cup rye flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup olive oil
1/8 cup milk
1 ½ cups water

Preparation
Combine flours yeast and salt in a bowl large enough for all the ingredients. In a large measuring cup measure off water, then oil, then milk. Stir well and dump into the flour mixture. Stir until a mess of a dough, kinda stringy and lumpy at the same time.

Dump out onto a clean surface that has been sprinkled lightly with flour. Knead in to a smooth ball. This could take a few minutes. I don't knead pizza dough a full 10 minutes or so like I would with bread. Rather I get it into a nice enough dough, let it rest for an hour, then knead it again for a few minutes. Let it rest ten more minutes. Divide dough into four of five pieces, depending on whether you like your crusts thin, thin, thin (go for 5) or medium, (go for 4). If you like a deeper crust, by all means, divide the dough into three.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. When your dough has reached your desired thickness transfer dough on to the pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal. Apply your assorted toppings. Kids favourite – tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and parmesan. My favourite is the pear, G's favourite – meat, meat, meat, with some cheese.

Getting ready for a pizza cook off.



Flour shaker and cornmeal shaker. The flour shaker gives an even amount of flour over my work surface and the old fashioned parmesan cheese/chili pepper shaker keeps the cornmeal from sticking to my fingers – a most irritating thing, that.