Pizza Rules

Confession:  I've never made homemade pizza crust before.  That is, until today, when I watched and learned from my classmate Jason, who is competent and proficient in the kitchen.  I think I can now prepare this easily on my own.  Wowza...what a crowd pleaser!  The crew had been cutting down trees and burning brush all morning - very physical work - and they were amazingly hungry.  People actually shouted for joy upon entering the kitchen and looked at us lovingly.  It didn't hurt that I made an apple crisp for dessert.  Aah...comfort food.  For about a half an hour I felt a little like an Italian grandmother. Mangia! Mangia!

Recipe of the day #2

Pizza dough

1 cup warm water
1 tbsp dry baker's yeast (1 package)
1 tsp honey

1 tbsp sunflower oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour (1/2 whole wheat 

   and 1/2 white mixed together)

Cornmeal
 

Mix water, yeast, honey, oil, and salt, and let sit until bubbly. 

Add 2 1/2 cups flour and knead until smooth and even, adding 

more flour to dough if needed. Place in medium-sized bowl, cover, 

and allow to rise 1 hour in a warm place until doubled in size. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle cornmeal on bottom of pan. 

Roll out dough on floured board and stretch dough to corners of pan, 

folding over edges for a rim.

At this point in recipe land, we added our own special farm ingredients: 

home-canned tomato sauce doctored up with garlic, onions, shallots, 

basil and oregano; just-harvested eggplant, red pepper, onion, broccoli, 

and cauliflour; black olives; and mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Wait for oohs and aahs.