5pm - Made pizza again tonight. Wow. I call it "Provenal!". Actually, I don't call it anything. I'd rather not be one of those twits like Bobby Flay or the Naked Chef (what wretched assholes). Anyhow, about the pizza: it was so fucking wonderful, I orgasmed and died after a few slices. Maybe. It's got herbs, feta cheese and shrimp and you make the whole thing from scratch. My own recipe follows, faithful reader. It's not as complicated as it looks.
You will need:
1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons of Dry Active Yeast
1 tablespoon of Sugar
1 teaspoon of Salt
3 cups of White Flour
2 tablespoons of Butter
12 Large Cooked Shrimp (peeled and devained)
Oregano
Hot Pepper Flakes
Basil
Garlic Powder
2 Cups of Shredded Mozzarella
1/2 cup of Feta Cheese
1 cup of your favourite gourmet Spaghetti sauce.
- In a measuring cup, pour 1 cup of warm-hot water, then stir in the Sugar, then drop in the Dry Active Yeast. Let it sit and foam for 10 mins.
- Get a large mixing bowl. Pour in the yeasty water, 3/4 of the Olive Oil, and the Salt. It should look like a pond in your bowl. Now stir in the Flour 1/2 cup at a time, and keep mixing it with a wooden spoon (and eventually your hands), until you find yourself kneading it into a firm ball of doughy lovelyness.
- Get another bowl, but not so large as the last one. Get a paper towel to help you, because you've now got to coat the new bowl with a thin layer of Olive Oil. Place the ball of dough in the coated bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it sit for 1 hour (it's gonna rise!).
- While the dough is rising, clean up your mess a bit and chill like a popsicle. Then, just before the hour is up, melt the butter and get out the Oregano and Basil.
- So now, after an hour, take the dough to your counter and set the coated bowl aside. Punch the dough down and flatten it out (not too thin, but use a roller if you feel you need to). Now take a spoon and coat the top lightly with 1/2 the butter, then sprinkle lots of herbs on top. Fold the dough over to sandwich the butter. Flatten it again once more. Fold in half again and pinch the edges closed. Bunch it into a firm ball and return it to the coated bowl and recover it with plastic wrap to rise again for 20 mins.
- Meanwhile, take your shrimp and slice each of them in half, right down the middle, where they were deveined. It sort of doubles their number. And makes the pizza easier to eat. Pre-heat your oven to 475 f.
- Get out a big rectangle cookie tray/baking sheet and coat it lightly with Olive Oil again, and use a paper towel for sure this time. If you have some, sprinkle two tablespoons of corn meal evenly over the tray, too. Now it's the moment of truth. Take the dough and plop it in the middle of the tray. Start flattening it out with your hands and fingers until it reaches all the sides and corners. Don't worry if it's slimy with butter, just make sure it's even everywhere.
- Spoon on your Spaghetti sauce and smear it everywhere, even the edges. Sprinkle Oregano over the sauce, and go lightly with the Garlic Powder, too. Now sprinkle just a tiny bit of the Hot Pepper Flakes, like 1/2 a teaspoon. Lay out your Shrimp. Cover it all with the Shredded Mozzarella. Crumble your Feta cheese into tiny, tiny bits and try to get it everywhere. Lastly, lightly sprinkle Basil over the cheeses.
- Bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Take it out, let it cool for a couple of minutes, slice it up and eat... Should make 8 large pieces. Things to add to make it even better: thinly sliced tomato, minced garlic, fresh white Mozzarella slices...
You will need:
1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons of Dry Active Yeast
1 tablespoon of Sugar
1 teaspoon of Salt
3 cups of White Flour
2 tablespoons of Butter
12 Large Cooked Shrimp (peeled and devained)
Oregano
Hot Pepper Flakes
Basil
Garlic Powder
2 Cups of Shredded Mozzarella
1/2 cup of Feta Cheese
1 cup of your favourite gourmet Spaghetti sauce.
- In a measuring cup, pour 1 cup of warm-hot water, then stir in the Sugar, then drop in the Dry Active Yeast. Let it sit and foam for 10 mins.
- Get a large mixing bowl. Pour in the yeasty water, 3/4 of the Olive Oil, and the Salt. It should look like a pond in your bowl. Now stir in the Flour 1/2 cup at a time, and keep mixing it with a wooden spoon (and eventually your hands), until you find yourself kneading it into a firm ball of doughy lovelyness.
- Get another bowl, but not so large as the last one. Get a paper towel to help you, because you've now got to coat the new bowl with a thin layer of Olive Oil. Place the ball of dough in the coated bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it sit for 1 hour (it's gonna rise!).
- While the dough is rising, clean up your mess a bit and chill like a popsicle. Then, just before the hour is up, melt the butter and get out the Oregano and Basil.
- So now, after an hour, take the dough to your counter and set the coated bowl aside. Punch the dough down and flatten it out (not too thin, but use a roller if you feel you need to). Now take a spoon and coat the top lightly with 1/2 the butter, then sprinkle lots of herbs on top. Fold the dough over to sandwich the butter. Flatten it again once more. Fold in half again and pinch the edges closed. Bunch it into a firm ball and return it to the coated bowl and recover it with plastic wrap to rise again for 20 mins.
- Meanwhile, take your shrimp and slice each of them in half, right down the middle, where they were deveined. It sort of doubles their number. And makes the pizza easier to eat. Pre-heat your oven to 475 f.
- Get out a big rectangle cookie tray/baking sheet and coat it lightly with Olive Oil again, and use a paper towel for sure this time. If you have some, sprinkle two tablespoons of corn meal evenly over the tray, too. Now it's the moment of truth. Take the dough and plop it in the middle of the tray. Start flattening it out with your hands and fingers until it reaches all the sides and corners. Don't worry if it's slimy with butter, just make sure it's even everywhere.
- Spoon on your Spaghetti sauce and smear it everywhere, even the edges. Sprinkle Oregano over the sauce, and go lightly with the Garlic Powder, too. Now sprinkle just a tiny bit of the Hot Pepper Flakes, like 1/2 a teaspoon. Lay out your Shrimp. Cover it all with the Shredded Mozzarella. Crumble your Feta cheese into tiny, tiny bits and try to get it everywhere. Lastly, lightly sprinkle Basil over the cheeses.
- Bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Take it out, let it cool for a couple of minutes, slice it up and eat... Should make 8 large pieces. Things to add to make it even better: thinly sliced tomato, minced garlic, fresh white Mozzarella slices...
denk:
mmmm, sounds delicious. Time for a recipe-thread on the boards!
aster:
eep, you're making me hungry!!! i really admire people like you who are "into" cooking, because i can't get into it myself. i asked a friend of mine, "well what happens when something goes wrong? don't you get upset?" she said, "no, i just laugh!" i usually cry. all those wasted ingredients! and i'm hungrier than ever!