The eternal beauty, taste of a pizza

By Carol Smaglinski

“Who wants pizza?” Every hand, along with our taste buds, shoots up in anticipation.

Trying to recall your first taste of pizza is somewhat like remembering your first kiss. It was that exciting and in both instances, you longed for more.

Author Charles Pierce wrote “The perfect lover is one who turns into a pizza at 4 a.m.”

With that first bite of pizza, culinary juices start running and a range of flavors are picked up in different parts of the palate and tongue. Taste buds sitting on the tip of the tongue can sense sweet flavors, while sour and salty receptors are on the sides of the tongue.

Pizza came to us through New York with Italian immigrants. At the end of World War II, U.S. soldiers longed for the pizza they had tasted in Italy.

Got some plans for cans? Ditch those and get busy making your own easy pizza from scratch. Proof yeast in water at 110-115 degrees before starting to be sure that it is active.

If you ever mess up (who, me?) and forget the yeast, or the dough does not rise before baking, don’t throw the dough out. Just get some fresh yeast, knead it in with a little warm water and let it rise again. You’ve got a second chance and don’t advertise your mistakes.

Remember, working with yeast dough is very forgiving. And that rising time? It’s working, not you.

Cooking the onions and peppers in a skillet before they go on the pizza will get the liquid out or else your pizza could be soggy when finished. And, another good idea is saving the cheese topping until about four minutes before the pizza is finished.

Note that the pizza dough is actually a canvas waiting for you to decorate it as the artist and cook in you can. Chefs like to throw and stretch pizza dough into the air because using tools may toughen up the dough. However, that takes skill and lots of practice.

Pizza

Makes 2 small pizzas

For the dough:

1 pkg. fast rising yeast

2 cups flour

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. honey

2 tsp. 0live oil

In a cup of water heated to 115 degrees, sprinkle yeast and mix. Let it sit until bubbly for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a food processor, mix the flour, salt, honey and olive oil. Process enough to get a nice tender dough, depending upon the humidity in the air. Add more flour (up to ½ cup) if it is too wet.

Turn dough onto a floured board and knead for a few minutes until the dough springs back.

Grease a bowl, place dough inside and cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for about 45 minutes until doubled.

When ready, heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Divide the dough in half and roll each one out into an 8-inch circle or even a square. Make a rim around the edge with your fingers and paint the rim (future pizza bones) with some oil. Move the dough to a greased cookie sheet or a greased pizza pan, or a pizza stone covered with cornmeal.

Have all the toppings ready: pizza sauce (in a jar), sliced pepperoni, cooked onions and peppers, crushed garlic, mushrooms, olives, shredded Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Spread the sauce over the dough and finish with the rest of the ingredients.

Turn the pan while cooking for even browning and check the bottom with a spatula. Serve piping hot. Buon Appetito! (Enjoy your meal!)