Butchok takes on Yellow Cab's Gourmet Garden
I've been doing a lot of baking recently because La Mumsy bought me a jumbo pack of active dry yeast. I've always liked baking (although the results were often hit or miss), but I used to stay away from anything that involved yeast because...well, it's ALIVE! Anyway, I'm over that.
Pizza would have to be my ultimate comfort food. As kids, my brother and I would complain about a horrible taste in our mouths whenever we were sick and insist that the only thing that would get rid of it was Thin Crust Hawaiian Delight from Shakey's. I wasn't making up that horrible taste because I can remember it vividly even as I write this, but I can't vouch for my brother nor do I have any proof that pizza really was the cure. :p
Pizza Dough (Recipe from Yummy July 2007)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cool water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
Procedure
In a large bowl, whisk together yeast, lukewarm water, and 1/2 cup flour.
Dust top lightly with flour.
Cover with cling wrap.
Leave to rise (for about 20 minutes) until flour dusting cracks.
Add remaining flour, cool water, olive oil, and salt.
Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Add a little more flour or water to achieve desired consistency.
Shape dough into a ball, then flatten slightly and dust with flour.
Cover with cling wrap and leave to rise (for about an hour) until double in bulk.
[I used the aforementioned active dry yeast instead of instant yeast and did not bother to activate it as directed on the packaging, but didn't encounter any problems. Although you're supposed to transfer the dough to a large flat surface for kneading, I think you can just as well do it in the bowl.]
Preheat oven to 250°C.
Assembling Your Pizza
Ingredients
Flour (for dusting)
Tomato paste
Mozzarella cheese
Procedure
If you have a teeny tiny oven like I do, divide dough into 8 portions.
Shape each portion into a ball and then roll it out on a floured board until you achieve desired thickness.
Turn the dough periodically and add flour as needed to prevent it from sticking to the board.
Transfer dough to baking sheet.
Use a spatula to spread tomato paste on the dough, but leave the edges clear.
Shred mozzarella cheese over the tomato paste.
Gourmet Garden-ing Your Pizza
Ingredients (from Yellow Cab flyer)
Zucchini - one zucchini sliced crosswise into 1/4" rings (I sliced the rings into quarters because my pizza was so small)
Grilled eggplant - two small eggplants sliced crosswise into 1/4" rings; not grilled
Fresh tomatoes - four or five small local tomatoes sliced crosswise into 1/4" rings
Black olives - pitted black olives sliced crosswise; can be purchased pre-sliced
Capers
Mushrooms - sliced lengthwise; can be purchased pre-sliced
Onions - one large yellow onion sliced crosswise into 1/4" rings; individual rings separated
Red bell peppers - omitted
Green bell peppers - one bell pepper sliced in half lengthwise, then crosswise 1/4" thick
Procedure
You can do this whichever way you like, but I laid out the onion rings first, followed by the bell peppers. Next came the mushrooms, olives, and capers. Then I arranged the eggplant and zucchini and topped it off with the tomatoes.
Finishing Your Pizza (from Yummy July 2007)
Ingredients
Salt
Black pepper
Olive oil
Procedure
Season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake in oven for approximately 12 minutes.
EAT.