Sunday night pizza

It's been a long tradition in my family to have a big pasta lunch on a Sunday afternoon with the entire family (I mean my Nonna, Nonno, mom, Zias, Zios, etc.). And it isn't just pasta that we're having either: there's always meatballs or fatine, fagioli or eggplant, salad; basically there is a lot of food. So dinner is usually much more laid back and casual: homemade pizza. And by homemade I mean homemade dough, sauce, sausages or cappicolo, and then vegetables from the garden and sometimes even my grandfather's cheese too. Even when the family get togethers aren't everyone, pasta still is the lunch and pizza still is the dinner. The pizza always tastes a little different - depending on who made it: Nonno, Nonna or my mom - but it's always good. Everyone has their preference, but I would never choose one over the other because they really all are amazing!

In trying to learn how to make pizza like my elders, I soon realized that I too had to develop my own way. Mostly because neither my grandparents nor my mom measure while making dough ("It's more about the feeling of the dough..."). Plus they are often making two big trays of pizza that will feed almost 20 people!

I've played around with some different pizza dough recipes (the one below doesn't have to rest all day to rise) and added some of the tricks of the trade I've learned from my family. And I think my pizza always tastes a little different each time too. Today I'm going to share with you my most recent pizza endeavour: one with toppings similar to my family's and one that is my own creation that has become pretty popular with my husband, mom, and others. My grandfather will always choose a pizza with sauce (but not too much) over one without (unless it has anchovies on it!)

PIZZA DOUGH

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

1. In a medium bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in flour, salt and oil. Mix / knead until smooth. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth or Saran wrap. Let rest for about an hour.
3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 equal rounds. Pat or roll into a round. Grease two pizza pans with a piece of cold butter (this will give a nice golden color to your crust), then olive oil, then dust with coarse cornmeal (this will give a nice crunch). Transfer dough to the pan. Drizzle olive oil on the top and rub it around so the dough is nice and greased. As you prepare your toppings the dough will rise a little bit more.
4. Spread your toppings and bake in a preheated 450F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is nice and golden underneath and the toppings are cooked and delicious looking. Let it rest for a few minutes before cutting into it.

This recipe will make two round pizzas pictured below. The crust is between a thin and thick crust. If you only let it rise for a few minutes, you will probably get one pizza.

The great thing about pizza is you can put whatever you want on it and it will probably still taste amazing. This is a bit more of your common toppings.

TRADITIONAL TOPPINGS: sauce, onions, mushrooms, red peppers, tomatoes, minced garlic, mozzarella

Spread as much pizza sauce as you like on the crust. In a pinch you can use tomato paste thinned out with some water and even some seasonings. Or if you like a chunkier sauce, you can used a can of crushed tomatoes (drained of course; and it won't spread like a normal sauce). If you like garlic you can always take a crushed clove and rub it all over the dough first. If the sauce isn't seasoned, it's always nice to have some oregano and basil sprinkled on the dough. Add the toppings listed above. These are the common toppings used in my family. Red peppers always make an appearance as does my grandfather's cold cuts (prosciutto, cappicolo, salami, dried sausage). Drizzle some more olive oil over top of everything.
Bake the pizza in the oven till it is almost done. Add as much cheese as you like and pop it back in the oven till the cheese is melted and pizza is done. Keep in mind that when you do it this way, the sauce will dry up a little bit as the cheese isn't protecting it as much (although the oil will help a little), but the cheese will stay nice and gooey instead of getting hard and crusty.

My husband loves this pizza - the more sauce the better he always says!

"GREEK" TOPPINGS: My spinach and feta pizza

2 handfuls baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 - 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
Basil
Oregano
Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Feta cheese

Drizzle olive oil on top of the dough and spread it around. Sprinkle dough with salt, pepper, basil, oregano and thyme to your taste. You can also rub a crushed garlic clove after rubbing the oil to enhance the garlic flavor. Spread garlic, onions and spinach on pizza. Drizzle more olive oil over top. This is important so your toppings don't completely dry out. Crumble feta cheese over toppings. Bake in preheated 425F oven for about 15-20 mins until crust is cooked and golden brown and toppings are cooked.

I absolutely love this pizza, and have made it several times for company with good reviews!

Apple crumble Pie

I love apple pie! It is one of my most favorite desserts ever. And I always love a crumble top over the traditional crust top. And while I haven't had much of a chance to bake a pie, let alone even bake, I thought I'd share with you my favorite crumble pie recipe. This recipe is adapted from a book my little sister got for me: Wanda's Pie in the Sky.

CRUST: (double crust pastry)
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup cold butter, cubed (if you freeze the butter for a bit before, it'll stay colder longer and mAke a really flaky crust)
1/3 cup cold water

Combine the flour, salt, and butter in a large bowl and cut it until it resembles coarse meal and starts to clump together. Sprinkle with the water and let it rest for about 30 seconds. Cut until the dough begins to stick together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and press together into a round. Divide into 2/3 and 1/3 and press into disks. Wrap in plastic and chill for about 30 mins.
If the dough is too hard to roll, let it warm slightly at room temperature. Roll on a floured surface to a thickness of 1/8". Cut a circle 1" larger than than the pie plate and transfer to a pie plate.

FILLING:
7 cups apples, peeled and cut into 1/4" slices
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp butter

Preheat the oven to 400F.
In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients except the butter. Turn into the pie plate with the prepared crust. Dot with the butter. Flute the edges of the crust.

CRUMBLE TOP:
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour

Combine all ingredients with a pastry cutter or your hands until it begins to clump.
Cover the filling with the crumble mixture.

If time allows, refrigerate the pie for 30 mins. Bake for 10 mins and then reduce the oven temperature to 350F. Bake for 50-60 mins, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbly.

You can also make individual mini pies that taste just as yummy.  You don't need to make a crust , just put in your filling in individual dishes and top with the crumble mixture. It won't need as long in the oven, maybe around 30 mins. When the top is golden and bubbly, it will be ready.