Saturday, December 1, 2007

'Making pizza, huh?'

That was the bagboy at the store tonight, when I went to pick up a few things. I'm guessing the giveaway was the two pizza pans and the pizza slicer and maybe, if he were really paying attention, the can of Italian tomatoes, the mozarella cheese, Italian sausage and a few other ingredients.

"But where's the dough," he asked.

That was already home on the counter, "resting," as Grandma Matassa used to say. Following Mom's instructions I had made and kneaded the dough and left it under a blanket to rise. This wasn't the fist time I'd made pizza, but it's been probably 20 years and I wasn't sure how it would come out.

I got a little help in the tossing and spreading phase from Michelle and Franny:




I think it worked OK, judging purely by the fact that Gina and Franny asked for seconds, which they never do around here. I made two pies -- sausage, scarfed mainly by me and Michelle, and kalamata olives and basil, the girls' favorite. Everybody said they liked it, and I thought it tasted pretty good, but the dough wasn't as thick as Mom's and so didn't match the perfect pizza of my youth.

I'm not sure exactly where I went wrong -- maybe it needed a little more kneading, maybe a little more rising -- but it was close enough for now, and I'm sure next time will be better.




For a slideshow with larger images go here.

6 comments:

Ronelle said...

Mmmmmmm....I can smell it from here. Since you are a recipe buff and I seem to have famous recipes (ha ha so funny) I will share one more. Have you ever made your pizza on the grill? DELICIOUS! Make your dough as usual -I form it into individual mini pizzas. Spray Pam or veggie oil on the grill and place the dough directly on the grill. When it is cooked enough that you can turn it (crust will get hard and toasted), flip dough over and place your sauce and toppings on the cooked side. Close the grill cover and cook until the cheese has melted. SO SO GOOD! Let me know if you try it.
BTW - Franny is such a pretty girl and the "real Michelle" ain't no slouch either! Your house seems like a fun place to be.

Kate Cohen said...

wee -- your own dough! props to you.
Looks like Michelle is putting those pizza place skills to work. Love that pix of Franny with the flying dough.

Homemade is where it is at! Cook on McDuff!

Anonymous said...

I Love it! M&M Pizzeria. Looks like a great job by all of you and I'm sure it tasted awesome.

I need some help from the tossing talents.

Keep up the good work, Mark. I can't wait to hear what's next.

Ronelle, your grilled pizza sounds super.

freda said...

I love this blog. It's the next best thing to being there.

Anonymous said...

That says it all, Freda.

Kate Cohen said...

hey how did I miss the slide show -- another great flying dough picture!