People have different ways of fighting stress by doing what they love to do, some read books, others play games or listen to music, and some just sit around and do nothing. I belong to the last category, on most days I sit around and do nothing but when the mood is right I like to cook. Yesterday was one of those days, although my wife had prepared dinner, I was in a mood to cook for two reasons 1) I love cooking and 2) If I cook then my wife cleans the vessels and vice-versa and if there is something I hate next to spiders then it is cleaning the vessels. Two reasons good enough for me to cook something special – which means an analysis of things inside the refrigerator. A quick analysis revealed that I had just enough ingredients to make pizza.
The Pizza has become as pervasive as mashed potatoes, except for one big difference. While potatoes have been in use for thousands of years, the word PIZZA was never heard of in India till cable TV arrived.When I was in Delhi, I tasted my first pizza after I finished college and I think it was made with Amul cheese spread. Since its advent, it has killed more people than the Anopheles mosquito and AK47(put together) by giving them a cholesterol induced heart attack.
After the pizza entered America, via New York (late 1800s) it saw some remarkable changes and many chefs came up with their own style. I have to admit that I like the pizza served by Dominos better than what I ate at an authentic Italian restaurant. My stay in the US allowed me taste quite a few styles, there is the California style pizza where they throw every known vegetable in it, there is the Chicago style deep dish which is so thick, you need a spoon to eat it, there is the NY style thin crust which is the best loved pizza and there is the St Louis style ultra thin IMOs pizza, it is so thin it can replace your razor blade for a morning shave.
So I will cut to the chase and present my own interpretation.
Ingredients:
All purpose flour ( maida)
Olive oil
Mozzarella cheese (can also use Provolone but I prefer Mozzarella)
Tomatos – 4
Bell pepper (Capsicum)
Marjoram
Basil
Yeast
Salt & sugar
Toppings – your choice
The Dough
The trickiest part is making the dough; it takes about 1.5 to 2 hours for the dough to be ready, so you will have to plan in advance. Mix a small part of the all purpose flour (Maida) in some warm water with a table spoon of sugar and a pinch of salt. Add half a pack or about 1 and half teaspoons of yeast to this and give it a whisk with a spoon. This mixture which should be more of a liquid should now be added to the rest of the flour with some more water and a table spoon of olive oil. Mix the flour well (like Atta goondna) so that it looks consistent and sits in the mixing bowl in the shape of a ball. Set this mixture aside and cover it with a wet muslin cloth. Check after 1.5 hours and the dough should have risen a bit.
The Sauce
For the sauce – chop the tomatoes and garlic, heat olive oil in a wok and toss the garlic in, once they turn a little brown the tomatoes can be added (I forgot to add garlic yesterday, although the flavor was missing, the taste was still good). Sometimes I add a little bit of chopped capsicum to the tomatoes but that is your choice. To the tomatoes add a few leaves of basil and marjoram – these ingredients are key to the flavor of the sauce. Add salt and a pinch of crushed black pepper and cover the wok and simmer for 15 minutes while stirring at regular intervals. Once the tomatoes are cooked (the water will be gone and oil would appear as small droplets) switch off the stove. The cooked tomatoes should be blended in a blender and kept aside.
The Grand Finale
The final aspect is the baking. Preheat the oven to 400F. Make small balls from the dough and spread them flat (you may use a Belan you use to make roti). Punch some holes in the flat dough with a fork; spread the tomato sauce on top of it. Now is the part where you can customize your pizza as per your requirement by adding toppings – I added some bell pepper (green and orange), some spinach, a few more basil leaves and some chunks of pineapple.
Spread the shredded Mozzarella cheese evenly on top of the pizza. Splash some olive oil on top of the pizza and touch its sides with some more olive oil. Place the dish in the oven. It should take between 12 – 20 minutes to cook. Mine cooked in 15 minutes.
bon appétit
