Pizza Fresca

It is my all time favorite food. Home-made Pizza with a few simple ingredients - for me it's like bread and should always have a place on the table. Pizza will be a recurring theme here because there are so many incredibly delicious ways to top it up. Every region of Italy has it's specialty pizza, and all are to be enjoyed. One thing is for certain, a pizza is best when it has just a few select toppings. If you can't decide, which is often my problem, divide the dough and make smaller rounds so you can truly savour the ingredients. Here is my basic recipe for dough, but you can play around with it and make it your own.

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Pizza Dough

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2 1/2 cups unbleached flour (sometimes I mix 1 cup of whole wheat flour, and one cup regular)

1 package of dry yeast (or 2 1/2 teaspoons)

3/4 cup warm water, plus more as needed
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

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Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. In a large separate bowl, combine flour and salt, stirring until smooth. Add yeast and water,and mix by hand or with mixer. Add olive oil. Continue mixing until dough comes away from bowl but is still sticky.

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Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead with lightly floured hands. Work until dough is smooth and soft (add flour as needed) and transfer to lightly oiled bowl. Coat top with a touch of oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, about 45 minutes.

La Margherita

Tomatoes, Bocconcini and Basil
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Spinaci

Spinach and Mozzarella

Photo Credits: 1. Food Network (Jamie Oliver), 2. & 3. Martha Stewart