Production Pizza

A few days ago we made our first batch of tomato sauce (which was really great! It was great to have a dream come true and it tasted good to boot!). We had a little over a quart left over after we filled the canner and decided not to run the canner for a second batch with that little amount. So the next question was, what do we make with the leftover sauce?

Since I am back to work it is nice to have some prepared meals ready and in the freezer for those extra busy days. We like something we can take out and pop in the microwave and heat up quickly. We thought about lasagna, but I don't have any cottage cheese made, so we decided on pizza. I have shown how I make pizza before.This time I just tripled the recipe. I got started later than planned on this Friday evening after a long, busy week, but the grape fiasco took more time than we planned or wanted it to. By the time I got the pizzas close to cooking, it was already time to do the chores and feed the animals.

We were able to use several home grown or homemade items in our pizza which increases our enjoyment of this meal. The mozzarella was made last summer and frozen. The peppers were fresh picked from the garden, I made the dough from scratch and there is our beautiful tomato sauce. We used this roll of sausage that we buy from a young lady at church. The agriculture programs at schools in this neck of the woods sell sausage and bacon each year as a fund raiser and have for years and years. It is good and helps support the local kids so we are glad to buy it.

So, I got two of the pizzas put together while Frank got the items we needed for chores ready. I put the first one in the oven - due to the size of the pans, I can only cook one at a time. That gave us 25 minutes to do the chores and get back to the house, so off we went. When we got back we still had a few minutes left on the timer, so I started to put together pizza number three. Pizza number one came out and number two went in. While pizza number one was cooling a bit, I finished up number three and cleaned up my mess. I am really good at making messes when I cook!

Then we sat down to a late 7:30 dinner while pizza number two was still cooking. Just about the time number two was finished, so were we and I could start pizza number three cooking. While it was cooking I went and started the post on the grape fiasco. 

 
 
















By the time they were all cooked, bagged and ready to be chilled before freezing and the post was written and published it was 9:30 pm - the end of a long 16 1/2 hour day. A very good productive day filled with laughing, learning children, a wonderful peaceful home and good home cooked food. I couldn't asked to be more blessed!

Until next time - Fern
 

Making Pizza

We learned to make pizza from scratch when we lived in bush Alaska. There are times when you have a hankering for something that is not easy to get when you live way out in a remote area, and if you really want something, you have to make it yourself. So we did.

The pizza dough recipe came from a friend of ours that got it off of a flour sack. I still wrote it down as 'Bob's Pizza Dough' because that is where I learned to make it. I start off with the dough so it can bake for a few minutes before I add the toppings.

 2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2+ tbsp. olive oil
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. yeast
Add flour, salt, oil & 1/2 c. water to bowl. With the remaining 1/2 c. water, add sugar & yeast, let sit.

We buy everything we can in bulk to save money. Most things we buy from a warehouse market.

The spices I buy in bulk and refill my smaller spice containers. 

We grind peppercorns in this small coffee grinder.

I really hope to can my own tomato sauce this summer. We will see how that goes.

While the yeast is softening and starting to bubble I carefully measure the spices and add them to the tomato sauce. I add this much seasoning salt....

 this much pepper......

this much oregano......

this much parsley...... 
(Frank said, "Isn't that a lot?")

this much basil.......

and this much dried minced garlic.

All precisely measured by hand. I couldn't tell you how much of anything there is....I have never had a recipe. This was another instance of making it up as you go along. I tend to do that with many things. So add whatever tastes good to you and your family. In my opinion,

the sauce makes the pizza - not enough spices and the pizza will be bland, but too much and it will be overwhelming. 

Stir up the sauce and spices and let it sit while you get everything else going.

This is ground chevron or goat meat. We butchered some of our wethers last fall.






 

Brown the meat, add salt and pepper to taste. Of course, you can use any meat - sausage is good too.


 




Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Now that the sauce and meat are going, add the yeast to the flour and stir it up. 

Turn out the dough onto the counter that is sprinkled with flour and knead until smooth. The dough should be a little sticky but not so much that it will stick to your finger when you poke it.

Note the date on the shortening can? It is July 2010, three years old and in excellent condition. Coat the pan you are going to use with shortening. I use a large cookie sheet. This batch will probably make two pizzas if you are using a traditional pizza pan.  

I tried rolling out the dough and transferring it to the pan once. It didn't work very well, so I just put it on the pan and work it around by hand.



Now I bake the crust for about six to eight minutes before I add the toppings. 

The meat should be about ready by now, so it is time to shred the cheese and chop the vegetables.

This is the mozzarella we made a few days ago, along with an onion from a neighbors garden, a few of our anaheim peppers and a few black olives.

Okay, the crust is ready.








 
Add the 

sauce......

Add the meat and veges........

Did I say we like onions and peppers? Mmmm........

Add the cheese........ 

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees.

I have learned to lift up the pizza with a spatula and look at the bottom of the crust to make sure it is done.

This was one of the best pizzas I have made! No, really. The crust was just right, not too many spices in the sauce, fresh vegetables and fresh mozzarella cheese. It doesn't always turn out this way. And we have leftovers to eat for the next few days while we work in the garden. Life is good.

Until next time - Fern