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Keith's Pizza

Pizza is one of our favorite foods and I have spent several years trying to get it right.  Since I won't be making it for a while, I thought I should try to document what I have learned.  The hard part is the crust, you can make it with either water or beer, both have a good taste.  For a 14 inch pizza, I use about 4 cups of flour and add the liquid until it reaches the appropriate consistency. The key is to knead it A LOT; this toughens the dough and makes it elastic.  After it rises for about 45 minutes, spread the dough on a cooking stone (unless you have a pizza oven). 

The sauce is simply tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, onions, garlic and some Italian spices (basil, oregano, tarragon, and rosemary).  I usually start the sauce early and let it cook down a little before spreading on the crust.

Obviously the toppings are personal preference, we like cheese, fresh basil, fresh garlic, mushrooms, and sun dried tomatoes.  Seafood (shrimp, crab, calamari) also make good toppings, especially if plenty of fresh garlic is included.

Dried Tomato Pasta

O.k. this one sounds simple and it is, but the taste is awesome.  Start with several ripe tomatoes; slice them into quarter inch rounds and spread on a baking sheet.  Place plenty of garlic cloves on the tomatoes, sprinkle with olive oil and salt.  Put this into the over on low temperature for about 4 hours . . . the house will smell great.  Once done, heat some olive oil in a skillet and sauté the tomatoes and garlic, add a little dried red pepper and some mushrooms.  Once done, add pealed, uncooked shrimp and a little chicken stock to create steam.  Once the shrimp are done serve over fresh linguini.  We had a nice Rioja, courtesy of my brother, with it and it tasted great.

Grilled Pizza

This is one of our favorites that I might be able to recreate on the road.  Its pretty easy provided you have a fire, pizza dough, fresh vegetables, and cheeses (I recommend fresh mozzarella and chevre).  Simply make the pizza dough, grill it for a few minutes; be careful not to over cook as it will burn easily.  While cooking the dough, grill your vegetables (drizzle with a little olive oil while cooking).  Finally, roast several large cloves of garlic; dump the garlic, roasted vegetables, and cheeses on the cooked dough and let the cheeses melt.  It tastes great with a smoky Cab.

Reviews

Vermont - Mike and Niki's house 

Menu:  Vermont Cheddar cheese
Olives
Pheasant
Citrus and Asparagras Risotto
Fiddle Heads
Cappuccino Torte

Outstanding meal shared with mom, Lea, Michael, and Nikki; once again Michael created a barrage of tastes that I don't normally associate with each other.  The fiddle heads (fern) were excellent with a touch of lemon.  Best of all it was great to be with everyone.

                            Copyright © 2000 Keith and Leanne McGhee, All rights reserved.