Delaware County's own Ellen Verni has been writing "Home Cookin'," her column of Catskills recipes and rumination, for 24 years. Today's column is guest-written by Ellen's daughter, Juliet Verni. You can get more of both talented Vernis on Ellen's blog, at homecookincolumn.blogspot.com.
My Uncle Eddie owns a pizzeria in Cairo, NY, and it was one of my favorite places to visit as a kid. My cousins and I would mix soda concoctions at the soda fountain, play video games on the arcade machines, and when the giant mozzarella shredder was running, I'd dip my hand into the pouring shreds and grab a handful of cheese as it rained down into the giant bowl. My cousins all knew how to toss dough, and I always wanted to learn, but never had the courage to ask.
A few years back, the Food Network was airing Pizza Week programming. All pizza, all the time. After watching a couple dough tossing competitions and Alton Brown's "Flat is Beautiful" episode, I decided to give it a try, and found it surprisingly easy. Here's a little step by step guide:
1. Dump your mound of pizza dough onto a floured surface, then flip it over to coat the other side with flour.
2. Press down around the edge of your dough, turning it as you go, and slowly work your way toward the middle, until you have a lumpy, but flattened disk.
3. Pick up the dough and lightly stretch the edges, tugging just enough to expand the disk a bit.
4. Make a fist and place the disk on it. Using your other fist, continue to stretch the dough until it's about 9" or 10" in diameter. Allow the dough to rest on your left fist while flexing your right wrist to pull the dough.
5. With the dough resting on both fists, turn your hands so your left fist is furthest from you and your right fist is closest, one behind the other. As you toss the dough in the air, twist your arms around so the right wrist is the further and the left is closer, like you're turning a steering wheel. The dough should spin in the air, like a frisbee. Then catch it on the back of your hands. Do this about 3 or 4 times.
If you have any round of fabric, you can practice with that.
Margherita Pizza with Roasted Tomatoes
Roasting the tomatoes first is well worth the effort. The tomatoes will burst in your mouth, creating fresh sauce with every bite. But be extra careful of pizza mouth. The tomatoes will be extremely hot. Let the pizza cool a minute or two before serving.
Tomatoes:
8 oz of cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Pizza Dough:
1 teaspoon of rapid rise or bread machine yeast
1 tablespoon of olive oil (I use a basil infused olive oil for extra flavor)
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of all-purpose flour or a half and half mixture of all-purpose and semolina
6 oz of warm water
Pizza Topping:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup of grated parmesan
1 small bunch of fresh basil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
To make the dough, add flour, salt, and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment or bread machine. Pour the liquid ingredients on top and allow the mixer to work the ingredients until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Allow the machine to knead the dough for another minute. Pull the dough off the dough hook and, with well floured hands, remove the dough to a bowl coated with oil. Cover wit plastic wrap and allow to rise for one hour. The dough should double in size. While the dough is rising you can roast the tomatoes.
Preheat the oven to 500˚. Toss the tomatoes in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour into an oven-proof pan or baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. The tomatoes should have some black char and look withered.
Once your dough has risen, flatten it into a disk using the instructions above, or if you're really not comfortable tossing your dough, you can press it out into a disk using your fingers and the palms of your hands. Rolling pizza dough is a bit of a Sisyphean task, as the dough will just bounce right back into it's former shape. It's always better to stretch pizza dough.
Once you have your disk, transfer it to a well oiled cookie sheet or pizza pan. If you have cornmeal on hand, you can sprinkle that onto the oil first. It'll help keep the dough from sticking, but it's not entirely necessary. Brush the dough with oil, then layer on your tomatoes. Pres the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to burst them slightly. Next, sprinkle with garlic, mozzarella, and parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste and bake for 10 minutes.
Chop the basil and sprinkle on the finished pizza.
Serves 2.
