It began with blue berries……
Nancy loves blue berries on her granola, and they were at last in season. A quart container was just $4.99. But, I had just returned from South Africa and still didn’t have any American cash in my pocket. I know Stop and Shop would probably take my credit card for the $4.99, but I always feel a little funny using my card for less than $15. So, I began looking for what we might have for dinner….
I walked by a case with pizza dough. Pizza on Sunday night is a natural. (We proposed to each other in the parking lot of a pizza parlor the night Nixon landed in China.) But pizza dough is so easy to make. I would need cheese, though. The cheese section and the fresh produce section were adjacent. I found some provolone that would go well. Mozzarella was a must. But red peppers would be good. I had onions and mushrooms at home along with Parmesan and fresh herbs.
Crust:
1 Cup white flour
1 Cup whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Water (about 1 cup)
In a food processor (mixer or by hand) Mix dry ingredients together. Add oil and water to make a soft dough. (The amount of water will vary according to the amount of humidity.)
Knead dough in food processor until it forms a ball. Remove from container and knead by hand until it forms a ball. Place in a lightly oiled bowl to rise until doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours).
Form dough into a circle and place on pizza an oiled pan.
Pizza:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 /2 pound sliced Provolone Cheese
1 /4 pound grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 pound grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup mushrooms sliced and sauteed
1 tomato thinly sliced
12 leaves of fresh oregano
8 leaves of fresh basil
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Spread the olive oil on the dough
Distribute the provolone cheese, pepper, onion, mushroom, and tomato on the crust. Scatter the herbs and sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on the pizza. Add freshly ground black pepper.
Place in 450 degree oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.