Friday, April 07, 2006

This Is the End, My Saucy Friend

Unbelievably, there was some Marinara with Italian Sausage leftover from the other night, and DucCat was no slouch in giving it a fine send-off.



The dough practically threw itself out, intent upon receiving the sausage-laden sauce, halved meatballs, pepperoni and black olives. I've seen many things come sizzling off that peel, but this was truly a breath-taking homage to "Florimonte's, our favourite neighborhood Italian deli.




My own pie was slightly more humble. Mushrooms, onions, sweet red pepper, kalamatta olives and asparagus tips proved a fine foil to the rich sauce, and a hint of piave kept everything from sliding right off.

As an aside, I used to prep some pizza-destined vegetables in the microwave, to get rid of excess water, or jump-start the cooking process. But, my friends, there is indeed a better way, and one almost as convenient: a quick sear on the panini grill. The slight bit of carmelisation amps up the taste nicely, and the water quickly evaporates under the heat of the grill-plates.


The wine o'the night wasn't me, but a 2004 Ironberry Cabernet/Shiraz/Merlot. I'd previously tasted the 2003, and while enjoyable, found the fruit to be a bit more forward than I would prefer. The new year's offering was still soft and fruity, but with a bit more character. A touch of spice worked nicely in reigning in the galloping fruits, and it settled down into a nice, cheerful finish.

At about $8 a pop, it's the perfect pizza pairing.

9 Comments:

Blogger MeBeth said...

I am again so impressed with your pizza! I just got a pizza stone so now I have no excuse whatsoever for not making my own.

April 07, 2006 10:24 PM  
Blogger iamchanelle said...

your crust looks phenomenal!!! will you share the recipe??? i am currently on a quest to find the perfect one...

and...*gasp*! you LINKED to me??!! you totally just made my day, s'kat. thanks!!!

April 08, 2006 11:20 AM  
Blogger Deetsa said...

*pout* This just isn't fair. Yours worked and mine didn't.
I just got a pizza stone for my birthday and meant to try it out on Friday night. The dough I made, which ALWAYS works, didn't work. It sat there like a lead weight. In the end I had to whip up an Indian stirfry with the veggies I'd already cut up.
I'm going to try again tomorrow. Wish me luck (and new yeast)!

April 09, 2006 2:49 AM  
Blogger s'kat said...

MeBeth, I hadn't forogotten about our pizza-makin' deal! Actually, I haven't been able to do it because my scale is broken, and the recipe I use is in weights. One evening, I tried to mathematically convert the weights to cups- ha! Like Nerissa's, it was a ton of bricks. If, however, you do indeed own a scale, the following is the recipe that I had been using: http://www.wineloverspage.com/user_submitted/recipes/rc_516245.html

iamchanelle, thanks! Actually, the crust is not my own, but comes from a local Italian bakery by the name of Florimonte's. The dough is beautiful perfection, completely negating the need for me to make my own. Oh, and I love you blog, wish I'd found it sooner!!

Nerissa, I hate nothing more than Dough Gone Bad! Here's to fresher yeast and good baking energy!

April 09, 2006 7:58 AM  
Blogger s'kat said...

Oops, looks like the link didn't quite show up. Try this

April 09, 2006 7:59 AM  
Blogger Deetsa said...

Yeah! I triumphed over the evil dough god! I knew there was nothing wrong with the recipe. Just needed new yeast. I have now successfully created my first stoned pizza ;-) Hurrah!

April 10, 2006 12:37 AM  
Blogger Deetsa said...

The pizza pie post is up now, s'kat. After fighting with blogger I finally won!

April 10, 2006 12:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, I can't tell you how hungry that picture makes me!!!!

April 10, 2006 3:38 PM  
Blogger Mona said...

S'kat, that looks soooo good. Wow. I wish I would think to make pizza when I have leftover saucisson. I've never seen that wine before, I might just have to find it now.

April 20, 2006 2:33 PM  

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