Pita Pizza Redux

Last weekend we went camping at Merchants Millpond in North Carolina. This easy and delicious meal idea was brought to the Pizza Club's attention last summer by Max Weselcouch. Sadly the photo documentation of that historic meal was lost in the woods. So let me present to you Pita Pizzas Redux:

We actually had some for dinner the night before and these we made for breakfast. Pita Pizzas are really easy, you only really need three ingredients (though there is a lot of room for experimentation). These ingredients are pitas, sauce, and cheese. Also foil. These are an easy fix for vegetarians or fussy children too.

cut a slice in the pita

fill the pocket with sauce and cheese



You then wrap the pita in a foil case



put it on the fire to cook (Jared decided to make an open faced pita pizza)





done!

Pizza to the MAXXX - A Tale of Two Pizzas (part 2)

I was in DC on business this week. (Fun to say, right? “In DC on business.”) And even though work would pay for my dinner, I opted instead to head over to Jen and Jonah’s house for pizza making. And what a treat it was! For a couple of hours I basked in pizza and pizza vibes and forgot that I had been hunched over a computer all day. (And—for the record—I take partial responsibility for Jen and Jonah’s roommate-dom, and hence friendship and cooking partnership, even if they don’t want to admit it.)

Unlike me, this was not the first time Jen and Jonah had made pizza (it was the third). But boy, were they fast learners. They had picked up some beautiful dough balls from an Italian store and we all worked on our pizza dough stretching techniques. The definitive best way to do it is a mix of pawing it like a cat, wrestling with it like a baby kitten and hanging it by the scruff of its dough-neck like a naughty cat. Jonah was in charge of sauce, and although the liberties he took with the traditional flavors worried me (rice vinegar? seaweed?) it turned out delicious. Jen was on topping patrol. The first pizza was pretty traditional: marinated mushrooms, four different cheese, basil and red peppers.

But here’s the best part: they put the pizza stone right on the bottom of the 550 degree oven. No rack!

When we threw the first pizza onto the stone in cooked in like three minutes. I waited just a second too long to take it out of the oven, so the crust was burnt, but otherwise, almost perfect. First zza: 6/8 slices.

To be honest, I was full enough after the first pie, but also REALLY wanted to make the next one. We all agreed on apple toppings and Jen suggested mixing some honey in with the ricotta. OH BOY! I have been dreaming about that honey-ricotta ever since. In spite of the fact that Jonah tried to douse the pie in vinegar, this was one of my top five pizza experiences ever. It was truly other worldly. 8/8 slices.

More pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenmiz/4643418691/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenmiz/4643418721/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenmiz/4643380347/

Pizza to the MAXXX - A Tale of Two Pizzas (part 1)

Let’s be honest, I live in the pizza capitol of the world. Really excellent pizza is never more than a few blocks away. And it’s one of the least expensive New York luxuries. So, it hasn’t much occurred to me to make pizza, and well, my own homemade pizza has never stood up to the pizza parlors.

But, the Baltimore Pizza Blog has been totally inspiring me lately with stories of so many delicious homemade pies. That recent New York Times article just pushed me over the edge. I HAD to make pizza. However, I clearly didn’t take the article to heart, because I convinced myself that I HAD to make pizza that night. I already had ricotta cheese in the fridge and some garlic and spinach, so I picked up some crushed tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. But here’s where I lost my way. I forgot about the tip about just popping into your neighborhood pizza shop and buying a ball of dough and instead picked up one of those weird prepackaged pizza crusts at the fancy-schmancy natural food store. All they had was a whole wheat crust (obviously) but, I figured if it couldn’t be too bad. I was on a mission after all.

In its favor, the crust was totally easy to make. However the flavor and texture was terrible. (I’ve empirically proven that crust is the most important pizza component. Remind me to tell you about my pizza data project the next time you see me.) The sauce I kept simple with just some garlic, salt and pepper. A layer of spinach and basil (from by window herb garden!) Then dollops of ricotta and mozzarella cheese. When it came out of the oven, I drizzled on a bit of olive oil, inspired by Mr. DiFara.

The zza was fine, but nothing to text home about. In fact, Mike and I didn’t finish the pie, or even the leftovers in the fridge. Alas, the crust was just too dense. Pizza lesson: it doesn’t matter how good your sauce and cheese are if the crust is bad. 2/8 slices.

-From Max, of the Baltimore Pizza Club New York Affiliate