Hi and hi.

My friend/art director at work, Will, had said that pizza is only good with 2 toppings. Any more than that - it tastes shitty. 

Will tends to make pretty bold claims - but most of the time they are funny and right. When they aren’t right - well, at the very least they were funny. 

When asked what his favorite pizza toppings were, he said zucchini and mozzarella. This was intriguing because whenever I think of zucchini, I can’t help but think they’re pretty bland and when I was a kid I always died a little inside when I saw grilled zucchini on the table, even more so when there was sauteed zucchini (yuuuuuckkkk). I thought it was the worst. But my mom was able to convince me through her zillions of makings of zucchini bundt cake (she always brought it as her “thing” to dinner parties) that zucchini can be deliciously edible when eaten in this baked good (because you can’t really taste it, I realize). I have come around to see that if you eat the right zucchini (especially grilled), they can have a nice, slightly juicy sweetness.

Still doesn’t change the fact that zucchini is still bland to me, and if Will is able to limit himself to 2 ingredients, and them being pretty whatever in the flavor books, then it’s worth investigating.

So we smeared some tomato sauce on our dough and sprinkled shredded zucchini (which you should drain since the stuff is mega watery - but we were lazy - and didn’t) and mozzarella over it. Once it came out of the oven, we couldn’t really restrain ourselves to the 2 topping rule, and we added lemon zest and juice to brighten up the pizza a bit more (once we discovered lemon zest and juice as a topping, we have seen the brilliance of it and want it on everything). And oh! Another nice little touch that we’ve learned in our past pizza dealings, we brushed the hot crust with garlic oil.

The pizza doesn’t look like much (can you even tell what’s on it, cause haha, we barely can) - but it was nice! Jane said it tasted like summer. And it does. And how about you celebrate its coming by making this?! I kind of feel like this pizza was a really good reminder that it can act as a really good excuse to eat carbs with a lot of hot sauce and to have it be really satisfying. Ya know? Like how eating fries is basically an excuse to eat a lot of ketchup or mayo (cause who can eat a lot of that stuff on its own?) So, eat this with hot sauce. Your favorite kind. It’s awesome. More awesome - eat it with your favorite friend. AW!

ZUCCHINI AND MOZZARELLA PIZZA

This pizza dough recipe (We used half AP flour and half whole wheat bread flour)

TOPPINGS:
Tomato Sauce (we blend up roma tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper)
Shredded and Drained Zucchini
Shredded Mozzarella

When the pizza has finished baking, sprinkle on lemon zest and juice and brush the crust with olive oil mixed with minced garlic. And douse it with your favorite hot sauce. 

The weather here has been a bit on a chilly side lately. What kind of pizza do you crave on a day like this? A pizza topped with a humble, hearty topping like cabbage.

Cabbage has a special place in my heart, perhaps because I know it is a pretty underrated vegetable. I like how unassuming yet versatile it is—you can eat it raw, steam it, pickle it(!), ferment it, make a big pot of soup with it… The list goes on. 

So We were really excited for this cozy pizza made for a chilly evening. Well, we actually thought it was just a-ok. I know, I know, how could it be?! But don’t be too disappointed just yet, because we made a couple of modification, just because we are all about utilizing what we have, and there’ll always be another pizza next time!

The original recipe is also from this book just like our last one, and I am sure if we had followed the recipe a bit more closely, it would’ve been just as good—I fully trust the Cheese Board folks.

(RED) CABBAGE PIZZA WITH GORGONZOLA AND WALNUT 

This pizza dough recipe (We used half AP flour and half whole wheat bread flour)

TOPPINGS:
Mozzarella (which we omitted, but perhaps you shouldn’t)
Thinly Sliced Red Cabbage (we used a regular green cabbage, but perhaps you shouldn’t) tossed with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil
Caramelized Onions
Gorgonzola (we used Danish Blue, but perhaps you shouldn’t—also may we suggest you use this cheese sparingly, unless you’re really committed.)

When the pizza has finished baking, top with freshly chopped Italian parsley and coarsely chopped walnut and brush the crust with olive oil mixed with minced garlic. 

On a slightly unrelated note, I went on a little trip to Bellingham, WA, last weekend and naturally I opted for lunch at La Fiamma Wood Fire Pizza. This one I had was called “The Spuddy,” topped with mashed potatoes, green onions, bacon bits and sour cream drizzle. Sounds and looks amazing, right? Well… I desperately wanted to like it, but I have to say it was totally subpar. It just had a really mediocre dough, too thick to be a delicate thin-crust, but too thin to be a pillowy and hearty hand-toss. I did go to this creamery after and Bellingham definitely redeemed itself right away.

So guys, what’d you think of the Oscars?

haha.

At the very last minute I always get into the Oscars and get kind of excited, and then the winners are always kind of a letdown. But then again, pretty slim pickings this year, 2011 was an awful year for film (War Horse as a nominee for Best Picture?)

But we have something here that at first seemed like it was going to be something we’d feel indifferent to, but turned out to be a real winner.

It comes from the cookbook, The Cheese Board: Collective Works: Bread, Pastry, Cheese, Pizza that Jane had picked up recently. Simple recipes, but the place is apparently amazing. 

This pizza kind of piqued our interest because it ended with lemon zest and juice, something we’ve never considered on a pizza. The rest of the ingredients on the pizza are kind of your standard toppings - mozzarella, thinly sliced tomatoes, onions, and feta.

The pizza turned out to be really great though. Once you’ve baked the pizza, you top it with lemon zest and juice, freshly chopped cilantro, and brush the crust with olive oil that you infused with finely chopped fresh garlic. The pizza had this perfect acidity and sourness that made it feel so fresh, and then you get that really nice deep savoriness at the end with the garlic oiled crust. And if you put some hot sauce on top of this, oh man oh man - so good.

It was incredible and sure made Billy Crystal ten times more fun to watch. He looked a bit saggy, no?

LEMON ZEST TOMATO ONION PIZZA

BASE:
This pizza dough recipe (We used half AP flour and half whole wheat bread flour)

TOPPINGS:
Mozzarella
Thinly Sliced Tomatoes
Thinly Sliced Onions
Feta

When the pizza has finished baking, top with freshly chopped cilantro, lemon zest and juice and brush the crust with olive oil mixed with minced garlic. 

Till next time pizza pals!

This week we took ourselves to San Francisco. To eat good food. To see nice streets. To be in nice weather. And to see a friend. 

While there we took ourselves to Delfina Pizzeria. 

Whoever we talked to about food and San Francisco, Delfina Pizzeria is at the tip of everyone’s tongues, urging you to go. 

So we went. 

Our ordering game must have been completely off. We wanted to get the tripe to start (let’s go crazy in SF, shall we!?) But it was all sold out by that point. The waitress said that the deep fried sole with mayonnaise was really good. Deep fried fish - count us in.

The fish was deep fried perfectly, but the mayonnaise - it was quite thin and left a lot to be desired. There was no real seasoning on the fish either. One can pass this off as really “highlighting the ingredient” but it tastes more like…deep fried nothings. I dunno if it’s cause we wanted the restaurant to so live up to its hype, but we convinced ourselves that the fish got better as you ate it…that you could really taste the niceness of the sea and the pureness of the good olive oil.

We got the clam pizza - it was the most interesting sounding one on the menu. If you don’t like salt - this pizza is not for you. It is incredibly salty. It’s like swallowing the sea with some tomato sauce. Sounds deliciously interesting - but I think another pizza choice would have been better - the classic Margherita or something with the soft, thin, shiny slices of proscuitto. 

The meal was definitely redeemed in this dessert. A cannoli stuffed with ricotta and crushed pistachios on the end. The deep fried pastry was what makes desserts so perfect and the ricotta was so dreamily creamy and smooth. 

We so very much wanted to like Delfina Pizzeria, and are so glad that we went and can see why people swear by it - but when in SF again, we’ll answer to the call of other pizzerias (and in between - taquerias!)

For Glorious Pizza Party this week, we got romantic with a few wonderful girls. 

Jane made a lovely banner - it’s really subtle, but do you, haha, notice the silver glittery pepperoni’s we made on the O’s? Yes? YES! Also she brought over Christmas lights that she strung along the wall and floor. Instant romance. 

So what kind of pizza do you feed to a bunch of ladies to ensure instant girl crushes? Haha, erm, well this one: 

Roasted Eggplant and Za’atar pizza, the recipe we followed is from here. I always thought za’atar was a spice like cumin, just a spice - turns out it is a general name for a middle eastern spice mixture and comes in many variations depending on who you talk to- like garam masala is to India. From what I’ve seen - za’atar usually has roasted sesame seeds, sumac, thyme. We made our own blend, a mixture of these two (GPP blend was: roasted sesame seeds, thyme, oregano, sumac, marjoram, salt).

This is a super rich pizza - a tahini sauce with hearty roasted eggplants, caramelized onions, mozzarella, and feta. So to give some relief to the gluttony, we made a mango salsa pizza:

Jane and I were thinking of stuff to put on pizza and went down the, what’s weird but good on pizza line of thinking. Uh mangos. And let’s say, it’s not really all that weird, and it’s certainly good, and most definitely a tropical dream on a winter night.

MANGO SALSA PIZZA

BASE:
This pizza dough recipe (We used 100% AP flour this time and ended up with a super thin crust!)

TOPPINGS:
Tomato sauce (we just blend up a couple of roma tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper)
Diced Mangos
Diced Red Onions
Feta

After you have baked the pizza, squeeze a lime over it and sprinkle with chopped cilantro! 

We also had a third pizza, the almighty Margarita pizza. I think when having a pizza party with several pizzas, you must, must, must have a margarita pizza. It serves as being that sort of palate cleanser slice - or that slice to give you a break in between two really flavorful slices. Ya know what I mean? It’s a really basic flavor slice, but still really tasty that it’s not just filler. 

Anyways. 

Girl pizza parties rule!

Cheers! Till next time pizza readers!

We are back! Back we are with a high spirit and a wildly flavourful pizza to boost.

This pizza, like many others, came about as we bounced ideas off each other over a chilly walk. I’d picked up some sage for a meal few days ago (kabocha squash ravioli with sage and onion) and from there, we added pear and goat cheese. Funnily enough, we actually took a slightly different route and ended up skipping sage, but there’s always a next time!

I felt like it was missing something, so after a bit of research, I stumbled upon this pizza. I thought the butter, cream and white wine sauce she used here with leeks would work well… And my gosh, this sauce really is heavenly:

Highly recommended.

Baby arugula really brightened up this pizza. Love! We even drizzled some balsamic for a zing which turned out to be a great impulsive decision!

PEAR, ONION AND GOAT CHEESE PIZZA WITH PECAN AND ARUGULA

BASE:
This pizza dough recipe (We used 100% AP flour this time and ended up with a super thin crust!)

TOPPINGS:
Caramelized Onion and minced garlic cooked in this heavenly butter, cream and white wine sauce
Thinly sliced pear, sautéed
Goat’s milk camenbert
Roughly chopped pecan
Baby arugula
a drizzle of balsamic vinegar

We put the pecan, arugula and balsamic vinegar just before serving!

The simple pizza flavors we had at Pizzeria Farina last week were hauntingly good. And so, here is our try at a simple pizza:

Nothing fancy - tomato sauce with mozzarella, parmesan, homemade ricotta (okay, you’ve got to make your own ricotta! It’s the easiest thing in the world and cheaper and obviously way better than what you get in stores. This is the recipe we used), olives, and chopped parsley. We were also so into the chilli oil at Pizzeria Farina, and even though our fine bright orange friend here looks like it could have been a good fix - it wasn’t nearly as good - but it satisfied our cravings.

But the pizza - I dunno if it’s because we had little to no expectations - but it was delicious. For real! 

We washed it down with a fizzy elderflower drink. Which felt in a way more fancy than the pizza (haha).

What wasn’t as fancy - we went to Mcdonald’s afterwards and both got snack size Smartie Mcflurries (fyi - snack size is an apt name for this size!) and about halfway through - felt so ill. The beginning bites were so good and totally hit the spot - but ya know - Mcdonald’s Mcflurries are probably best left for days where you didn’t just eat a bunch of pizza not too long before (heads up!)

OLIVE AND CHEESE PIZZA

BASE:
This pizza dough recipe (for the flour we did half white all purpose and half whole wheat bread flour - purely because of what we had on hand)

TOPPINGS:
Tomato Sauce (blend up roma tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper)
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Sliced Olives (we used Kalamata - but it’s up to you!)
Chopped Italian Flat Leaf Parsley

This week we kind of took it easier on ourselves and just went out for pizza at this hype new pizza place that opened up, Pizzeria Farina. It was also our pal Maggie’s birthday, so another reason to party over at a pizza place.

What makes this place hype is that it opens at 5pm and closes when they run out of dough. And let me say this, man oh man they’ve got some good dough that turns into a delicious, bubbly crispy crust that puts our dense healthy crunchy crust to shame. TO SHAME!

The place is really small and not really a place to linger at - but as you can see - legit pizza place decor.

The menu is simple and quite short, kind of signaling the quality of the ingredients and using them very simply to truly highlight them.

Italian coke! If you’re into more medicinal tasting things, this thing is definitely your jam. And if you’re into nicely designed bottles and drinking them for this reason, this is your thing. And if you’re into both those things mentioned above, then man oh man you’re in for a treat.

Pizzas! We ordered the Funghi (Mushrooms, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Red Onions, Garlic, and Arugula), the Quattro Formaggi (Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Provolone, Ricotta, and Basil), and the Calabrese (Soppressatta, Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, and Nicoise Olives). By far our favorite was the Funghi - tasted so fresh and savory and delicious with the cooked juicy mushrooms and the fresh arugula on top. The other ones were definitely delicious as well - but if you only had one choice - this is the one to definitely to go with. Also they have a chilli infused olive oil that you can put on your pizza that makes it absolutely over the top. 

So, we’re not saying you have to do this or anything - but go to Pizzeria Farina, and when you do, get an Italian coke, a funghi pizza, go to town with the chilli oil, and eat this with friends (preferably ones who like pizza and are funny and fun to laugh with).