Make Good Pizza, Learn Good Food

I came to the realization lately that in order to deliver a high quality dining

experience to whomever, you first need to consider the quality of your ingredients and the quality of your time. When searching the web for cooking inspiration these days, you'll undoubtly find keywords, and phrases, such as 'one pot,' 'minimalist,' 'meal prep,' and 'quick, and easy weeknight dinner!' If I'm ever searching for a recipe, I will skip over any recipe with those grabby titles.

Why? Because I don't mind washing one extra pot, or pan, to make sure that the dinner I'm making is being done correctly. If you're already investing thirty minutes into a meal, then why cut yourself short, just to cut out an extra ten or so minutes? Shortcuts are not only sacrificing the quality of your meal, but they are also sacraficing the quality of your experience. Please take the time to appreciate the vegetables you're chopping, and the sound of tomatoes simmering on the stove. Remember to take it slow. There is no reason to rush through life, and there is certainly no reason to rush through your dinner. I truly believe that the reason so many families aren't cooking at home is because we, as a society, have managed to remove all of the joy out of home cooking. So please cook. Please relax. Please take back the joy of cooking.

I am going to challenge you, anonymous stranger, to create one of the simplest meals I can think of. It isn't simple because it's quick. Nor is it simple because it creates a minimal amount of dishes. Neither of these statements are true. It is simple because the secret to a good pizza is the quality of each individual ingredient. Because there are so few ingredients in a pizza, each ingredient is vital to its success. Each aspect of the pizza shares equal responsibility in its outcome. You don't just need tomatoes. You need GOOD tomatoes. You don't just need mozzarella. You need GOOD mozzarella. You don't just need a crust. You need a damn good crust. Take the time to taste your tomatoes. Take the time to watch your dough grow. You should make sure to appreciate the time you're putting into a meal. Don't cut yourself short just because you aren't giving yourself the required time and patience to do something right. You are capable of incredible things. Do them.

To make your crust simply mix one teaspoon active dry yeast, and one teaspoons of sugar in one half cup of lukewarm water. In a separate bowl, add one and three quarters cup of all purpose flour, five tablespoons of semolina flour, and one teaspoon of salt. Next, add two tablespoons of olive oil, one tablespoon of canola (or vegetable oil), and one tablespoon of melted coconut oil to the warm water mixture. Create a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Slowly incorporate until a dough forms. Knead by hand for two minutes. Grease a bowl, add your dough, cover, and let rise for at least an hour. When ready, knead dough for a couple seconds longer, then grease and flour your deep dish pizza pan and lay dough in the center. Flatten with hands, slowly moving the dough to the edges of the pan. Then form the dough up the edges of the pan. Your dough may seem thin. That's totally fine!

Layer on the mozzarella. If I've inspired you to make some pizza please consider using vegan cheese! Don't skimp! My cheese is homemade, but that certainly isn't necessary. My favorite store bought vegan mozzarella is Miyoko's Fresh Mozzarella. I've tried many other store bought vegan mozzarellas, and I wouldn't consider any of them good enough to cook with. Remember good ingredients make good food.

Sauce: My sauce is simply Costco's can of whole peeled tomatoes. Remove the tomatoes from the liquid and crush tomatoes into a pan. You want to avoid your sauce from being too liquidy. You are primarily going for crushed tomatoes on top of your pizza. Add your crushed tomatoes to a pan over low heat and wait for your sauce to thicken. I added a pinch or two of salt, and a pinch of citric acid. Neither are necessary! The sauce all depends on your taste, and on your tomatoes. Taste your tomatoes as soon as they come out of the can. Play around with the flavors. If you have exceptional tomatoes, you shouldn't have to season them at all.

Bake at 450 for 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.