Pizza

Our family had designated Friday as Pizza Friday. One of my favorite pizza memories is when we spent a week in Siesta Key, Florida. We had ordered pizza and ate it on the beach. We all enjoyed this moment so much that now when we vacation, we get pizza and find a beach. It’s our new family vacation tradition that we’ve carried to Hawaii, and my husband and I ate pizza on the beach in St.Lucia as well. My oldest daughter asked today “Mom can we order pizza and eat on the beach this summer?” I really hope we make this happen.

I’ll be sharing some of my tips and tricks to make really good pizza in your very own kitchen.

Tip #1: The Dough

A good pizza is all about the dough. If you don’t have time to make dough from scratch, I recommend calling your favorite pizza place and see if they will sell you some. My favorite pizzeria is Salvatore’s. Nestled in the Hydrostone Market, you can order some really good pizza. They sell their pizza dough for $2.50. It saves you a bunch of time and you’ll get really good dough! However, you if you want to try making your own, I like the pizza dough from the cookbook Fraiche Food Full Hearts.

Tip #2: The Sauce

The sauce on a pizza is another important element to a good pizza. If you ever travelled to Europe, their pizza sauce is simple and delicious. I really wish I could achieve it the way they make their sauce and pizza. The closest I’ve been to making pizza sauce like in Europe is with San Marzano tomatoes. I like the simple tomato pizza sauce from the cookbook Fraiche Food Full Hearts. If you don’t want to make your own, I often buy pizza sauce from Salvatore’s pizza because it’s really good and for $5 you can get enough sauce for three large pizzas.

Tip #3: The Toppings

My kids prefer a pepperoni pizza while my husband and I enjoy a mushroom pizza. I have found eating pizza around the world at some pizzerias, the meat they use is always good quality. For my kids pizza, I go to Ratinaud and buy the spicy salami. Fred the owner, will slice you some salami at the perfect thickness.

While, the adults prefer a mushroom pizza. I have discovered that the Warehouse Market sells the best oyster mushroom mix. For $10, you get a perfect portion of mushrooms to make a large mushroom pizza. The way I prepare the mushrooms is by cutting them in different sizes. I add olive oil to a pan and cook them gently by sauteing them until they are almost cooked and keep their shape. At the end of the cooking time, I add two large minced garlic gloves to the mushrooms. I set them aside in a bowl.

Tip #4: The Cheese

Cheese is a must for pizza. I like the Kirkland Costco brand mozzerella cheese. It’s made from Canadian dairy farmers and its not too salty. Another cheese I really like when I can purchase it is Ciro cheese. Ciro is from Italy and moved to Canada. He lives in Hants County and sells his Roma cheese all over HRM. I had the burrata and it was so good and fresh.
I do a little driving around to get my “perfect” pizza ingredients and it’s worth it! To assemble my pizza. I always brush olive oil on the pizza pan, roll the dough, add the sauce, cheese and toppings.

For the mushroom pizza, I roll the dough, add the pizza sauce, cheese, mushroom and onions. After I’m done sauteeing the mushrooms, I slice an onion thinly and saute them until caramelized. What makes the mushroom pizza incredible is the truffle salt. I did a food tour in Cannes, France and bought some. It lasts a long time since it’s properly sealed. I sprinkle some truffle salt and fresh parsley.

I cooked my pizzas at 400 for about 20-22 mins. My dream someday is to have a pizza oven so that I can really have it like the European way.
I hope these tips will help you make your next pizza night a very good one. I also highly recommend pairing the pizza with the Luckett Phone Box Red or the Lightfoot and Wolfville Red Fauna. Both are local NS red wines that I enjoy.

Please share and like this post. Would love to hear what is your favorite pizza. Comment below.

Love Backend Kitchen xx