Cinematic pizza time
(Pizza from scratch: Glasgow, Scotland)
Recently, cinema has been my greatest indulgence – I go at least once a week now, often with my friend, Simon. We attend the now habitual ‘Orange Wednesdays’ that have become part of the British cinema experience of the past few years. I can’t resist when we can get two tickets for the price of one on a Wednesday – thankfully Simon is with Orange*. The experience generally involves sharing a meal since he lives on the other side of town and I live within five minutes walk of two cinemas; an independent one where my Gran went on her first date with my Grandfather to be, and the tallest cinema in Europe. I favour the smaller, closer Art Deco one with whom I have some history – it also has a degree of character which escapes its monstrous newbuild neighbour.
This week, I opted for ‘pizza della casa’, making the dough from scratch, the sauce from the raw ingredients and choosing a selection of faviourite toppings. I was concerned that my dough might not rise as when I checked the ‘use by’ date of my dried yeast, it was well up. The year had a 9 in it. It seemed to do the dough no harm though, nor our stomachs. As you can see from the top left image, I made one test dough, expanding on the plate, but it had grown from the size of the modest ball in the bowl. By the time I was ready to cook, the larger doughball was overflowing the plate – hence I have decided that yeast doesn’t appear to really go off at all. It does however appear to make a pizza base a teardrop or alien head shape – or perhaps that was due to my unskilled hands.
Before my guest arrived, I had pulled the pizza base out of one mixture and then we applied our toppings. As you might be able to see in the top right photograph, we tested an American made culinary item called ‘Bacon Salt’. Where else, but from the US? What you certainly cannot see is the strapline on the jars; “Everything should taste like Bacon”. I’m not sure I agree with that sentiment, but I must admit that it peps up a pizza in a not unpleasant way. It doesn’t even taste like actual bacon, it tastes most like the flavouring of bacon or paprika flavour crisps. Of course, the pizzas were delicious on their own, but we tested many different elements of pizza making, For instance, does the salami sit on top of the cheese or below? Bacon Salt before or after cooking? To mushroom or not? Chunky mushrooms or thin ones? I only have a definite answer to the last query; thinly sliced, and not too much, otherwise they spread shroomy juice everywhere. The only other thing I would rein in for this particular recipe would be the dough – it was very fluffy and tasty, but each pizza was an inch deep all over – a lot to squeeze in our stomachs, even for food veterans such as ourselves. Happily though, there’s enough for a cheeky breakfast tomorrow.
* Orange; the mobile phone provider.
– Today Rosie is house sitting and meeting a friend’s new dog. She’s also working hard, of course, in Glasgow, Scotland –
mmm, looking good in the kitchen rosie, might just have to pop over for some of that bistro action. Can I just ask, what are those jars of “bacon salt” lurking in the background of top right?