I posted on Facebook that I should rename my blog Fajitas and Salad Dressing, because it feels like that's all I make, but I do make a lot of pizza too.
Speaking of Facebook, are you doing the Google+? How's it working for you? I have these high hopes that it can replace everything else on the interwebs. Rather than follow folks and be followed on Twitter, I can connect with all of those people on G+, and also have my friends, colleagues and family circles, replacing Facebook. But it's not there yet. I'm connected to a number of food people on there, and it seems like we're collectively not sure how G+ fits in. I never set up a Saturday's Mouse Facebook page, but that means that I post links on my regular personal page and get comments and input that other readers don't get to see. Maybe G+ is the answer.
But what are we supposed to do with it, all have a hangout and knead dough on webcam together?
So for now, I post these things here, and link to them on Twitter, FB, G+... I'm trying to keep the Saturday's Mouse-related content fairly consistent between the three.
Anyhow, I make a lot of pizza, right? Because pizza is good. Start with dough. Also preheat the oven.
I got fennel through the CSA, specifically for pizza. I'm not into licorice, anise, fennel, etc, but when you saute fennel for just a bit it gets sweet and peppery and loses that love-it-or-hate it intense flavor. The fennel bulbs were super small - weirdly flat too.
I sliced them thin and took at the hardest bits of core. With a round fennel bulb you just make a wedge-shaped cut in the bottom to core them - with these, I cut the root off, sliced them, and popped out the hardest bits.
And Sous Chef Brian got some garlic going.
And minced that into a pan with the fennel and a bit of oil.
And scooched it around a hot pan until the fennel had softened and the garlic was just turning golden.
Also, I was making ricotta in the background.
I shaped my dough into a pizza, and spritzed it with olive oil.
This is the time to add more garlic. Add more garlic. I didn't add more garlic. You should do that. Mince three cloves onto your dough.
I dabbed ricotta all over the dough.
And Sous Chef Brian grated some parmesan on top.
And we topped that with some frozen shredded mozzarella, because I'm a poor planner.
And top with the sauteed fennel and garlic.
And quite a bit of black pepper.
And put that in the oven at 400 for 10-15 minutes. Take it out when it's getting golden bubbles of cheese.
I had some flour drama tonight - my semolina from the bulk bin was infested. It was still tied up in the bag, so whatever was going on inside started at Whole Foods, but I had really planned to use that because I was light on whole wheat flour. I ended up making this with 2.5 cups of bread flour and 1 cup of whole wheat. Between the switch of flours and the hot weather, it got fluffy. Bubbly even.
