Leaky's first post

... should have begun almost 2 weeks ago: instead, I decide to start on a nice sunny Sunday. By all counts, it's a glorious day - sunny, bright, clear blue skies with just a sprinkling of clouds. And I'm hunched over the computer to start a blog - criminal. I tell you, I'm a hopeless rust bucket. But the spouse-unit's off to his bat-cave in an attempt to finish his thesis (please God!) while I sit desperately trying not to listen to a truly god-awful "singer" from the pub downstairs, yowling her way from here to my deafness. I swear my hair automatically falls over my ears to protect my hearing, and I have one shoulder permanently higher than the other one so that I can type and pretend to not hear.
The trials and tribulations of living above a bar is for another post.
What I need is comfort food - something sweet and savory and dripping in warmth. Ma reminded me of an oldie but goodie one this morning while yammering on the phone with family-unit in Mumbai: thanda dahi (cold yogurt), with a tadka (tempering) of kadi patta (curry leaves), sarson (mustard seeds) and hari mirch (hot green chillies). Now of all the things I don't have, it'll be the kadi patta, plus it's not really warm, so instead, it'll have to be the old standby: spouse-unit's favorite, pizza. Here goes ...

Pizza Dough (makes 2 crusts)
Ingredients:

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 .25 packet is perfect)
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar (eyeballing is fine - just don't go and add a fistful)
1 cup warm water (if you can dip your pinkie without screaming in pain, that's the right temperature)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil (any oil will do; I generally use veggie)

My M.O.
In a measuring cup, dissolve yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Add to flour and knead until the dough is soft and pliable.
Place dough in an oiled bowl, and cover with a warm wet cloth. The dough should double in an hour. Punch down dough, and form 2 tight balls. Let dough relax for a minute before rolling. You could go all out and make one humongous pizza crust, Chicago style, but I've found that if you leave the unbaked pizza crust in a warm place (an unheated oven) it rises again and the crust is chewier. This dough is also quite forgiving. I've added rosemary and garlic (cloves, powder and salt), red chilly flakes, basil, herbs de provence before, and it has still risen to the occasion (horrible pun - sorry).
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Also, make sure that if baking your pizza in a pan, to lightly oil it, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before adding the toppings.

Toppings
Tomato sauce
Mushrooms
Spinach
Red Onion
Pepperoncini
Jalapeno (optional)
sprinkling of dried oregano and rosemary
salt to taste
Mozzarella, sharp Cheddar, and Parmesan/Reggiano cheeses
Red chilly flakes to taste
(above stated ingredients are all eyeballed. Just don't add too many mushrooms, as despite the highish temperatures the crust has to firm up and get all crusty and golden along with cooking the mushrooms. Won't happen if there's too much of one and too little of the other. Judiciousness is the key)

and it all comes together ...
Spread thin layer of tomato sauce over crust. Sprinkle herbs with a light hand. Layer spinach, then mushrooms and onion. Sprinkle salt over the veggies. Add cheeses (I generally start with the parmesan/reggiano mix, as it's not the "melting" variety, whereas cheddar and mozzarella are). Arrange pepperoncini and Jalapeno (if using). Bake in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add red chilly flakes per taste (around this stage, my arm jerks and shakes over the slice as though in an apopletic fit. My slices are generally red with the cheese just managing to peek through.)
I've always wanted to try the tomato slices, basil and goat cheese pizza. Next time. No pictures either as I'm working out publishing this post without having to hit the back button all the time.
Now - off to make my nectar with
a mug of hot milk,
1/2 tsp sugar,
1 1/2 tsp cocoa and
3/4 tsp Nescafe instant
and watch As Time Goes By for the nth time. Bliss.
Idli-doo