Let it Snow

Aside from a three-year stint in New Hampshire, I’ve always lived in places where snow was a rarity and so, in my opinion, a cause for celebration. Even in New Hampshire I took the first snow of the season as a reason to drink hot-buttered cider and rum in front of a fire and spend the afternoon cooking something special. What constitutes “special” varies according to mood and, often, what I have on hand.

This morning about 10:00 it started snowing. Lots of big fat flakes that, sadly, melted as soon as they hit the ground. Nevertheless, snow is snow and here in Knoxville you take what you can get. So I lit a fire, fixed a rum and cider (fortunately I had both ingredients on hand and it was surely cocktail hour somewhere), and started thinking about supper.

I decided on pizza. I haven’t had it since early last fall because, although I love the stuff, the way I love it is damned fattening. But I had everything I needed on hand and have been wanting to try making a pizza crust using my sourdough starter. It was a no-brainer.

I hauled the starter out of the fridge and got the dough going. When the pre-ferment was done I tossed in some Italian herb mix with the salt and remaining flour. I didn’t add oil to the dough but instead brushed some on the dough once I’d formed the pie and before adding anything else.

Pizza Dough

1 c sourdough starter (my wheat starter is 50% hydrated)
.75 c warm water
3 c bread flour
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian herb mix

I stirred the water into the starter and then mixed in 1.5 cups of flour to form the pre-ferment. The mixture was allowed to work for four hours and then I added the salt, herbs, and 1.5 cups of flour and mixed that in, adding enough additional flour (.25 cups) to achieve the right consistency. I kneaded the dough and set aside to double in bulk. (The final rising took 3 hours.) While the dough rose, I made the sauce.

I have a standard Winter Tomato Sauce that I make and I usually make more than I need because it freezes well and then I have it on hand. I didn’t have any in the freezer today, but had all the ingredients so I made a batch.

Winter Tomato Sauce

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 carrot — peeled and diced
1 celery stalk — peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves — chopped
1 tsp Italian herb mix
2 bay leaves
3 tbsps olive oil
.25 c white wine
1 tbsp anchovy paste
salt and pepper

Heat olive oil over medium low heat. Add carrot, celery, garlic, bay, Italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent — about ten minutes.

Add wine and reduce to glaze. Add tomatoes and anchovy paste and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour — stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings. (If too sweet, add a bit of sherry vinegar, if too acid, add a bit of sugar.)

Allow sauce to cool and then puree in a blender.

Don’t be afraid of the anchovy paste — even if you don’t like anchovies. You won’t be able to taste it but it will add a deep flavor note and richness to the sauce.

Toppings

I mentioned above that I brushed the dough with olive oil. Sauce went on next. For cheese I cut slices of mozzarella, provolone, and sharp cheddar and sprinkled it on. The cheese proportions are 4:2:1. Note that the cheddar isn’t particularly noticeable and instead, like the anchovy paste in the sauce, simply adds a high note to the cheese flavors. Next I add some slices of Genoa salami, red onion, and chopped green olives.

If you have a pizza stone, heat it and the oven for at least an hour before cooking on it. The advantage of a stone for pizza and ordinary bread is that it has a lot of thermal inertia, meaning once it’s hot it tends to stay hot. But that also means that when it’s cool it tends to stay cool and so it takes time to get it thoroughly hot.

Broccoli rabe left over from last night provided a nice vegetable to go with it. And the sourdough crust was perfect.

Kevin