Pizza with Style

The theme of my week was pizza....but not just any pizza...and definitely not take out or delivery.  I had flatbread thin crust pizza at two trendy restaurants in Calgary.  I was first thinking...what a delicious week!  Two fabulous pizza places in three days!  Then I thought....what would my answer be if someone asked me "which do you prefer...Posto or Without Papers?"  Hmmmmmmm...lets take a closer look.

Tuesday night, some we went to Posto, which is featured as a Pizzeria and Wine Bar

Fig and gorgonzola at Posto

Their pizza was scrumptious and they had about 10 different kinds, including a spinach and chanterelle mushroom with a yummy fancy cheese, chicken and almond pesto with goat cheese and a fig and gorgonzola with radichio.  The ingredients were fresh, it was a trendy atmosphere, and we shared a yummy salad filled with caper berries, romaine, pancetta...need I say more?  

Today, I went to one of my favourite pizza places in Inglewood with a good friend (who was also at Posto) and her adorable daughter.  We both love this place as well, and again, the pizza is simply wonderful...thin crust with mouth watering flavours. Our favourite pizza there, hands down is the Shroom....mushrooms (imported of course), truffle cream, arugula.....so goooood....   Many places I have been to have tried this same pizza, and while they were good, none compare to this one.  They also have a buffalo mozzarella appetizer that is to die for.   

So what's the verdict? Both offer a trendy atmosphere, reservations, and good wine.  Both have amazing food and in both places you can share (or not!). And both offer a selection of meats and cheeses (formaggi e salumi).   I found Posto to have a bit more variety on their menu including pan seared scallops and ham hock, green apple and pistachio,  Oh my.  But...then there is the shroom...which for me, trumps everything.

I cannot choose!  Both are amazing!  But....if I did HAVE to choose....it could be Without Papers as they have that Shroom that I adore.  On the other hand, those seared scallops were amazing....ah...back where I started.     

The solution is simple.  Visit both in the same week, and just sit back and enjoy (both).

http://posto.ca/

http://www.wopizza.ca/

Make your own pizza night

Mushroom red pepper pizza

One of our favourite meals to make on a weekend is make your own pizza night.  It gets the kids involved, and everyone gets the topping they like.   The kids love it!  Our son who loves bacon (who doesn't?) will typically stuff his crust with cheese and more bacon, while our daughter typically does a mushroom and red pepper pizza with not a lot of cheese.  We usually do a fancy pizza and of course always offer a slice to the kids!

Our fancy pizza this time?  Pesto Shrimp Pizza, inspired to me by a thin crust pizza they offer at Earls Restaurant.   I had this for the first time a few years ago, and loved it!  And so super easy!

Bacon pizza with cheese and bacon stuffed crust

 Pizza dough:  Either buy a pre-made crust or by the dough from an Italian market or make your own (which is what I do).   Combine 1 cup of warm water, 2 and 1/4 teaspoons of yeast, 1 TBSP sugar in a mixing bowl.  Add in about 3 1/4 cups of flour and 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil.  Throw in a dash of salt on top of the flour.  Knead well and let rise for 45 min - 1 hour.

Toppings:  While the pizza is rising, prepare the toppings....sliced mushrooms, red pepper, cooked bacon and/or pepperoni, mozzarella, pizza sauce (I cheated and bought pre-made tomato sauce from Sobeys).  Kids can decorate their own and even roll out the dough if you are okay with a bit more mess!

Pesto Shrimp Pizza

Pesto Pizza:  Instead of tomato sauce, use a pesto (I bought the one from Costco).  Spread on your dough and bake for 10 minutes in the oven at 350.  Once baked for a bit, take out, and top with shrimp.  I have used both raw and cooked.   If using cooked, you need to bake the crust longer in the oven first.   Also pat the shrimp dry before adding to the pizza.   Sprinkle mozzarella on top, and can also top with fresh or sun-dried tomatoes.  Bake until shrimp is "snappy" and crust is cooked.   Take half a lemon and squeeze over pizza once cooked.   Serve with a few glasses of red wine (!!)


If you are having a large crowd, you can double the dough recipe and make the pizzas on rectangular cookie sheets!   Leftovers are great for breakfast, school lunches or a midnight snack!

Fancy Pizza

TGIFFF.....Thank Goodness it's Finger Food Friday! Tonight, I decided to make home made pizza. But not just any pizza...FANCY pizza.! And since it's Friday, a full-bodied red was consumed during AND after production. My recipe for dough (which is awesome) makes about 3 thin crust12-14 inch shells, or 2 regular-crust shells. I have always had a knack for making dough, which likely is from watching my mom when I was younger. She would always make bread or home made pizza and I would watch her knead and roll, and when she wasn't looking, I would just eat the dough. About one month ago, we had a make-your-own pizza night and my daughter had a friend over. It made me smile to see the two of them rolling out their dough and picking at it too! Tonight's feature pizzas: spinach and feta; and wild mushroom drizzled with truffle oil. Are you salivating yet? We even ended up freezing one of the pizzas uncooked in the hopes we can serve it up as a funky appetizer tomorrow night just in case we have guests...you know who you are!

One thing about this type of appetizer is that you can be so creative with your toppings. I have done a fig jam-proscuitto-blue cheese and a friend of mine did one with kalmata olives-goat cheese-caramelized onions. To. Die. For. Seriously. So be creative, and its okay to cheat and buy the dough from your local Italian grocery store (like Lina's Italian Market!). They freeze so well uncooked which makes for a quick meal. And just to note, for these "fancy" pizzas, I don't typically use the traditional tomato sauce.

Dough:

1 1/4 cup warm water (not too hot, not too cold.....just right)

1 TBSP sugar

2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

3 1 /4 cups flour (approximately)

1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil (I think I use closer to 1/4 cup)

Mix together the water, sugar and yeast and let it sit for a few minutes. Then add the flour and the olive oil and slowly begin to mix it with your clean hands. Slowly knead into a nice big ball and knead for a few minutes. When its nice and round and smooth, cover the bowl with a clean damp cloth. Let it sit on your counter for about 45 min-1 hour. Now you can get your toppings ready!

Tonights toppings:

Spinach and feta: 1 box fresh spinach (I think the box said 142 grams). Cook spinach and press out the water as best you can. Then add 2 cloves of minced garlic, a diced tomato, crumbled feta (no, I did not measure), and some parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Wild mushrooms sauteed in olive oil: I just took two packages of dried mushrooms and soaked them in water for about 20 minutes. Drain liquid and slice and fry them up in a bit of olive oil, and add 1/2 pack of sliced fresh mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste.

Once the dough is ready, punch it down with your fist and divide it into three equal-ish lumps. Roll out and place each on a greased pizza pan. Spread the mushroom mixture on one, and then sprinkle fresh parmesan and shredded mozza. Once cooked, it is heavenly to drizzle just a bit of truffle oil on top....decadent! The spinach mixture is ready to spread, and no more cheese is needed, as its already in the mixture.

Bake at 375 convection for....well...it was cooked after my second glass of red and half way through my third...15 minutes? 20 minutes? Either way, its delicious and was perfect for our Finger Food Friday! Cheers!