Big Chunks of My Favorite Pizza Sausage

Homemade sausage pizza

I love the pizza sausage that comes from Hollywood Markets, one of our local grocery store chains. Hollywood is known for its meat, and one of the guys in the meat department mixes this up. The last time I got some, I ordered 10 pounds.

This sausage has a great mix of spices that complement everything on your pizza. It does have some red pepper flake, but not too much. I perceive it as savory, not hot. Kinda like Cinderella eating porridge, this one’s just right.

Usually I take the sausage out of the casing, but this week I left it in the large links, and cooked them in a skillet with a lid on top. Then I let them get cold in the fridge, sliced them and put them on the pizza.

I like this method, because I can cook the sausage ahead and keep it in refrigerator for a few days, then use it when I’m creating my next pizza.

That looks so good, I’m going to have to make another one!

PS… I’ve been making pizza at home now for more than 30 years. I guess I know what I’m talking about, because this week I found another person who liked my articles so much that they wanted to “borrow” one of them. Here’s my original article, Homemade Pizza – Great Food as Close as Your Kitchen, on Ezinearticles, an article directory where I am an expert author.

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Best pizza crust flavor – make it a slow rise

Homemade pizza crust rising
Homemade pizza crust rising

One thing leads to another, and so I met Chef Lynn Miller via the Internet. Her new book, Flavor Secrets, has a full spread on pizza.

I’ve been making my own crust for more than 20 years, but there is always something new to learn. I’ve adjusted over the years, and I am currently in favor of a thinner, crispier crust.

I got to ask Chef Lynn about building the flavor of a plain flour crust. I knew that using good quality flour makes a different. And in addition, Chef Lynn says, allow for a long, slow rise.

That makes sense to me. And it’s so easy to make up a crust, cover the bowl and set it aside to rise while doing other tasks. A pizza crust can rise all afternoon, to be enjoyed for a casual supper, or put away in the refrigerator for an even slower rise all day or overnight.

If you make a double batch of pizza dough, one can go into the freezer after it has risen for a half hour or so. Then bring it out to rise a bit more and warm to room temperature, several hours before you plan to use it.

After the sauce, my favorite part of the pizza is the crust. Using local ingredients is important to me as well, because of the quality of local agriculture, and commitment to Michigan as a great place to live.

Resources for local pizza ingredients:

Westwind Milling produces flour locally. Their products are available at the Oakland County Farmers Market. Check website for other locations.

Hampshire Farms is certified organic. Flours and grains available at local farmers markets: Royal Oak, Oakland County and Eastern Market in Detroit.

Plum Market – local means Michigan!

Disclosure: This review is based purchased products. No freebies involved.

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Pizza – an easy Sunday night supper

I’ve found it’s so easy to have pizza for a Sunday night meal, having made it often for so many years.

Homemade pizza

You can make the pizza crust late in the afternoon, and let it rise on the back of the stove, with a clean dish towel or cloth over the bowl to keep down the drafts. Then go off to finish the laundry, do homework, or any of those other tasks that will get your week off to a good start.

Pizza’s flexible that way. It fits around the rest of your life.

Or, if you make the dough further in advance, such as in the morning, put it in the refrigerator and let it rise more slowly. If you make an extra batch or two, you can even freeze some ahead. Wrap them well and date them. Just take them out of the freezer to thaw for a few hours before you’re ready to use them.

The other pizza components, such as sauce and toppings, keep well and you can have them as pantry staples. This is one reason we like canned mushrooms, though fresh mushrooms are great on pizza, too.

The cheeses, such as mozzarella and parmesan, are great to have on hand as refrigerator staples. The extra richness of flavor that you get from fresh grated parmesan and fresh mozzarella make up for their shorter shelf life.

When you’re ready to make the pizza, just preheat the oven, prepare your baking stone if it needs that, stretch out the dough, top it and bake.

Then you’re ready to pour your favorite drink and settle in with your favorite Sunday night TV shows. Or, just relax and enjoy a hot fresh pizza as you get ready for another week of activity.

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Pizza for lunch

Lunch has been pizza a lot lately. The meal starts early, as soon as the homey smell of yeast-rising dough drifts through the house. My own homemade pizza is a special occasion, even for lunch.

Pizza close upTo start a pizza, I get the flour bins out of my antique Hoosier cupboard. The flour is Hoosier, too – from Indiana. I haul artisan flour from two water-powered grist mills – Greenfield and Bonneyville – that have been grinding local wheat for more than 100 years. The flours have names: New Wrinkle and Hard Red Whole Wheat. These flours have more substance than the ordinary store brands, and when you knead a lot of dough, you develop a feel. The silky white bread flour and rough whole wheat will become a hearty pizza crust.

Besides flour, the dough takes salt, dry yeast, olive oil and water. I can almost make pizza dough in my sleep because I’ve practiced the recipe for nearly 30 years. I stir the ingredients together in a heavy crockery bowl, and then turn it out onto the floured counter top for kneading.

Kneading is rhythm. It is art. Kneading done well means you put your whole body into the rhythm of pushing forward with the heal of your hand, leaning gently back, then folding the dough over on itself and pushing forward again, over and over. If it’s too sticky, add more flour. Knead some more.

As soon as I begin kneading, the yeast blooms with that wonderful bread smell, like my grandmother’s special bread drawer. Soon the lump of wet flour turns into the smooth satin stuff of bread. I can tell by feel when the dough has enough flour and when it’s been kneaded long enough. Poke it and it springs back. It feels as alive as it smells.

Homemade pizza is a leisurely lunch. After kneading, the dough rests and rises for at least half an hour. As it rises, more subtle bread aroma drifts through the house.

Hartstone pizza stoneWhen the crust finishes rising, I stretch it out on my Hartstone baking stone. The crust is pleasantly warm and bouncy under my fingers, with a mind of its own. I top it quickly with sauce, Parmesan, mushrooms and mozzarella.

The single pizza ingredient I like the best is the sauce. My heart is set on Pastorelli, a Chicago brand. It’s rich red and thick with crushed fresh tomatoes, Italian spices, and a zip of Pecorino Romano cheese. It has twang.  If I can’t have this sauce, I’d rather not make pizza.

My pizza bakes in a 500-degree oven to give it a crisp crust and lightly browned cheese. High heat lifts essential oils from the spices. A savory mingling of crust, sauce, cheese and spices inspires my kitchen.

In 13 minutes, it’s done. My pizza rules as good food, alive and energetic, seasoned with satisfaction of making it myself.

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Cooler nights, pizza time

Kimbesas homemade pizzaIt was in the 40s the last couple of nights. Not too far out of line, with September in Michigan. Time to stoke up the oven and make a pizza.

In order for the crust to rise, it’s good to put it in a warm place, and put a clean kitchen towel over top of the bowl. I’ve left crust to rise for three or four hours and it’s just fine. If you want to leave it longer, then put it in the fridge.

I’ve been leaning toward thinner crusts these days, which means I cut down on the yeast, and leave out the oil.

If I was wanting a flavored crust, I’d put back the yeast and oil, because I think they help the flavor come to the fore. By flavor, I mean Parmesan cheese or a tablespoon of Italian seasoning.

I can only imagine how great some fresh oregano would be. But that test will have to come later.

Also, I wouldn’t want a flavor that would fight with the sauce. I have not found one that I like better than Pastorelli, a brand out of Chicago. I’ve been using it for years, even when I had to bring it back from a city I visited where I could buy it, and the city I lived in, where you could not buy it.

Nowadays I can get it locally, though I keep my eye on my sources.

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