My Kind of Pizza Party

Once upon a time, when I was in elementary school, I made pizza from scratch. Our class usually did this on Fridays, sometimes before a holiday break, and we gave up multiplication tables to get down and dirty with measuring cups and mixing bowls. It was always an exciting adventure, empowering even, to discover that I could create something that I thought only came from a hut with a red roof. Although these memories are lovely, I remember flour-covered classrooms and pizza topping pandemonium, which is probably why, until this weekend, I had never made it again.

When my best friend Emily came up to my cottage this weekend I knew that I had to cook something extra special since she is the most enthusiastic eater and appreciative beneficiary of my culinary experiments. Plus, she always does the dishes.

We’ve known each other since grade four, and I thought that resurrecting those old pizza party days would be a real hoot. And, since I love cooking over an open fire, I thought that experimenting with the grill might just be the thing to kick it up a notch (they don’t let you play with fire in elementary school). Besides, who can resist the smell combination of baking bread and smoky fire?

I assumed that such an endeavor would force me to compromise: exhausting hours in the kitchen, little time on the beach, but knowing all the while that the end result would be well worth the effort. Fortunately, I was wrong about everything. I found a recipe for spelt pizza dough from my friend Eva's cookbook, with four (four!!!) ingredients that took about seven minutes to make. I wondered, as I lay on the dock in the afternoon sun, why I had not made pizza dough since i wore stirrup leggings. I had so much time on my hands and felt so inspired, I even caramelized some onions and made sauce. No kidding.


This really was one of the easiest meals I have ever prepared. I can’t believe I have given up pizza for so long, all because making my own crust seemed like a huge chore. It is laughably simple, and I bet you already have the ingredients you need right in your pantry. This recipe works very well in an oven, or even on a barbeque for that Labour Day weekend party – people will still be talking about your gastronomic genius next summer! And how about a no-fuss dinner for a crowd: make the dough ahead of time, heat the grill, lay out all the toppings and let people cook their own food! Brilliant!

4–Ingredient Spelt Pizza Dough
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups spelt flour + extra for dusting (any whole grain flour would work: wheat, kamut, barley, rice, quinoa, amaranth…)
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 1/2 Tbsp dry active yeast (not instant)
3 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions
1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl
2. Dissolve the yeast in 3/4 cup lukewarm water, add to flour and stir in with the oil.
3. Continue stirring until you have a uniform texture, then start kneading by hand in the bowl, or on a large, clean surface. Knead for 5 about minutes.
4. Cover ball of dough with flour and place underneath a damp towel for 1-2 hours until the volume is approximately double.
5. Divide dough for 4 small pizzas, 2 large or 1 “party size”.

You can add things to the dough once it has risen, such as sea salt (this is recommended) herbs, garlic, spices – use your imagination. And the topping possibilities are also endless. My favorites this weekend were basil pesto (from 2 weeks ago), caramelized onions, sheep's cheese, olives and zucchini.

Oven: preheat to 350 F. Grease a large pizza pan, cookie sheet, or baking stone with oil and roll the dough with a rolling pin, or simply press with your palms and fingers. Dip your hands in water or olive oil if the dough is sticking. Top with sauce, pesto, veggies and cheese. Bake for Approximately 30 minutes.
BBQ: grease the grill with olive oil and place dressed pizza directly on top. Close the barbeque lid, but check the pizza every 5 minutes or so to prevent burning.
Fire pit (the most awesome method): follow grill instructions, but toast the dough on one side first, remove from heat and add toppings to the toasted side (this way, the dough will cook evenly). Make sure that there are no flames when cooking, just super hot, glowing embers. Keep a close eye on the pizza dough when toasting – it can burn fast!

4-Ingredient Tomato Sauce
This sauce would work very well on pasta and could also be frozen for future suppers.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil (this seems like a lot, but guess what makes things taste good? Fat does.)
1 28 oz. can crushed organic tomatoes
3 – 4 cloves of garlic
Zest of 1 organic, un-waxed lemon

Directions
1. Heat oil and garlic in a cold saucepan over medium heat, while stirring.
2. Sautéed just until fragrant – do not brown the garlic and do not let the oil smoke!
3. Add the can of tomatoes and heat until it reaches a gentle simmer.
4. Zest 1 lemon into the pot and stir.
5. Add salt if desired, and maybe some cayenne pepper or chili flakes if you like it spicy!

Making pizza is a great activity to do with kids. It is simple enough for them to get involved, but not too messy or complicated. They can be creative, learn about healthy cooking, and feel good eating something they made themselves. Emily and I are certainly not children anymore, but we laughed like kids taking those first bites of pizza, just like we were back in elementary school learning that we could do anything.

Simple. Perfect.

Another farm field trip this weekend introduced me to the beauty of fresh fava beans. I have sampled these buttery beauties a few times before, but only from a can or cooked from dried. Favas, sometimes referred to as broad beans, are now at their peak, and experiencing them fresh from the field is highly recommended.

Fava beans are in fact, members of the pea family. They are incredibly nutritious legumes, especially high in fiber, protein, iron, and folic acid. They are low in fat and sodium. Additionally, fava beans contain levodopa (L-dopa), a chemical the body uses to produce dopamine (the neurotransmitter associated with the brain's reward and motivation system). They can be eaten hot or cold, but they do not mash well, so making dips from them is not in your best interest. They work best as a filling for pitas and wraps, or in salads and stews.

Fava beans grow in pods, so they need to be shelled before consuming. Personally, I love the task of opening each perfect pod, revealing the pale green legumes inside. I marvel at each sheath as it miraculously holds every bean inside its velvety soft interior. It reminds me of how astounding nature is. Simple. Perfect. Yet I digress…


To prepare the fresh beans follow these instructions:
1. Remove beans from their pod.
2. Boil beans for 3-5 minutes until tender.
3. Remove beans from boiling water and immediately submerge them into an ice water bath to halt cooking.
4. Peel away the outer skin from beans.






Here is a recipe for the fava bean salad I made for dinner tonight. It is very easy to prepare and the simple ingredients highlight, instead of overwhelm, the delicate flavour of the fava beans.
This salad would also be nice mixed with quinoa, brown rice, and some crispy vegetables. A great side dish for any summer meal!
If you cannot find fresh fava beans, use canned or dried.


Simple Fava Bean Salad
Ingredients
1 cup fresh, cooked fava beans
2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
Squeeze of lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin (optional)
Sea salt to taste

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Eat.
Simple. Perfect.

The Best Way to Buy Groceries - Ever

Greetings everyone! I am back in Canada and what better way for me to slip back into my native country’s rhythms, than to visit the local farmer’s market? This weekend at my cottage, I went to my favourite stall at the modest market to buy the usual fruits and veggies that last me through the week. There were Mary and Chris, two organic farmers who I solely support, as they grow the most delicious, beautiful produce this side of the St. Lawrence. They are also incredibly friendly.

As I was putting a handful of basil in my basket, Mary inquired whether or not I was making pesto this year. I said that I wasn’t planning on it because of the cost – even at a farmer’s market, basil can run at prices too high to buy in the large quantities that pesto requires. She told me that she and Chris were selling “bulk basil” and asked me if I wanted to stop by the farm to snip my own? Mary doesn’t know me that well, so she didn’t realize that she had just offered me the golden ticket of happiness and opportunity. A farm field trip?! Nothing makes me happier. Except free, all-u-can-eat organic vegan buffets (still haven’t found one of those).

I traveled about eight kilometers out of town to their adorable little haven, situated on several acres of beautiful farmland and forest. They greeted me with warm smiles, eager to show me around the property and all the fruits of their labor. Chris proudly showed off his blackberry trellis, which he can angle according to the sun’s degree and time of year. Mary showed me her garden of lilies. They pulled fruits and vegetables off the bush and vine for me to taste, still warm from the late afternoon sun. “Now tell me that’s not the best cherry tomato (raspberry, blackberry, carrot…) you ever tasted!” Chris said excitedly. “That’s real, fresh food.” I couldn’t have agreed more.

As promised, Mary handed me a pair of scissors, a bag, and we both got to work harvesting basil for my future pesto sauce. What an experience, I thought. Here I am bent over a row of the most fragrant, delicious herbs with the woman who grew them organically from seed, who tended to them each and every day. She knew each plant intimately, cared for them as the living things that they are, and respected the land where they grew.

When we had harvested enough basil to sink a small ship, instead of waving me off so that they could get back to their incredibly busy schedule (the gardens don’t weed themselves!), Chris and Mary actually invited me into their home for tea. We sat for an hour discussing their journey into organic farming, the state of modern day food, and their plans for the future. It felt so good to meet like-minded people with such dedication to reducing their environmental footprint, and above all, a deep appreciation for real, fresh food.

On my way out, Mary went so far as to give me a hand-written recipe for her basil pesto, which is written below.

Basil Pesto
Ingredients:
2 oz. basil (about 5 lightly packed cups)
8 cloves of garlic
1 cup Parmesan (or better yet, hard sheep’s milk cheese such as Pecorino Romano)
2/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
3/4 cup organic, cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste

You can use nutritional yeast instead of cheese, but I would use less than 1 cup. Try making the pesto without cheese at all, which is what I did. Then add nutritional yeast to taste if you desire a more creamy consistency.

Directions:
1. In a food processor fitted with an S-blade mince garlic, cheese, nuts and salt.
2. Add clean, dry basil leaves and pulse until chopped.
3. With the machine running, add oil until it has reached the desired texture.

Tips: - The basil must be dry before you process it.
- Freeze pesto in ice cube trays. When frozen, transfer cubes to a freezer bag.
- You can also use a mortar and pestle for a more rustic-style pesto (pictured).


Getting to know where your food comes and the people who grow it, is empowering. Suddenly, you feel connected to your community, your environment, your food! You can appreciate what you eat on a totally different level, as you have a relationship with what is on your plate. Next time you’re at the farmer’s market, talk to the vendors, ask where they grow the food, how they grow it, why they grow it. And if you have the conviction to do so, ask if you can stop by some time. Many farms welcome visitors, even schools, clubs and interest groups.

You may be surprised at how fulfilling it can be to visit to a small-scale, family-run farm, as opposed to a big box grocery store filled with anonymous goods from far off places. Instead of fluorescent lights, you get long that, lazy afternoon sun that pours like butterscotch over each and every vegetable, lighting up heirloom tomatoes like glowing lanterns. Instead of miles of aisles of brightly coloured plastic packages, you find rows and rows of brightly coloured berries, squash, melons and herbs. And instead of the cashier who is too busy scanning bar codes to even look you in the eye, you leave with warm embraces and new friends. It is truly the best way to buy groceries – ever.

To learn more about what Chris and Mary are creating, please visit the link to Ironwood Gardens:
http://www.ironwoodgardens.ca/