One day, one city...Napa, CA

Leland "Lee" Mitchell -  Napa Firefighters Museum

Thursday we explored the Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa. Today we'll be looking at other things to do in the city of Napa.

The Napa Firefighters Museum: www.napafirefightersmuseum.org.  contains a collection of artifacts that spans Napa's firefighting history. It is open free to the public and has been at it's current location, 1201 Main Street in the city of Napa for over 16 years.

Unfortunately, it appears the museums day are numbered having lost their lease. The Napa Community Redevelopment Agency, which had been leasing the historic sight, was eliminated by the State of California and all their assets are being liquidated.

For now the museum remains open free to the public  from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.

Loose Caboose Hobbies: www.loosecaboose.com. 820-A Third St. is a complete model train and hobby shop.

They carry a complete line of model trains, railroad accessories, and supplies to build your dream layout. They also have all the popular scales (G 1/22.5, O 1/48, HO 1/87, and N 1/160) as well as popular brands such as; Athearn, Walthers, Atlas, Bachmann, LifeLike, Proto2000, MTH Rail King, Lionel, LGB, Accucraft, AristoCraft, Kato, and Micro-Trains. For the kids, they have a complete Wooden Thomas the Tank Engine section with a Thomas play table.

The Loose Caboose carries several other things to satisfy your hobby desire. They have an extensive assortment of hobby needs including plastic models, rockets, slot cars, strategic tapletop games, wood, landscaping materials, radio control planes, tools, science experiments, rock polishing equipment and more. 
Store hours: Tues-Sat 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mark Harold Wines: www.Heroldwines.com. 710 First St. 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. closed Wednesdays. So what does one do with two PhD's in Biology? Why, become a winemaker of course! After a stint at Joseph Phelps as an Research Enologist, Mark produced his own label Merus in the garage of his downtown home in Napa in 1998. It was good enough to receive 93 points from Robert Parker! 

Dean Williams, director at Mark Herold Wine Tasting Room.

On our recent visit, we sampled some of Mark's current lables, including Acha, Flux, Collide and Mark Harold. These are all small batch wines that are well worth investigating. We also tasted from a wineries he is currently consulting for. One of our favorites was the 2009 Maze Cabernet Sauvignon. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Coombsville, Pritchard Hill and Oakville is an outstanding value at $60 per bottle.

Among our other favorites that we sampled were the 2011 Acha Blanca which is made from 100% Albarino grapes, the 2011 Flux Blanc which is a Grenache Blanc dominated white blend, and the 2012 Flux Rose, a blush made from Grenache, Carignane and Syrah grapes.

Zuzu Tapas & Paella: www.zuzunapa.com. 829 Main St. Mon to Thurs 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sat 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Sun 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Zuzu is a marvelous tapas bar that I visited for the first time. Tapas are small plates. The restaurant offers a modern, California version of tapas along with some traditional offerings based on the cuisines of Spain, Portugal and the Mediterranean.

Wild Mushroom Empanada

Are favorite dish was an Empanada filled with roasted local wild mushrooms & herbed chevre and came with a Guajillo Sauce & Micro green salad with a Honey-Sherry & Apple Cider Vinaigrette. Both the empanada & salad were way good.

Gambas al ajillo

Gambas al ajillo, fresh Gulf Shrimp with Garlic, Piquin Chili and Pimenton was a close second. Although the Mrs. complained about burning her fingers peeling the hot shrimp...I got it. Sometimes a little pain is necessary to attain pleasure (Socrates). Cooking the gambas in the shell equals succulent, flavorful shrimp and these were cooked perfectly in a very good sauce. Naturally you need slice baguette to polish off the sauce. A traditional Spanish dish executed perfectly. A glass of their house-made Sangria made this a perfect lunch. Almost perfect.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Artichoke Hearts and Onions with Ancho chile sauce.

 A third dish left me frustrated over what might have been. Our final dish, Roasted fingerling potatoes, artichoke hearts and spring onions had my mouth watering in anticipation. The individual ingredients were cooked perfectly. Unfortunately, the kitchen forgot to season this dish. Just a little sea salt away from perfection; woe is me! Perhaps a drizzle of olive oil as well. Anyway, two out of three ain't bad!

Giovanni Scala, proprietor Bistro Don Giovanni

Finally, we end our day in Napa at my "go-to" restaurant, Bistro Don Giovanni:
www.bistrodongiovanni.com. Very few restaurants attained the "triple crown" of dining. Excellent food, service and setting. Bistro Don Giovanni attains all three, and they've been providing it since 1993.

Lindsay preparing my favorite salad.

Beet, Hericot Vert, Fennel & Avocado Salad w/Roquefort Vinaigrette. Awesome!

As a former chef who worked with and for Italians from Italy, Donna Scala is my hero. Her French technique and California sensibilities with traditional Italian dishes is a thing of beauty. Salads, appetizers, pizzas, pasta and main dishes all reach a high level. You really can't go wrong with whatever you choose. I'm a pasta-risotto fiend so that's usually where I hang out on the menu.

Seared Salmon w/buttermilk mashed potatoes, tomato-chive butter. 

Garganelli Bolognese: Wild Boar Ragu, sage & aged Provolone

I hope you enjoyed our day in Napa. It hardly covers everything. We didn't have time to mention the great shopping at the downtown mall or the factory outlets. A Bose factory outlet, who knew! Or mention such great dining spots as Morimoto Napa, Oenotri (where my favorite pizza in all Northern California is made). That means we will have to make another trip to Napa soon!

Ciao for now!

Oxbow Public Market - Napa, CA

Oxbow Market was established with a mind toward providing the convenience of one stop shopping with the quality, freshness, and character of a local farmers' market. For a complete list of vendor's, visit their website at: www.oxbowmarket.com.

Gott's Roadside:  www.gott.com. This family run business has two other locations in St. Helena and at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

Their daily changing menu features produce from their own garden in St. Helena. I recommend the "Ahi burger" that comes with 5 oz. of sushi grade Ahi tuna which is seared rare and served with ginger-wasabi mayo & Asian slaw on a toasted egg bun. 

The Fatted Calf Charcuterie

Fatted Calf Charcuterie: www.fattedcalf.com. 
The Fatted Calf is an artisanal charcuterie and butcher shop, producing a wide range of hand-crafted products using only the best available organic and hormone-free meats, superior seasonings and salts, organic herbs and produce.

They offer a variety of charcuterie such as pates, salami, prosciutti, and confits, along with a large selection of fresh sausages and cured meats. All of their fresh products are made on site in small batches to guarantee quality. The Fatted Calf also features a daily menu of sandwiches and charcuterie platters to go.

Want to make Penne Al Amatricana? They make their own Guanciale (which I prefer over pancetta). Looking for Duck Confit? They make theirs using all-natural raised ducks from nearby Liberty Farms in Sonoma.

Planning a picnic in Napa? Try their Pork Rillettes (pork spread) or maybe the Wild Mushrooms Terrine. Yeah baby! They also have a location in Hayes Valley in San Francisco.

Whole Spice: www.wholespice.com.
So where do people in the know go for their herbs and spices? This is the place. Not planning a visit to Napa in the near future?  No problem, Ronit & Shuli Madmone will be happy to ship.

They offer over 300 different spices and over 50 blends. For a complete list, visit their website. 

Model Bakery: www.themodelbakery.com.
The Model Bakery is certainly no stranger to the Napa Valley as their original location in St. Helena has been open for over 80 years.

Karen Mitchell has been the owner for over 20 years with her daughter Sarah. They specialize in artisan breads made with organic stone ground flours and the highest quality ingredients as well as a complete line of pastry products. 

Model Bakery goodies

So after you've picked up your pork spread, mushroom terrine and assorted salamis from the Fatted Calf you can find your bread and cookies at Model Bakery.

Oxbow Cheese & Wine Merchant:
www.winemerchant.com.
Since you're going on a picnic, you might as well pick up wine & cheese! They also have a second location at the Ferry building in San Francisco.

Hog Island Oyster: www.hogislandoysters.com
Hog Island oysters, oh how I love thee! Hog Island grows their own Pacific, Kumamoto and Atlantic oysters (along with Manila clams & mussels) in the pristine Tomales Bay estuary.

Pristine is the optimum word as the oysters are the best to be found in Northern California. Besides raw oysters, you can order them off the grill (Rockefeller or Casino), along with such favorites as excellent salads, (local) Rancho Gordo baked beans, chowder and rustic seafood stew among other things.

Pica Pica Maize Kitchen: www.picapica.com.
Featuring the cuisine of Venezuela and introducing the arepa to American palates. Arepa 
(ah-ray-pay) is a corn flour cake (similar to the Mexican gordita) that is made fresh daily, grilled, cut open lengthwise and stuffed with various meat and vegetable fillings. Make sure you ask for some of the Guasacaca sauce.

Kitchen Door: www.kitchendoor.com.
Chef and co-owner Todd Humphries has been wowing  
Northern California diners since arriving from New York and taking over the helm of the Campton Place Hotel in San Francisco.

His current endeavor features comfort food taken to the next level. Menu favorites include the Roast Chicken Banh-mi with duck liver mousse, Korean style Short Ribs and the 1/2 lb. Grilled Kobe style Beef Burger.

Saturday, March 30th: We'll be exploring some of the other interesting places around the city of Napa. Ciao for now!

Blazing a New Trail...All Natural & Organic Beef

As mentioned in a previous blog, I really love going to farmer's markets. It is a convenient way to purchase fresh produce directly from the farmers. You will now find produce sellers at farmer's markets sharing space with ranchers. Niche cattle ranchers who specialize in all natural and organic beef have found a new venue to sell their meat.

Most of these local ranchers are too small to compete with large rancher's who get the lion's share of business at super market chains. Some specialty stores do direct business with the small rancher and now farmer's markets have become a meeting place for the natural and organic conscious consumer. What's the difference between "organic" and "natural"? I'm glad you asked!

Lucky Dog Ranch at the Sunday Farmer's Market in Sacramento. 

Certified Organic Beef:

Organic certification is not an easy thing to come by. First the rancher must maintain a fully verifiable production system that collects information on the history of every animal in the program, including its breed history, veterinary care and feed.   

The animal must be born and raised on pastureland that has been certified to be free of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers and other amendments. All the feed that the animal receives must also be certified as organically grown grasses and grains. The feed also cannot contain any animal by-products.

For the rancher and the consumer, the payoff for organic practices means livestock are kept strong, healthy and productive through good nutrition, less stress and humane living conditions, rather than through antibiotics or injections of artificial growth hormones.  

All Natural Beef:

Here's where it gets tricky. According to the USDA, "all natural" beef can be fed growth hormones, antibiotics, animal by-products, treated with chemical pesticides and implanted with steroids. As long as the final product does not have anything added to it and is "minimally processed" it can be call "all natural".

So it's important to know if the "all natural" beef you are purchasing eschews these practices. Why? Here's an example: A recent study by Danish scientists suggested that hormone residues in U.S. beef may be linked to high rates of breast and prostate cancer, as well as to early-onset puberty in girls.  

Grass-fed Beef:

"Grass-fed beef" is often mistaken to be synonymous with "organic beef".  As a general rule, cattle are grain fed before butchering to fatten them up. Thus you will find cuts of beef at market that are lean in the center with marbling towards the outer portion of the beef. 

My Preferance:

I have had many people tell me they prefer the flavor of grass fed beef. Here comes that word again..."flavor". There's no way a 100% grass fed piece of beef taste better than  a well marbled cut. So what's the answer for those of use looking for a healthy steak that has flavor? My choice is Lucky Dog Ranch from Dixon.

Ron & Terri Gillaland owners of Lucky Dog
 Ranch with "Lucky", their McNab herding dog

The Lucky Dog Ranch herd runs on an open pasture from birth to harvest, always maintaining the natural group dynamic. The cattle is handled in the most humane way possible. They are never given antibiotics or hormone laden feed. When it comes to finishing the cattle, the only change in their routine is the introduction of a free choice bunk of grain and hay; custom mixed. This mix is brewers’ grain (from Sudwerk brewery in Davis), almond hulls, oat hay, alfalfa and molasses. 

Below is a list of some Northern California Organic and Natural Cattle Ranchers. If you can find it at your farmer's market that probably means its local and local adds up to sustainable.


Organic:

Eel River Organic Beef:  www.certified-organic-beef.com. You can find their beef at Golden Gate Meats which is inside the Ferry building in San Francisco. The Ferry building is home to a farmer's market every Tuesday and Saturday and is the creme-de-la-creme of farmer's markets in Northern California. 

Prather Ranch:  www.pratherranch.com. Prather Ranch raises Organic and Natural herds on their ranch near Mt. Shasta. They have a retail outlet at the Ferry building, store #32 in San Francisco. For a complete list of places to find their product check out their website. Purchase online.

Prather Ranch sells dry-aged beef, my favorite!

All Natural Beef:

Lucky Dog Ranch:  www.luckydogranchbeef.com. Their beef is dry-aged 21 days. Check their website for retail locations or ordering online.

Five Dot Ranch:  www.fivedotranch.com. The Swickard family  has been in the business of producing grain and livestock in California. 

Five Dot Ranch retail store inside the Oxbow Public Market in Napa.

Lazy 69 Ranch: www.lazy69ranch.com.   100% grass fed beef. Order online.

***

Visit NorCal Lifestyle on Thursday, March 28th, as we explore the city of Napa. Most people who come to the Napa Valley  drive straight through on their way to destinations further up the valley. All that has changed as Napa has now become the new destination in Napa Valley. Ciao for now! 
   

Sacramento's Sunday Farmer's Market

Medjool Dates from the Imperial Valley

Farmer's Markets have become very popular in America. You can find them from Maine to Hawaii. What makes farmer's markets so popular? There are many reasons why I go, first and foremost is flavor! It's hard to beat the flavor derived from fresh fruit and vegetables.

How is that different than the fruits and vegetables I buy in my local grocery store?
I'm glad you asked! As a general rule produce picked for supermarkets go through a produce warehouse, therefore the farmer will generally pick their produce a little sooner than optimum as it will take longer to reach the consumer. Also, such markets only like to deal with varietals that are hardy, not necessarily the best or most flavorful.

A good example are tomatoes. Grocery stores like tomatoes that are perfectly round and pretty. Heirloom tomatoes such as Brandywine or Black Krim taste great but aren't perfectly round and don't have the shelf life which is money down the drain to a retail store.

Farmer's Markets removes the middleman therefore you're getting fruit that has been picked either that morning or the day before. The farmer can pick the fruit at its optimum freshness which means...better flavor for you! The downside, if any,  it is picked ready to eat and so you can't throw it in your refrigerator and forget about it for several days.

Ready for sauce! Fresh San Marzano tomatoes from the Sacramento Farmer's Market.

There are 12 farmer's markets in Sacramento (that I know of) with five open year round. The one that I frequent is under the business Hwy 80/Hwy 99 freeway at 8th & W Streets on Sunday mornings 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

On a recent visit, farmers were carrying a mix of winter and spring crops. Among the spring fruit and vegetables making their first appearance were asparagus, artichokes, strawberries and spring garlic.

Another thing I like about this farmer's market, it has excellent beef, pork and seafood supplier's. The Little Fish Company run by Brad Little who fishes the rough waters out of Bodega Bay, Bledsoe Natural Pork, and Lucky Dog Ranch grass-fed beef. I'll be telling you more about these three ranchers on Tuesday March 26th. Below are more pictures from the farmer's market. Ciao for now!

In the Sacramento Valley broccoli is a winter crop. In Santa Cruz County it is grown year round. Asparagus is a Spring crop. I like to grill asparagus. Coat with olive oil, season with salt and grill until tender. Great with grilled meats and fish.

Last of the oranges and grapefruit. These oranges were super sweet.

Artichokes and flowers from Half Moon Bay on the San Mateo Coast.

Two winter crops, kale and carrots.

The year's first strawberries

After using astringent old garlic all winter, it's great to see and use mild tasting spring garlic.

Making great pizza at home

Pizza! It may have originated in Italy but its an all-American food now! The way I look at it, they owe us! After all, tomatoes came to Italy from America and look what tomatoes have done for their cuisine.

I can still remember my first pizza. Back in the day, pizza joints were few and far between (yeah my baby pictures are in black & white). So when Shakey's Pizza opened a joint in Gilroy, my friends and I were all over it. I couldn't get enough of that chewy, gooey pie.

My passion for pizza was such that my first job out of culinary school was manning the wood burning pizza station at a local trattoria in Sacramento. It was awesome, I got to make the dough, the sauce, prep all the ingredients and cook the pies.

I'm no longer cooking professionally but I still get the urge to make my own pizza. With a little practice, you too can make quality pizzas at home. Why go to so much effort when you can pick one up in the frozen food section of your local grocer, or order one from the pizza joint down the road?

Making your own pizza not only taste better, it's cheaper. What about the guy selling two large pizzas for $9.99? There are reasons cheap things are cheap and none of them are good!

Let's start with the essential tools, this is what you need:

My well-used pizza stone

First and foremost you need a pizza stone. To attain a nice crispy crust, using a pizza stone is essential. 

Kitchen Aid Mixer with dough hook attachment

 
 Here's the biggie. A Kitchen Aid mixer, or other comparable mixer is a big investment, however there are so many things you can do with it! I also purchased the pasta maker attachment, grinder attachment and sausage maker attachment which means there are a lot of things I can do with this machine! Grind your own hamburger meat, make exotic sausages (wild boar, duck) or fresh pasta, and don't get me started on cream cheese brownies! Have no fear, you can always prepare the dough by hand.

Wooden Pizza Peel (Paddle)

The Pizza Peel is the most convenient way to slide your pizza into the oven and onto the pizza stone. 

Rolling Pin

 I know what you're thinking. "Why not do like the guys at the pizza parlor who toss the dough into the air? They don't use a rolling pins." That's all fine and good and if you can do that, more power to you. But for schleps like me, the rolling pin is the way to go. It's easy to roll out a 10" pizza round.

Great ingredients means great pizza!

 
Two essential ingredients: 

Napoli's Antimo Caputo, double zero flour is what I use to make the pizza dough. If you can find better, let me know. If you can't find this flour in your local supermarket relax...and go to Amazon.com.

Tomatoes may have originated in the Americas but when it comes to my money, imported Italian San Marzano tomatoes are what I use. They cost more but, oh baby, they have superior flavor. Look for the D.O.P. on the can. D.O.P. stands for "protected designation of origin". "And what does that mean? The simple answer is that canned tomatoes with this designation are only from San Marzano.

San Marzano tomatoes are a plum tomato which is what chefs prefer for sauces as they contain fewer seeds and more pulp. The San Marzano region is blessed with volcanic soil from nearby Mount Vesuvius. Tomatoes love volcanic soil! Come summertime my long time friend (and brother-in-law) Dr. Gonzo, the organic farmer grows San Marzano tomatoes for me in Sacramento. For the rest of the year, I'm using these.

Pizza Dough 

(makes 4  10-inch pizza crust)

Ingredients:

4 cups Napoli Antimo Caputo tipo "00" flour
1 packet of instant dry yeast
1 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups water, 110 degrees F to activate the yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Combine the dry ingredients into the bowl of your mixer (use the dough hook attachment on your mixer). Turn your mixer on to the lowest setting and allow the dry ingredients to mix. Add the olive oil and the water. When the dry ingredients are coated with liquid, turn the speed of your mixer up one more level. The flour will begin to form a ball around the dough hook.  If it is sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is a solid ball. If it is crumbly and won't come together, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.  
Continue to mix the dough at speed 2 until you have a solid ball, all the flour has been incorporated from the sides and bottom of the mixer. Be careful not to over mix your dough as the ball will become hard and lose its elasticity.

Coat a large bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough ball into the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm area until the ball has doubled in size, usually about an hour. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface (use all-purpose flour, don't waste the expensive stuff!). Using a chef's knife or dough scraper, cut the dough into four equal pieces. Form the piece of dough into a ball. With your thumbs, begin pushing the dough in on itself in the center.

Note: For a great recipe on making pizza dough by hand I reccomend the cookbook by Marcella Hazan: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. That was my first "bible" for Italian cuisine. Of course you can always find a recipe on Google, natch.

Forming the dough ball

As you push in on the dough you will feel the sticky inside of the dough as it is forced to the outside. If it is sticking to your hands, brush a little flour on the ball. You will notice the ball become firm when you no longer feel any more stickiness from the inside. Bring the ends of the hole you have made from pushing, together in the center with your thumb and index finger until the hole is gone.

Removing "the hole"

Repeat the process with the other three dough pieces. Cover with the towel and let rest 10 minutes. You are ready to make pizza...that is if your ingredients and pizza sauce are ready to go. Pre-heat your oven to 550 degrees F. Yes 550! We're going for crispy crust, no wimpy-wimpy, chicken-chicken pizza!

Four pizza balls ready to go!

Pizza Sauce

In Italy sauce for pizza is usually either tomato based, pesto or just plain olive oil. But you know what they say about California...anything goes! BBQ sauce, Hoisin sauce, Chutney and even jam (dessert pizza, natch). These are just a few of the sauces I have seen (or used) on pizza. And why not? Pizza should be fun! You are only limited by your imagination. Today we'll stick with Tomato Sauce. Time to break out that can of San Marzano tomatoes!

Ingredients

1 28 oz. can San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes 
1 cup fresh Basil leaves 
To taste Kosher Salt
To taste Sugar (I prefer Turbinado)

Directions

In a blender or mixer place all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste for salt and sugar. Don't be heavy-handed with either, you are looking to enhance the flavor not dominate.

As with the sauce the list of topping possibilities are endless. Today I am making 3 fairly traditional pizzas. I try to find the best ingredients available. For the ham and pepperoni I use Boar's Head. I can just hear all you foodies snickering (B.H. isn't Eco-friendly and sustainable), but you have to admit Boar's Head makes really good product across the board. Besides that, it's in 48 states which you can't say about Hobbes or Niman Ranch or whomever else the "food police" deem is worthy.

Pepperoni Pizza

Sliced Pepperoni
Grated Mozzarella
Grated Smoked Mozzarella
Pizza Sauce

The flavor of the smoked Mozz is devine and pairs so well with pepperoni. The ration I use for the two cheeses is 2 parts regular and 1 part smoked. It's not written in stone!

Mushroom Pizza

8-12 Button Mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in olive oil, butter or both. Seasoned with salt.

Pizza Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese

Ham, Artichoke Hearts and Black Olives

Ham, diced however you like it on your pizza
Artichoke Hearts, ditto
Black Olives (I prefer kalamata olives but the crowd I was serving today likes the plain black olives.
Mozzarella
Pizza Sauce

Rolling out the dough

Forming the dough

Sprinkle flour on your work surface. I use a large wooden cutting board. Marble is best! Take one of your pizza balls and with your hands form it into a circle.

Rolling the dough

Sprinkle flour on top of the dough and begin rolling it out, first east to west and then north and south. When the dough begins to stick to either the rolling pin or the 
work surface, it's time for more flour.

South to North and then...

West to East

Once your dough is about 10" diameter it's time to transfer the pie onto the pizza peel. Before you do, there is one important step you need to do. Sprinkle a little Semolina Flour on the surface of your pizza peel. This will help your pizza slide gently into the oven. One thing you don't want to happen is have sauce or cheese land on your pizza stone. It will smoke and probably make your smoke detector go off! After you roll out your pizza dough you are on the clock. The longer it takes you to add the sauce and all the other ingredients means that the dough is getting softer and softer making it all the more difficult to have a safe slide onto your pizza stone. Using semolina will make this job much easier as it acts like little ball bearing transporting your pie into the oven.

Pouring the sauce

Constructing the Pizza

Ingredients prepped and ready

It starts with the sauce. I use a ladle and dump 2-3 oz in the center of the pie. Using the bottom of the ladle I move it in a circular motion I work my way out to the edge of the pie, pushing the sauce as I go.

I take the sauce to about an inch from the edge. Next come the cheese.

Working around the edge, I use my left hand as a block to keep the cheese from falling beyond the sauce.

Like I said, it's important to not get any sauce or cheese on the hot pizza stone so I try to be careful not to allow either too close to the edge. For the Pepperoni Pizza I will next add the smoked mozzarella. Next comes the other toppings.

Pepperoni Pizza ready for the oven...as soon as I pushed that cheese back away from the edge!

Bon voyage!

The length if time it will take to cook your pizza will depend on your oven. If you have a convection oven it will crisp up in less than five minutes. I never time my pizzas. It's all about observation just like if I were cooking a pie in the wood-burning pizza oven at the Trattoria. All ovens (except the one at Boar's Head) have hot and cold spots. You will noticed that one side of your pizza has turned brown while the other is still white. There are pizza peels that are specifically made for turning pizzas while in the oven. I don't own one,   I reach in the oven and grab the pizza and turn it around. I don't recommend you try this at home. If you do you will get burned. I do. Rather, grab your wooden peel and gently lift up the edge of the pizza. Once you are underneath it, continue to slide the peel until the pizza is on the peel. Bring it out of the oven and then turn it around so the "white side of the outer crust is facing the hot end of your oven. Slide the pizza back into the oven until the pizza is completely browned on the edge. Remove the pizza from the oven with your peel and slide it onto a cutting board. Congratulations!  Isn't it a thing of beauty? 

Ready to eat.

Once your pizza is out of the oven you can add the finishing touches. A little chiffonade of basil if you like. Pour a little extra virgin olive oil in a bowl and brush the edges with the oil. You can also drizzle some extra oil onto the pizza if you like. 

Cut the pizza into slices using a pizza wheel or a chef's knife. You are ready to eat!

Mushroom Pizza

Fernando "Dr. Gonzo" aka The Organic Gardner enjoying a slice of pie

How'd it go? Yes, it took some effort, so get the whole family or your friends together to help. The more often  you do it the easier it will be. Have questions or comments? Send them to me using the comment box below. 

Spring has sprung in the Sacramento Valley. Join me Saturday, March 23rd as I visit the Sacramento Farmer's Market for the first time this year.

Ciao for now!