I love Pizza… I so do!
The local Pizza Delivery number used be on our speed dial & up until 6 months ago it was dinner almost every Sunday evening. The husband & I would, at one time, order & almost finish eating 2 large pepperoni pizzas, between the 2 of us! I say Almost, because I would save a couple slices for breakfast! There’s something oddly satisfying about leftover pizza, straight out of the fridge!
Well, that was 6 months ago. Now with the whole “We need to eat healthy!” thing that we have going & all the other changes we’ve had in our home & lifestyle, it’s been a while since we’ve reached for the speed dial! Though while I was recouping at my parents’ last month, we ordered from this new place that had opened in their neighbourhood, Francescos Pizzeria & it was so good! There was a Bianca, with 5 cheese, sage & a dollop of sour cream on the side & an Eggplant Parmigiana… I had never eaten eggplant as a pizza topping before this… & that’s pretty healthy too!! Indulgence without the guilt!
So when I read about a Pizza Making Class happening at Serafina, the Bombay branch of the popular New York Pizzeria, I was super excited! Back in the day Ma & my grandmother used to make pizza from scratch at home… dough & all. It was delicious but they didn’t quite make the thin, crackly crust that I love. It was going to be awesome learning how to… Specially since I’m still in my I love being a Student mode!
My friend Kiran (you should check her blog, All You Need Is An Egg Plant for her food experiences wherever she travels, gorgeous photographs & great recipes) & I decided to sign up together… We hadn’t met in a while, so what better way for 2 baking enthusiasts to catch up than over mixing bowls!
Serafina had a very warm & comfortable vibe & the chefs, specially Chef Rahul & Ashish, who were going to teach us were very good at what they do & extremely generous when it came to sharing tips & techniques.
I think making pizza is so therapeutic! You vent out all your aggression & frustration while kneading the dough. And then you pour all your love into gently stretching & rolling out the dough, & spread the sauce & sprinkle the toppings with joy… And feel great & very proud on seeing a delish result!
My Very Own Hand Made Pizza…. Perfect with a glass of White Wine Sangria…. followed by a Red one!
The Pizza just before I popped it into the gorgeous Wood-Stone Oven. The sauce was made by the chefs using special tomatoes from Italy. I wanted to keep the flavours simple, so I topped the pizza with Black Olives, Mozzarella & Basil
I did it! I stretched out & shaped the dough by hand… & did not make the map of India! See, it’s almost a circle! I used the rolling pin just to finish it.
The dough I kneaded… but of course we didn’t use this one. The dough I rolled out had been resting in the fridge for 5 hours.
My work station just before we started… with all the ingredients neatly laid out, & a Recipe Booklet!
