Ciao carissimi! Hello my dear friends!
This week has been a very exciting one for me and now I get to share some of this excitement with you…let me start at the beginning!
A few months ago, I received an invitation from a casting company for the first-ever pizza competition show. Hulu was producing a 10 episode series called “Best in Dough”. One of the episodes was about Italian nonne, hence they reached out.
There were several steps to see if I was a good candidate including multiple interviews and paperwork. To be honest, I went along with it but I never thought I would be a finalist because of the very competitive process.
A couple of weeks before filming was scheduled to begin, I was notified that I made it through all the cuts and that I was indeed one of the three finalists for the nonne episode. Saying that I was excited is an understatement! Lol
How could little ol’ me make it to a National contest….filming in Hollywood no less! Unbelievable yet a dream come true.
The timing of the news was perfect. The first anniversary of Dan’s passing was approaching and I was not looking forward to it. The “firsts” are always the hardest when you lose a loved one. But this was a godsend plus it was what Dan always pushed me to do.
I often took my gift (for cooking and baking) for granted. Dan did not. He said that I should do something with it and that he would help me by making me a website and promote me. He believed in me more than I believed in myself. I knew this news would have made him happy and proud.
So, off I went to Hollywood, accompanied by my good friend Gayle. It was both exciting and scary! I was extremely nervous but everyone was very nice, making me feel comfortable.
I won’t share details but please make sure to watch the show. I promise you’ll enjoy it a lot. What I can tell you is that it was very intense and that I made some wonderful new friends from the experience, including the other nonne and their families.
The show will air September 19 on Hulu. My episode is the first of the ten that make the series.
Wells Adams is the host (what a great young man!!) and Daniele Uditi (pizza chef from Naples, Italy, and owner of Pizzana) is the head judge. A third guest judge is part of the show as well but changes with the episodes. The guest judge for mine is Bryan Ford, the sourdough expert.
I close this week’s newsletter with joy and anticipation. I can’t wait to see the actual show! And I really, really hope you’ll watch with me when it airs. It was an experience of a lifetime and I’m thankful to have been part of such a great production by being one of the 30 contestants.
Thank you for letting me share and for being part of this amazing journey!
Arrivederci! See you next week, as always, in my kitchen.
In honor of the pizza show, I’m sharing an old time favorite of my home town in Italy: Pizza Casareccia (Homestyle Pizza).
This is the pizza I grew up with and that my entire family loves. Unlike traditional round pizza, this one is rectangular. In fact, in my region it is often called “Pizza Al Metro” or “Pizza by the Meter” because you can buy it at local bakeries by the centimeters.
This pizza is simple yet delicious. Of course, the freshness and high quality of the ingredients is what makes all old fashioned Italian food so good!
Bacioni (Big Kisses)!
Nonna Antoinette
Pizza Casareccia (Homestyle Pizza)
Like my nonne used to make…….
Ingredients:
For the dough:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup warm water
1 packet dry yeast, 0.25 ounce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
For the sauce:
1 cup Pomi' strained tomatoes (in the carton, imported from Italy- May substitute with drained San Marzano peeled tomatoes, blended into purée)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 3 for sauce plus 1 to drizzle
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves of chopped fresh garlic)
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup grated cheese, 50/50 mix of Parmigiano and Romano
pinch of oregano
black pepper to taste
Directions:
Start by making the pizza dough....
Sprinkle yeast over one cup of warm water. Add one teaspoon of sugar and stir.
Meanwhile, measure 1/2 of the flour and place in a large bowl. When the surface of the water/yeast mixture looks foamy, add it to the flour. Mix well with your hands. Add the remaining flour, incorporating it gradually until fully absorbed. If your dough is too wet, add a little more flour. If it is too dry, add a bit more warm water.
Take the dough out of the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead by hand at least 15 minutes, making sure to frequently fold dough over (as if you were folding laundry). This is a trick my Neapolitan grandmother taught me. It is important for achieving an airy crust so famous in Naples, Italy, the birthplace of pizza.
When the dough looks smooth and elastic, shape it into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic film first and a clean kitchen towel over that. Place in a warm and draft-free area to allow dough to rise. It should double in size in about 2 hours.
In a bowl, place strained tomatoes, 3 tbsp of the olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano and a couple tbsp of grated cheese. The sauce should not be watery!
Mix well and set aside.
Grease a 9 1/2” by 13” cookie sheet with butter or shortening. Stretch the dough into an even rectangle, making sure to form a "lip" around the edge of the pizza.
Evenly distribute the sauce over the pizza crust until you have a nice, even layer but not too heavy. In fact, too much sauce will result in a soggy pizza.
Sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese evenly over pizza.
Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
Bake in a preheated 400F oven for about 15-20 minutes or until bottom crust is golden and top is very lightly charred.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Cut pizza into even squares and serve warm.
TIPS:
As always, you can substitute store bought pizza dough for the homemade one. The dose in this recipe makes about 20 ounces of dough therefore, substitute accordingly.
Do not make your sauce watery. Drain any excess water from tomatoes before adding the other ingredients.
You may use extra grated cheese as topping if you desire.
You may also use extra olive oil to drizzle on top.
Please use the best quality ingredients for this recipe. Since it’s so simple, the quality of the tomatoes, grated cheese and olive oil is what it’s going to make it delicious.
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