AUCKLAND, April 19 — I will never own a wood-fire oven.
It’s a ridiculous expense. You can’t install one inside an apartment. Who would build it? All that smoke, given climate change. And I wouldn’t know how to use it properly.
So many reasons why.
Still it’s a nice fantasy, particularly after a cosy evening of curling up with a coffee table book on Neapolitan cuisine. Could anything be more rustic?
Perhaps it’s cabin fever from all the self isolation. At least takeaways and food deliveries are still allowed in Malaysia during the MCO period.
Back when we were stranded in Auckland, during New Zealand’s Level 4 lockdown, all food businesses had to shutter for the period. No takeaways, no food deliveries to your home.
All you had was what was in your pantry and your grocery haul from the supermarket (which is allowed to open).
Given all the flour, eggs and cans of beans that seemingly everyone was panic buying, there was a lot of baking of bread and fart-inducing pots of bean soup.
The former because everyone loves bread and craved it during a very trying time (to say the least). The latter because, well, what else were you going to do with all those beans?
As the days passed and turned into weeks, we all began to desire foods that we had taken for granted before, that was so convenient.
You could walk into a pizzeria and grab a slice; you could call Domino’s and Pizza Hut and have your regular or large pies delivered to your doorstep.
What the Kiwi authorities took away, ingenuity gives back — necessity being the mother of invention and all that. Though it’s entirely misleading to consider making your own pizzas at home to be something new.
Italian nonnas (grandmothers) have been kneading pizza dough at home since forever.
I was 23 when I made my first pizza, shown firsthand by my Italian friend Manuel in his family home in Trento. It wasn’t a beautiful pie but it tasted good.
It might have taken a global pandemic for some of us to realise this but we can make most foods in our own kitchens.
This is not about recreating the experience of dining in a restaurant or the ease of having someone else make your food for you.
This is about creating a new experience, especially for those who have never cooked before or rarely had the opportunity to do so previously. It’s about slowing down and taking our time.
We can shelter in place and satisfy our palates too.
#STAYATHOME PIZZA
Firstly, making your own pizza at home shouldn’t be a chore.
If the thought of sieving flour and sticky fingers scare you, there’s absolutely nothing wrong in using a frozen pizza base or an alternative base such as flatbreads.
The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana might look askance at our efforts but no one else would. We’re in the comforts of our own home. Let’s do what we like.
Secondly, the fun part about pizza making, as anyone would tell you, is about assembling the toppings. Have fun, go crazy.
Now would be a good time to make use of any leftovers, provided you break them up into bite-sized prices first.
By the way, you can make a quick pizza sauce by reducing tomato purée, cooking it down with a pinch of sugar and salt to taste till it’s the consistency of thick gravy.
I’m sharing some ingredients that I enjoy but use whatever you like best or have at hand. At worst, it’ll taste odd and you can try again. At best? Pizza heaven.
Ingredients (pizza base)
250ml warm water
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
300g all-purpose flour
A generous pinch of salt
Extra flour for dusting
Oil
Ingredients (toppings)
Tomato purée, reduced with a pinch of salt and sugar
Cheese (grated cheddar is easier to find than fresh mozzarella)
Pepperoni, sliced
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Jalapeño, sliced
Olives, pitted and sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle over baked pizza
Method
First activate the yeast by combining warm water, yeast and sugar in a bowl. Set aside for 4-5 minutes until you see it foaming. This means the yeast is activated.
Sift the flour into a larger mixing bowl. Add the salt. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the yeast mixture in.
Combine the dry and wet ingredients until you get a soft dough. Form into a ball.
Take some extra flour and dust your work surface, e.g. kitchen countertop. Transfer the ball of dough onto this floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
Lightly oil a clean bowl. Place kneaded dough in the bowl and cover with cling wrap. Allow to rise for half an hour in a warm spot.
Roll the risen dough into your desired pizza shape and size; the balance keeps well in the freezer for future use.
Preheat the oven to 230°C. Pre-bake the pizza base for about 5 minutes until the crust looks set but not browned. This prevents the base from being undercooked later as the toppings tend to finish cooking faster.
Spread a small ladle of reduced tomato purée in a circular motion on the pre-baked pizza base. Sprinkle with a thin layer of cheese, followed by your favourite toppings.
Here I’ve used sliced pepperoni, cherry tomatoes, jalapeño, olives and mushrooms. Finish with another thin layer of cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust looks crispy; be careful not to allow it to scorch. Remove from the oven and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil while the pizza is still hot. This will perfume your pie deliciously.
Allow to cool slightly on the baking tray or rack before slicing and serving.
For a complete and updated list of ‘Stranded in Auckland’ and ‘Life Under Quarantine’ stories, visit http://lifeforbeginners.com/stranded/.
