Pizza from Scratch and Salad with Black Cherry Dressing

Pizza from Scratch and Salad with Black Cherry Dressing:

Pepperoni- Kalamata Olive- Mushroom- Ricotta Cheese

Romaine Lettuce- Roasted Pine Nuts-Carrots- Sun Dried Tomatoes-Avocado-Green Onions
Dressing: Black Cherry Vinegar (4 Tbs)-Lemon Infused Olive Oil (2Tbs)-Agave Syrup (1 Tbs) -Dijon Mustard (1/2 Tbs) - Salt (1/4 tsp)

          Pizza is one of my all time favorite foods. Since we got our new mixer, we have been experimenting with dough and yeast. Each time we do a pizza, the dough comes out differently. The ingredients came from our local Co-Operative local food mart, and Trader Joes. I really liked the mozzarella from T.J.’s. I got the whole milk, not skim because I want it to be amazing. As with all ingredients, I can taste the difference.

         I made the pizza sauce from scratch with canned tomatoes with juice, onion and garlic, dried oregano, basil, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, tomato paste, and red peppers. All the spices are to taste. Just throw it in. I only had about an ounce of paste left in the jar so my sauce was light. Usually you would use 5 oz of paste to 16 oz of canned tomato. After sautéing the ingredients on the stove, I transfer them to the blender and puree on speed 2 until fairly smooth.

       The pizza dough was made with bread flour that we are giving a try. So far the bread has been rising and we are yielding good bread. Tonight’s crust came out a tad more crisp than we have been having, and we attribute that to using a high heat in the oven. 500 degrees. I enjoyed the crust being crispy with the slightly wetter tomato sauce. I thought they complemented each other very nicely. I also brushed the edge of the dough with basil olive oil before baking.