Surprised by Pizza Nerds
I have really creative friends who started a podcast on pizza, called Pizza Nerds. I finally made time to check it out, and I was so moved that I cried. That night I was wondering why did I cry? I could not put my finger on it! Then I realized it was because they were describing a life value that I am currently not able to pull off very well. Actually two life values. I value routine, see here when I wrote about it last summer. Secondly, I value slowing down with community.
A regular pizza night allows you to do these very important rituals!
I didn't think I wanted to make pizza since we lived in Uganda and HAD to make pizza. When we moved back, it was like take out heaven and six years later we still ADORE picking up pizza from a local pizza place. BUT, I love these friends, so of course, I circled back around to listen to their work. And I cried and learned a ton! I mentioned it to my husband and he had just heard from a patient who does Friday night pizza and beer night which sounded appealing. Good timing!
With both of us on board with this idea, we have set aside Friday for pizza night. The main thing was just starting and building on our knowledge. Once we get a nice routine down, we want to add friends or family to the mix. Feel free to drop by any time. Although we made pizza in Uganda, this would have been fun to have a regular night and to do it with our neighbors and teammates! Next time.
I have to say, we began using a scale to weigh flour when we lived in England because that is how they cook and bake. I also brought my scale to Uganda due to international recipes and I find myself back in the USA with a scale for these awesome pizza recipes. Try to get a scale. I also learned about hot honey.
We started with an old favorite book. Soon, we will begin the recipes listed on the podcast website.
This book is so dreamy. “Like the discoverer of fire or the maker of the wheel, the creator of pizza remains unknown. We do know that by the eighteenth century pizza was the food of Naples, an extravagantly delicious dish combining the simplest and cheapest of ingredients with fabulous imagination. The crisp, slightly smoky tang of the pizza, made as it should be, depends on the hands and secrets of the pizzaioli locali, heirs of a tradition passed orally from one baker to the next, as well as heirs of the oils of their olives and the lard of their pigs, the waters of their hills, the tomatoes of their vines, the leaves of basil ripened by their sun, the mozzarella of their buffalo and the wood-burning fires of their brick-lined ovens.”
Dang, Italy! Way to go! and way to go, Pizza Nerds!
