Three summers ago, my aunt and uncle, Kathleen and Paul, had finished building their lakeside cottage nestled in rural Quebec. They have worked hard to turn that cottage into their own paradise, and for the most part they have succeeded. Along with the development of the cottage came their now beloved pizza recipe. Any time they are hosting a dinner for the family, everyone is looking forward to their pizzas; for everyone knows that the pizza usually leads to a rather entertaining evening.
In all honesty, those pizza dinners have seen almost everything, from political debates, to family reunions, and even a fistfight or two. Though many eventful evenings have passed with this pizza, my best memory would have to be one of the sleepier, less remarkable sundowns. Similar to the ambience of that summer day, my memory of that dinner is slightly hazy. I remember the light cerulean sky that bore over us, the sun that sparkled on the windows and drink glasses, and the flour itching the creases of my fingers as I helped aunt Kathleen prepare the pizzas. She was explaining to me how to properly roll out the dough, which I continued to mess up through fits of laughter.
Pizza after pizza, I brought each out onto the balcony to my uncle to put in the oven. The wafting warmth of the cooking pizzas stirred the gathering with anticipation. After making sure everyone had been given their personal pizza, I finally was able to settle down to my own. The warm and colourful flavours of pesto, mozzarella, feta, and onions filled my mouth with pleasure, which promptly transferred to my heart. I was with family; I was safe and at ease. I knew everything was okay. Despite the typical eventfulness that these pizzas tend to bring to an evening by the lake, they never fail to bring the family together. Whether it be through the process of making them or serving them, the family bond radiates as warm and bright as the summer sun beaming down over the lake.
In all honesty, those pizza dinners have seen almost everything, from political debates, to family reunions, and even a fistfight or two. Though many eventful evenings have passed with this pizza, my best memory would have to be one of the sleepier, less remarkable sundowns. Similar to the ambience of that summer day, my memory of that dinner is slightly hazy. I remember the light cerulean sky that bore over us, the sun that sparkled on the windows and drink glasses, and the flour itching the creases of my fingers as I helped aunt Kathleen prepare the pizzas. She was explaining to me how to properly roll out the dough, which I continued to mess up through fits of laughter.
Pizza after pizza, I brought each out onto the balcony to my uncle to put in the oven. The wafting warmth of the cooking pizzas stirred the gathering with anticipation. After making sure everyone had been given their personal pizza, I finally was able to settle down to my own. The warm and colourful flavours of pesto, mozzarella, feta, and onions filled my mouth with pleasure, which promptly transferred to my heart. I was with family; I was safe and at ease. I knew everything was okay. Despite the typical eventfulness that these pizzas tend to bring to an evening by the lake, they never fail to bring the family together. Whether it be through the process of making them or serving them, the family bond radiates as warm and bright as the summer sun beaming down over the lake.
- Ingredients/Materials
-Raw dough
-Sauce of choice (tomato sauce, pesto, alfredo, etc)
- Shredded cheese of choice (mozzarella, cheddar, gouda, feta, etc)
-Toppings of choice (pepperoni, onions, ham, chicken, olives, mushrooms, peppers, bacon, basil, etc)
-Flour
-Large metal spoon (tablespoon size)
-Pizza peel
-Wood oven
- Dough steps/recipe
Ingredients
-1 ⅓ cup of warm water
-2 ¼ tsp of instant yeast
-1 tbsp of sugar
Steps
1. Mix these three ingredients into a large bowl, cover with dishcloth; let stand for 10 min. It should become frothy and double in size.
2. Add 2 tbsp of oil, 1 tsp of salt and 3 ½ cups of flour; mix together and let stand for 5 min.
3. Sprinkle flour on the counter or wooden cutting board, remove dough from the bowl and knead dough on the flour-covered surface for 10 minutes until firm and no longer sticky. Form it into a ball.
4. Use roughly 1 tbsp of oil and rub it all around a new large bowl; put the dough ball into the bowl and cover with a damp dishcloth. Put the bowl in a warm place to allow the dough to rise for 3-4 hours.
- Cottage pizza steps/recipe
1. Get raw, home-made pizza dough from fridge
2. Take roughly a handful of dough and sprinkle lightly with flour; roll out until the size of a small plate. If dough remains sticky, sprinkle more flour and knead
3. Grab tablespoon-sized metal spoon; scoop pizza sauce (tomato sauce, pesto, etc); gently spread amount of your liking over the dough
4. Take handful of shredded cheese; sprinkle all over the dough, making sure the cheese is evenly spread throughout
5. Decorate pizza with toppings of your choice
6. Prepare wood oven; set at a temperature of 425 degrees fahrenheit; let it warm up for about 5 minutes
7. Place pizza in oven using pizza peel; let pizza cook for about 7-10 minutes
8. Pull pizza out of oven; carefully slide onto a plate
9. Enjoy your personalized cottage pizza!