-- Pizzaaa!!

Credit goes to my friend, Khaldoun Rishmawi, who taught me this one!

Ingredients: [Serves 4 people and can make 2 large size pizza]

tsp - tea spoon

1. Tomatoes: 8 (medium sized) - Smell the tomatoes before you buy, because good tomatoes does smell good

2. American flour/Maida: 3 cups [Ice cream cup:3 inch diameter and 1.5 inch deep]

3. Fresh thyme leaves: 8 to 9 branches

4. Oregano: 1 tsp of dried oregano [If you get fresh one, use 2 branch of it]

5. Fresh rosemary: 1 branch

6. Cheese: Mozzarella [Use the fresh mozzarella for not so heavy pizza]

7. Yeast : 2 tsp

8. Tomato paste: 1/2 tin [Smaller size tin]

9. Garlic: One full size [Peel all of them and keep it crushed]

Yeast Preparation:

1. Take one full glass of water and warm it slightly. Do not make it too hot!Just warm it

2. Add 2 tsp of yeast into it

3. Add 1 tsp of sugar and mix well. Keep it aside for 5 minutes.

Pizza dough: [Prepare it 4 hours before you make pizza]

1. Take a big bowl and add 3 cups of american flour/maida

2. Add 4 tsp of olive oil

3. Add 1/2 tsp of salt

4. Add the yeast water and mix it with flour. If you need more water, add water little by little. You don't want your dough to be too soft

5. Beat the dough until you get a nice consistency. Shouldn't be too hard or too soft!

6. Seal the bowl with plastic food wrap and make it air tight. Keep it aside for about 4 hours!

Tomato Sauce:

Tomato cold shock: [This technique is used to easily peel tomato skin]

a. Prepare plenty of ice cubes and add it to a container to make very cold water. Keep it aside!

b. Take one more container and separately boil water in it. Make sure, it can hold 8 to 9 tomatoes.

c. Once the water starts boiling, add tomatoes

d. Wait until tomato skin starts cracking

e. Remove tomatoes from boiling water and add quickly into freezing cold water. Tomato skin starts peeling automatically!

f. I found this technique useful. You may have a better technique to peel tomato skin

1. Grind the peeled tomatoes in a grinder / blender

2. Take a medium sized pan and add 3 to 4 tsp of olive oil

3. Add grinded tomato mix

4. Add thyme, oregano, and rosemary

5. Add 3/4th of crushed garlic. Mix well everything and allow it to cook for about 10 to 12 minuter. Cover your pan with a lid. Use a medium size flame!

6. Keep stirring your mix from time to time and make sure you don't burn it!

7. Once the tomatoes are cooked, remove the lid of pan for water to evaporate. Cook it further for 10 more minutes in a low flame. Make sure your tomato sauce has a nice thick consistency!

8. Add salt for taste and add tomato paste. Mix it well and let it cook for 3 more minutes in low flame

9. Keep aside your tomato sauce and let it cool

Pizza Preparation: [2 large size]

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees

2. Beat the dough once again for about 5 minutes to get a nice consistency

3. Make two portions of your dough and make nice ball out of it

4. Spread some flour on top of dry counter and roll your dough using a wooden roller. Sprinkle some flour on top, if your dough starts sticking on to your roller

5. If you want thin crust, you can roll into thin size or if you want it to be little thick, you can roll accordingly

6. Brush your pizza pan with olive oil so that your pizza does not stick on to your pan

7. Place your pizza on pizza pan. Brush your pizza with olive oil [You can skip this step, if you think you are using too much olive oil. I like Olive oil!]

8. Spread tomato paste on top of it. Make sure you have it enough for the second pizza!

9. Spread veggies of your choice: Some of the combinations are here

a. Fresh basil, spinach, mushroom, onion, green pepper

b. Fresh basil, spinach, onion, green pepper, pineapple [Make sure you drain water from pineapple before using]

10. Evenly spread freshly grated mozzarella cheese on top of your veggies. Add enough so that it covers your veggies

11. Make sure you spread your veggies and cheese by leaving 1 inch gap from the edge

12. Place your pan inside the oven at 500 degrees for about 5 minutes

13. Once you see your pizza has fluffed, reduce the temperature to about 350 and bake for 8 more minutes. This will let all your veggies get cooked!

14. Again increase the temperature to 500 for about 3 minutes

15. If the base color starts turning into golden yellow, you know your pizza is cooked. Also make sure you don't burn your cheese too.

16. Remove pizza from the oven and cut into slices

PIZZA READY!!!

Serve hot with green chilly pickles