Travel Talk Tuesday: July 19, 2022 – Florence and Donegal  (S2E22)

Travel Talk Tuesday: July 19, 2022 – Florence and Donegal (S2E22)

Join David as he shows you around Florence, Italy and Mercato Centrale.  Then we’ll hop over to County Donegal, Ireland to experience the sights and sites on the Innishowen Peninsula.  David is back home from 8 weeks on the road in Europe.  

 

There are a lot more of my Travel Talk Tuesday episodes in the archives. If you are looking for more information, videos, or advice about European travel, check here https://davidmcguffin.com/ttt

 

Pizza Done Right!

Pizza Done Right!

The Coronavirus lockdown has disrupted the “normal” routine all over the world. Here at home, in Middleburg, Florida, Charlotte and I are spending much of our time keeping to ourselves, working on previously ignored projects around the house, and occasionally running to the store to pick up food or hardware items. Needless to say, I am getting stir-crazy and itching to get back to travel (#BackToTravel)! But, until we can do that safely, cooking is a good substitute for me.

Pizza Done Wrong

Recently, we had worked outside in our yard, all day long. When supper-time rolled around, neither of us felt like cooking, there were no left-overs in the fridge, and restaurants are closed during the pandemic. So, I decided to run up to Papa Murphy’s and get a “bring-home-and-cook-it-yourself” pizza. (I’ve eaten pizza all around the world and have decided Papa Murphy’s Pizza produces the best takeaway alternative to a homemade pie. I like cooking it myself and eating it hot! By the way, I keep it simple too, thin-crust, mushrooms, pepperoni, onions, and bell peppers). It was only 6:30 in the evening, but unfortunately, the store was already closed due to shortened hours! So, I went to the local Pizza Hut, walked in, ordered a pizza, and waited for it in my car. It was semi-warm when I got it home, but we were starving by this time, so we opened the box and dug in.

Pizzza Hut

It was not very good. The crust was overcooked and hard, the red sauce was tart and astringent, and the veggies were not fresh. The pepperoni was the best ingredient. But we ate it!

Next Time, I Made My Own

A few days later, I decided to stock up on the ingredients to make fresh homemade pizza. But, when I got to the grocery store, they had no flour on the shelves. It seems, like toilet paper, flour is a hot-selling item during this pandemic! So, I walked over to the deli counter and purchased a hunk of made-fresh daily pizza dough. I’m not sure if Publix Super Market mixes this up every morning in their deli, or if it arrives frozen and they thaw it out, but regardless, it is pretty good. I also stocked up on my fav four ingredients of pepperoni, bell peppers, sweet onions, and mushrooms. Here’s how it turned out… almost like Italy!

Italian Pizza Done Right

When in Rome, we often begin our Exploring Europe tours with a Day 1 get-together at Mercato Centrale Roma for a pizza lunch before heading out for sightseeing. This is the perfect way to get acquainted with one another and with authentic Italian food. Not only does it house a great pizzeria, but there are also 17 other food stalls selling almost anything to eat or drink that comes to mind when thinking of authentic Italian cuisine. Check out this artisanal pizza from pizzaiolo Gabriele Bonci. Photo thanks to Italy Magazine and their article on Mercato Centrale Roma.

Pizza-Mercato-Centrale-Roma-Italy-Magazine

We have searched thousands of photos in our archives for a picture of our groups eating pizza at Mercato Centrale in Rome or Florence. I guess the pizza is too good to document, but we did not find a single photo in our files. So, if you have any photos of pizza at Mercato Centrale or in Italy or your favorite pizzeria at home, send them in and we’ll post ’em!

There are hundreds of pizzerie (that’s plural for pizzeria) all over Rome. Some are better than others, but none of them are bad. If they were, they would be out of business real quick! I like to visit those that are small places with a real wood-fired pizza oven, a pizzaiolo (the man who wears white clothes and makes a pizza), and is located outside of the tourist areas.

Claudia’s Homemade Pizza

My friends the Del Duca’s live just outside the ancient Etruscan town of Volterra, in Tuscany. I visit with them six or eight times a year, either at their home and agriturismo known as Podere Marcampo or their Ristorante Enoteca Del Duca. Twice a year, we rent out their agriturismo rooms and host 12-15 people on our “Villa Vacation” tour. This is a delight because we get to unpack our stuff for seven consecutive nights and experience what life might be like for a local in Volterra. Each day we go on short excursions to Lucca, Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, and the Chianti region for sightseeing, wine tasting, and fun. When we return to Podere Marcampo, there is time for relaxing, swimming, sunbathing, hiking, and of course, eating and drinking!

Marcampo 2019 05
PODERE MARCAMPO

One evening, a few years back, Claudia offered to make pizza for our group and to share her recipe. Here it is.

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE

  • 1.3 lbs all purpose flour
  • 1/2 oz. beer yeast
  • 14 oz. warm water
  • Half a glass of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp. spoon of sugar
  • 1 tsp. of salt
  • tomato puree
  • oregano

Dissolve the yeast in warm water. In a bowl, mix the flour with salt, sugar and extra virgin olive oil. Add the water and knead until you get a soft uniform dough. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let the dough rise for 2 hours.

Thereafter, extend the dough with a rolling pin and adjust it in one or more flat oven pans lined with parchment paper. Cover again, and let sit for an hour.

In the meantime make the tomato sauce. Puree fresh tomatoes or purchase quality canned tomato puree. (David’s note – I always use the CENTO brand for whole canned tomatoes and puree. They have no citric acid which is often added as a preservative). Mix in salt, pepper, oregano, and extra-virgin olive oil. Let it rest for at least one hour in the fridge.

Pre-heat the oven to 500°F.

Uncover the dough, place a thin layer of tomato sauce on the dough. Add other ingredients from the list below. Cook for 15-20 minutes.

  • Mozzarella, sliced potatoes, bacon, rosemary
  • Mozzarella, spinach (pre-cooked with garlic), and sausage
  • Tomato, mozzarella, ham, mushrooms, olives
  • Tomato, mozzarella, sliced veggies, marjoram

Slice and enjoy your homemade pizza!

Feel free to leave comments below. Share your favorite photos of pizza and tell us all about your dining experience on one of my social media platforms noted below.

Read the sequel and see more pizza perfect pictures here.