Hey, before we get on to the food…in case you didn’t notice, the freakin’ sun came out, finally! July 5th marks the first day without any rain since I think I can remember, or at least since, like, the beginning of June. So, everyone molding in New England can now begin to dry out. Hallelujah!
Now…for this week’s OLS meal: barbeque chicken pizza!
Photo taken after the first servings were enjoyed!
It’s not exactly a “garden meal,” but for a stormy, damp July 4th, it was perfect. We had leftover barbeque chicken, which we had glazed with some great sauce from Stonewall Kitchen (Mainers, ‘eh), and some fresh mozzarella in the fridge. I used the America’s Test Kitchen pizza bianca recipe for the crust (registration required at ATK site). So far, this is my favorite homemade crust recipe.
Natives: King Arthur Flour*, Stonewall Kitchen Maple Chipotle Barbeque Sauce, chicken,VT mozzarella (sorry, can’t remember the farm name), garlic scapes, parsley.
From Away: Olive oil, yeast, salt, pepper.
*King Arthur Flour is an employee-owned company that produces flour in Vermont. The wheat is not from New England, but I consider the flour as local as I’m going to get at this point!
Woman, when you come back, you come back with a vengeance!! That’s one fine looking pizza you have there.
As for the King Arthur flour–let me tell you, finding wheat in the northeast ain’t no piece of cake! I found a place in NY within my 100 miles, but they don’t grow semolina/durum wheat. Making pasta with pastry flour is an adventure in itself! The issue up this way is the humidity. Turns out that the midwest really does have the best climate for wheat. I wish I could find a family farmer in North Dakota to buy from directly!
My only issue with King Arthur is that their flours are “enriched.” I’m not comfortable with laboratory guys deconstructing and reformulating vitamin compounds that the FDA currently thinks are good for me. That’s why I prefer Hodgson Mills semolina–nuthin’ extra in it. (And equally not in my region!) However, for serious bakers who thrive on predictable results, you cannot beat King Arthur. (I’m hardly a serious baker but I’m a big fan of predictable results.)
Bottom line: if anyone gives you a hard time about where KA sources their wheat, tell them . Seriously–making stuff from scratch gets you extra bonus points.
On another note: I’m considering going to the NOFA summer conference again this year (http://www.nofasummerconference.org/). Any interest up in your neck of the woods?
Are you local to Clinton Corners, NY? There is a company called Wild Hive Farm that actually grows their own wheat, rye, etc. and sells it both by mail and at their farm/store. They sell it all whole-grain. If you google it you should find their website.
And I am so happy to finally see the sun!
That’s how I feel about King Arthur flour, and it’s the only stuff I use. I buy it in 25 lbs bags from the grocery store
.
That pizza looks so good I’m almost drooling. I love seeing the break-down of where the ingredients come from, too. It’s amazing what we can find when we start digging around.