When I think of Idaho

May 17th. May 17th. The date just keeps turning over and over again in my mind. May is nearly behind us. How is that possible? We just got home from the cruse in March. How can it be May already? Wow.

Today is Idaho Day (more on that in a minute) and also the 3rd Friday of May. Why couldn’t the powers that be – whoever it is that picks National Days – make the third Saturday in May National Pizza Party Day? Why Friday? I don’t know about kids today, but in my day Friday Night meant football and pizza. First the game, to watch our Thundering Herd go down in flames yet again, then off to Pizza Hut for the best thin crust Pepperoni Pizza ever. Wash all our sorrows away with a few pints of Root Beer. Thank God for ignorance. I thought Vatican II did away with the whole Penance on Fridays thing. We could have pepperoni on our pizza and not do anything else. Now I know better. And honestly, it’s easier to get my guys to skip the meat on Fridays than it is to have them say an extra Sorrowful Rosary. The upside of No Meat on Fridays is that this delicious recipe we’ll soon be sharing was perfect for a Wild Card Wednesday Supper.

Okay, now on to Idaho. I have a cousin who lives in Idaho. Chances are, with my extended family, I have a cousin in every corner of the world. When you count all the second cousins and third cousins, we could damn near fill a football field. One thing about Filipinos is we don’t understand the concept of once removed. Cousins are cousins no matter how many times removed. It explains how we assume when we meet other Filipinos that we must be related somehow. When Hubby and I were first married, that was one of the things he found strange. His immediate family isn’t close, and I don’t think he’s ever met a cousin. In my family, if a cousin is getting married or having a baptismal, it’s an excuse for a family reunion. Hubby used to ask me “How do you know these people?” To which I would reply “Oh, I don’t”. He would then ask me to explain why we are driving 300 miles to attend a wedding. Because, it’s family. To me it was so simple. After nearly 40 years of marriage, it’s all normal. Family is family. In my family, a wedding invitation is community property – passed from house to house until everyone has been invited. It saves a lot on stamps.

When I think Idaho, I think of our friends, Floyd and Margie. When Floyd married Margie, she had a daughter from a previous marriage. That was okay, Floyd loved children. So much so that they had nine of their own. One day Margie and I were talking. Floyd was getting ready for a month-long hunting trip to Idaho. Margie had always wanted to go, but she was either pregnant or taking care of a baby. They had never even had a honey moon. That’s when the lights came on for me – if someone else could take the older children, why Hubby and I would love to take the younger ones. They went to school with Kiddo, all but the youngest. I could just keep him with me. Poor Hubby, he came home to find we had become a family with five children. He asked “What are we going to do about Church?” Which I thought was a stupid question. “We’ll be like a typical Catholic Family.” I laughed. We took the children shopping for church clothes and made adjustments in the home to accommodate four extra kids for a month. Hubby did just fine. I loved it. I still do, only now Hubby needs to remind me of our advanced age. When I say let’s volunteer at the Church to help the elderly, Hubby informs me that we are the elderly. He’s right, I know. I just don’t think about my age.

Hum, didn’t really tell you much about Idaho, did I? Oh well, let’s eat!

Deep Dish Three Meat Pizza
Pizza Dough
Olive oil for the bowl
2-1/2 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Rapid-Rise Yeast
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 cup warm Water

Light oil a bowl for the dough to rest in while proofing. Set aside in a warm place.

Measure the flour, salt, yeast and sugar into a food processor fitted with a metal blade attachment. Pulse to combine well.

Add 1 cup of warm water, continue to process until a dough-ball is formed; about 30 seconds.

Note: If ball does not form, add a bit more flour

Once ball forms, process dough for another 30 seconds. Dump dough out, roll into a tight ball. Place the dough ball into the prepared bowl. Proof in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the pizza sauce.

Pizza Sauce
3 Garlic Cloves
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2-1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
Splash Red Wine
1 (28-oz) can Crushed Tomatoes
2 teaspoons Sugar
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Peel and finely mince the garlic, set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat oil. Add the Italian seasoning, minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Sauté until fragrant; about 30 seconds. DO NOT let the garlic burn. Add a splash of red wine, swirl the pan to mix.

Add crushed tomatoes and sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring pizza sauce to a simmer. Let sauce simmer until concentrated, about 30 minutes or so. Pour into a bowl, set aside to cool completely.

Pepperoni-Salami-Sausage Pizza
1 lb Mild Italian Sausage
4 oz Salami (30 slices)
4 oz Pepperoni (40 slices)
16 oz block Mozzarella Cheese
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese (from a can) to taste
Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Position an oven rack in the bottom portion of the oven. Heat oven to the highest temperature setting, between 500 and 550 degrees.

Crumble the sausage into a skillet. Cook sausage, breaking up the meat as it browns. Drain well, set aside. Separate the slices of salami and pepperoni for easy assembly. If the salami is a thicker cut (like mine) dice into smaller pieces. Cut 1/2-inch cubes from the brick cheese to go all the way around the rim of the pizza pan. Grate remaining cheese, set aside.

Pour the olive oil in a large rimmed cake pan or authentic Detroit-style pizza pan. Put the dough into the center of the pan. Gently stretch it out to fit so the dough reaches the corners.

Note: If the dough is being temperamental, set it aside for another 10 minutes to relax and try again.

Pour about half of the pizza sauce over the dough. Brush to spread out evenly. Rim the outer part of the pizza with cubes of cheese, then scatter salami over sauce. If there are any remaining cubes of cheese left, scatter those over the salami.

Next scatter the sausage, followed by dollops of the remaining sauce. Brush sauce out smooth, top with about 2/3 of the pepperoni. Top pepperoni with shredded cheese, followed by the remaining pepperoni.

Place pizza in the oven to bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through the cooking time. Turn oven to broil to crisp up the edges. Remove pizza and let it rest for about 8 minutes before slicing into squares.

Serve with a ton of napkins and your favorite pizza beverage. Mine is Root Beer.

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The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I told you.
Alleluia, alleluia.