Hello my Foodie Friends! One of our family’s favorite food is pizza; especially Paula’s homemade pizza. Pizza is an excellent all around family food that every person can personalize and enjoy on the day it is cooked, or the following day (Breakfast Pizza?). It is also a perfect “on the go” food to help with the crazy schedules that we all have. Back in the days before children, pizza was a frequent meal for Paula and me. Our lives were basically like “two ships passing in the night”.
When Paula and I first dated one of our favorite romantic places to eat was an Italian restaurant called Verdolini’s. We were there so much they knew our order when we came in. The waitresses used to elbow each other and fuss over the young lovers. They were planning our wedding even before we even thought about getting married. The lighting and ambiance was straight out of a movie. The whole Verdolini family worked there and when he was old enough, my brother Bill, worked there also. They made a pizza that was different from any pizza I have had before or since. Paula was curious about their ingredients and how it was made. She would ask and they would say “it’s a secret”. We had my brother Bill, however, as our spy on the inside. Bill would bring home any left over pizzas at the end of the night and hand them out to whoever wanted them. He could not manage to get the entire recipe from the owner but he got enough that he and Paula came close. One of the special parts was baking them in their stone oven. We have tinkered with it over the years and I think Paula’s pizza is now perfect. That’s the thing about pizza; it’s a personal taste type of food. The way I like it might be different than the way someone else likes it and that’s ok.
Paula still enjoys making homemade pizza. One of our favorite items in the store that we use to make our pizza is a Pizza Stone made by Old Stone Oven. Over 35 years ago, Old Stone Oven Company introduced the original baking stone for home use. This pizza stone is thicker than other stones. It is made of a special blend of lead-free clays and has porosity and heat retention that is unmatched for giving a delicate crispy, restaurant-quality crust to any pizza, focaccia, or other breads in a standard home oven. It is oven and grill safe to 2000˚ Fahrenheit. The Old Stone Oven Pizza stone has a heat core that is specially engineered to concentrate heat evenly at the center. This solves the problem of a large pizza having an undercooked center while the outer edges are crispy. These stones can be used with care on outdoor grills – both charcoal and gas fired. They are also made in the USA. The trick to a crispy pizza is to heat the stone in the oven prior to putting your prepared pizza on it.
Stop by downtown Saratoga Springs’ Compliments to the Chef at 33 Railroad Place where we have Cool Tools for Cooks. Get creative with your pizza and make lasting memories.
After 60 years in business our hometown Italian Restaurant, Verdolini’s had to close due to a flood and family health problems but they live in our memories forever.
Enjoy making pizza with your family and friends. Sing, dance, play music really loud, and have fun eating your very own creation. Remember; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”
Take Care & wishing all a Happy New Year for 2018,
John and Paula