Pizza, Pizza

Mark got this book from his lovely girlfriend for his birthday. He began to read it like a novel. We both love cookbooks. We first made soft rolls in two forms: knots and butterflake.

This weekend we began Friday night with Neo-Neopolitan pizza dough. We made five pizzas on Sunday for his parents during six hours. We heated their pizza stone to 550 degrees F. We had no pizza peel and instead used ingenuity and parchment paper. It was a calamitious great time. His pizza sauce was exceptional. He minced fresh herbs from the herb garden he planted and brought to me.

Crushed Tomato Sauce
Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day
Makes 4 cups

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1 t dried basil or 2 T minced fresh basil
1 t dried oregano or 1 T minced fresh oregano
5 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pressed
2 T red wine vinegar or freshly squeeze lemon juice, or a combination
1 t salt, to taste

In a bowl, stir together all the ingredients, starting with 1/2 teaspoon salt and adding more to taste. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.