Aunt Molly's Husk Tomatoes, other Tomatoes, veggies and flowers 7/8/2012

It was 100 degrees F yesterday in the shade before lunch time yesterday. It is good weather for tomatoes, but surely not for humans. It is very dry in our area and I do need to water the tomatoes and other veggies every other day. I thought it was going to rain last evening, (with all the thunder and lightening) but it didn’t.


These are some of my tomato plants and the tomatoes that are now on the plants. Some are Italian. The San Marzano’s now have very small tomatoes on some of the plants.

This is the first year I planted the Aunt Molly’s Husk Tomato. What I find interesting about this tomato is it is enclosed in papery calyxes first, before the actual tomatoes appear. This heirloom is not actually a cherry, but rather a small ground tomato. The fruits were recorded in horticultural literature as early as 1837 in Pennsylvania and are still common today at roadside stands in late summer. This outstanding Polish variety is prized for its clean flavor, with hints of vanilla and pineapple. Because of their high pectin count, the Ground Cherries can be used for preserves, pies, over ice cream or in fresh fruit salads. This tomato is only harvested after the tomato drops to the ground. It is then ripe.


I picked my first cucumber this morning and also picked up a couple of the Aunt Molly’s Husk Tomatoes that were on the ground a little while ago.. I opened the husks and tasted the Aunt Molly’s Husk Tomatoes and they sure are good. This was the first time I tasted any Aunt Molly’s Husk Tomatoes. I wonder how I could use the Aunt Molly’s Husk Tomatoes on a pizza.

I love Tiger Lilies and am amazed at how beautiful they are. 

Norma

Dough formulation I used for the Sicilian pizzas I make at market 7/03/2012

This was just another Sicilian pizza. Somehow I forgot the oregano in the dressings. The dough ball sat out at hot room temperatures too long, but it still turned out okay.

This is the link at Reply 26 http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,18281.msg178345.html#msg178345 of the formulation I use for Sicilian pies at market. I use GM Full Strength flour.

Norma

Papa Gino's attempt with soaker and without soaker 7/3/2012

The two Papa Gino’s dough balls were used Tuesday (one with soaker and one without soaker). Both dough balls opened up easily and were left at room temperature (about 93 degrees F) for about 1 ½ hrs. They both felt about exactly the same, opened the same, baked about the same, and also looked about the same after the bake, although two different kinds of dressings were used on both of the pizzas.


The first pizza made was the soaker Papa Gino’s. The dressings were my regular tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella I had purchased at the 9th St. Italian Market at Reply , hand made pepperoni purchased from the Italian Market (pictured at Reply 22 http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,19792.msg194195.html#msg194195 ) and my blend of cheeses. It was then dressed with fresh basil from my garden. The second Papa Gino’s pizza was dressed with my regular tomato sauce, Pancetta from the Italian market, fresh mozzarella from the Italian Market, my blend of cheeses, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano from the Italian Market and fresh basil from my garden added after the bake.

Although both pizzas looked the same after the bake, the soaker pizza rim crust was moister in the rim and also had a better taste in the rim. It also was interesting to me how the bottom crusts of both pizzas browned in my deck oven. Both pizzas were good, but since I never tasted a real Papa Gino’s pizza I am not sure if either of the pizzas tasted the same as a real Papa Gino’s pizza.

I had wanted save and bring home two slices for a reheat and even put two slices in a pizza box (on top of the pizza pans), but with the heat yesterday I was hurrying to clean up and get the other things ready to take home and forgot the slices of two experiments. I guess I won’t know how the two slices reheat. Darn the heat and making me forget the two slices. The homemade pepperoni from the Italian Market was really delicious and cupped very nicely in the deck oven.

The mistake I made in the amount of yeast that I added to both doughs didn’t seem to matter.

Dough formulation for the Papa Gino’s dough by Peter (Pete-zza) at Reply 79 http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,8167.msg71404.html#msg71404 for a 14” pizza.
Norma

Papa Gino's soaker dough and final pizza.

Papa Gino's attempt without soaker.

Regular Lehmann dough and I guess problems with high heat temperature and humidity gave me problems 7/3/2012

I sure had problems with my regular Lehmann dough pizzas Tuesday, and after thinking it over for a little while yesterday, contribute it to the high heat at market (about 90 to 94 degrees F), the low humidity and the fans blowing to keep Steve and myself a little cooler. I never had skins that dried out so fast as yesterday. The dough balls felt exactly the same when they were taken out of the plastic bags, but while even attempting to open them, they became so dried, that until they were finished being opened the edges and the middle of the skin had small cracks in the skin. The resulting pizzas then didn’t bake the same, as they seemed to have smaller rims or not as much oven spring. I commented to Steve so many times about this and got him to feel the skins. After a little while I decided to open the dough balls cold right out of the pizza fridge to see what would happen. Much to my delight they opened without the skin becoming too dry. I sure really don’t know what was going on with the dough balls and the skins being dry, but had tried dough balls from 3 batches of doughs I had made and the all acted the same. The rest of the day the dough balls were opened right from the cold state.


I know it probably can’t be told from these pictures, but the first pizza was with a dry skin and the second two pizzas were made with the cold dough balls. The one last picture was of a skin that got dry when I tried to let it warm-up a little and had a few customers to wait on. It also quickly dried out, even when it was opened cold. It probably isn’t the best picture to show how dry the skin was, but it was really dry.

I guess there is always something new to learn about the same dough and working in different temperatures with different humidity’s..lol

Norma

Trying to make "mini boli's from another members post 7/03/2012

I only had time to try one boli dough the last thing in the evening Tuesday. I rolled the boli dough out with my big rolling pin and must not have rolled it evenly in thickness, or either I didn’t put the dressings evenly on top of the boli skin. I also thought I pinched the skin together well and also put it on the bottom, but it came apart a little during the bake. The boli was dressed with baby spinach, a blend of mozzarellas, Capicola ham, salami, and a tiny amount of my regular tomato sauce. Since I can’t change my deck oven in temperatures (because I need to keep it the same temperature for the pizzas), I baked first on the deck and used the screen for the end of the bake. I also used some garlic and herb infused oil to brush on the top after the boli was transferred to the screen. Steve and I thought the boli was good even though it wasn’t perfect and the top stayed soft even though it was baked okay. The other 3 dough balls are frozen to try next week.


Chaz’s dough recipe makes a nice mini boli.

Norma