Food
Homemade
Frozen Pizza
Donna Knauber
A friend of ours caused quite a stir one drizzly night when she
responded to a famished outcry for food by walking to the refrigerator,
rummaging around in the dank contents of its freezer, and pulling out
a neatly packaged homemade frozen pizza.
Homemade frozen pizza?
She let the pizza thaw for a few moments, doused it with grated
cheese and olive oil, and 20 minutes later, there was a fresh — well
almost fresh — hot pizza on the table.
The effect this had on an otherwise world-weary crowd was
remarkable.
A skeptical guest fingered the crust. “What is the gluten content
of the flour you used?” she inquired suspiciously.
“Say, is this a real pizza or what,” said another.
“Everyone knows you can’t make your own pizza,” said a third.
They had all seen the variety of frozen pizza at Safeway’s (to the
left of margarine in “Frozen”)— multi-colored disks of tomato and
crust, with spokes made of chopped dives and plastic Parmesan. But
this frozen pizza was different. It had an air of integrity special
to frozen pizza that’s homemade, and it looked delicious.
We were so impressed we immediately began to take notes. We’d
like to pass them along in the hopes that soon there will be a pizza
Renaissance in Eugene and all the money everyone saves by not
calling Pizza Kitchen at 2 in the morning can go toward local charities
and longer hours at the library.
The varieties are infinite, but here’s a good place to start:
Fry up 1 lb. of sausage and drain most of the grease into the nearest
garbage can and
Add a huge chopped onion and some olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves;
stir-fry.
Pour into this a lb. or more of canned tomatoes and mash them
thoroughly and, optionally, a large can of unadulterated tomato
sauce can be added,
Plus a tablespoon each (or more) of oregano and basil; salt and
pepper to taste.
Put this on a very low simmer and make the crust:
Add T. yeast to cups warm water and let it soften.
Add 2 T. oil, T. of sugar; a T. salt, and 4 cups flour.
Beat this for as long as your arm can tolerate.
Now add another 1 cup of flour or more, turn the dough out on a floured
surface and knead for five minutes. It’s o.k. to let it sit and rise
while the sauce is cooking, but not necessary and if everything else
is ready, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees for 15 minutes and be sure
to put a rack in the lowest slot.
Roll the dough out and pull it into the thickness and sizes of your
favorite pizza dimensions.
Toss some extremely thin slices of mozzarella cheese on the crust
before the sauce. We are told this prevents sogginess and increases
cheesiness.
Smear on the sauce, being careful not smudge the edges.
Additions: canned hot green peppers; sliced bell peppers; raw or
sauteed mushrooms; anchovies; fresh sliced tomatoes; sliced
bananas.
Cook the pizzas one at a time in the lower part of the oven until the
crust is beginning to brown.
Some night when you least expect it, a craving for pizza will
strike, and for once you’ll be prepared. All you do is thaw! Add some
fresh Parmesan, mozzarella, or at least some Monterey Jack to what
you’ve got and cook it for 10 to 15 minutes. Some prefer to cook their
pizza with a bit of grease-soaked cardboard in the back of the oven, for
that extra flavor of authenticity, although we concede this is largely a
matter of taste.
Debby Baldwin
Ixtlan . . .
(Continued from Page S)
will always be time to rectify them. When death comes for them at
last, they will be unprepared to die just as they were not attuned to
living. Don Juan says that “death is an impartial judge who will speak
the truth to you and give you accurate advice.” With this advice, a
“warrior” learns how to live an impeccable life, acquiring the
necessary power to handle each conflict as though it were the “last
battle on Earth.” And when death finally approaches, he will dance
before it with the ultimate declaration of his life. Death must wait until
he has re-enacted all of his struggles and conquests, the battles he has
won, the power he has acquired. Only then will death make its final
gesture to him.
Over the eleven-year apprenticeship, Don Juan succeeded several
times, often with the aid of psychotropic plants, in disrupting
Castaneda’s perception of the world. In May of 1971, with the
assistance of Don Genaro, another “man of knowledge,” Don Juan
induced a series of experiences in Castaneda that allowed him to
finally “stop the world.” He was then able to “see” the world almost
literally without interpretation. The only thing that remained was for
him to confront his “ally.”
An “ally” is a spirit that both guides and aids the warrior in
acquisition of personal power. Undo* the influence of “little smoke,” a
psychotropic mixture derived from apsilocybinmushroom, Castaneda
had seen his ally several times but Eton Juan had always delayed the
actual confrontation. “Seeing” had given Castaneda the power he
needed to face this battle which perhaps was to be another
metaphorical struggle with himself. This time it was Castaneda that
left us suspended with what may be an invitation to another volume
sometime in the future.
The way of life that Don Juan presents to us has many aspects that
are both appealing and terrifying. It is an attempt to unveil a world of
fascination and power where too many people see only boredom and
timidity. He demonstrates existential insights without the sense of
resignation which can threaten to follow. The possibility of replacing
confusion with another world of order and knowledge seems to
warrant expending the necessary energy to start the book. What you
read, I’m sure, will provide the incentive to finish.
Mark Tapley