PIZZA MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND

(the humble and precious radish, it's delicious crunch and spice, pair nicely with cheese pizza and white wine)


(cheese and sauce await their destiny, atop the pizza)

My Dad always equated pizza to something unmentionable (it starts with an S and ends with X) -- when it's good it's great, even when mediocre or kinda bad, it's still pretty good, kinda impossible to be bad . . . he was on to something.

But I have to say I a good slice of pie really stands out. For the full essence of za-ness, I like to go with a nice red sauce and a little bit of cheese. Nothing more. I love bells and whistles and things like morel mushrooms, toasted walnuts and fresh herbs on nearly EVERYTHING I consume, but my pizza -- I'll take it plain. It's the New York Famous Ray's pizza slice that I measure everything against, and this baby was a go! SO simple too . . .

My dough -- I confess, I didn't make, but bought at Hot Lips Pizza, a tip I highly recommend -- visit most neighborhood pizza joints, and I'll bet they'll sell you a little dough. Then, shred some cheese (I only had white cheddar and Parmesan on hand -- but it was an awesome combination)

Make some sauce --
1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
dash of sea salt
grinds of black pepper

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Cook all sauce ingredients on a medium flame for about 12 minutes, turn off stove and let sit while you prepare other items. Roll out dough on parchment paper with a little extra flour and cornmeal if you have it. Spread the sauce evenly onto the dough (you'll have about an extra cup full for dipping), scatter cheese.

Cook for about 10-15 minutes, broiling for the last moments for the tasty cheese char -- serve w/a fresh vegetable and a glass of wine.

Relax into the new couch and toast with friends.