Back to Me: homemade pizza and fried dough

I don't believe anyone can cook like my nonna. To put it simply - she has the magic touch. I can't pinpoint how, but I'm guessing it has something to do with growing up in Italy. Some of her eats include: homemade meatballs, manicotti, crepes, fried calamari, and homemade bread. Let me put it this way, if nonna is cooking - be prepared to feel very full.

She's no ordinary cook; she's always creating her own recipes and rarely follows directions. Well, scratch that. There are times she rips recipes from the magazines she reads at the doctors office. :)

She is by far the rock of our family and a woman I'll never stop admiring. I have never seen her be anything but selfless, loving and gentle. I can't even begin to explain how much I love her. I've always enjoyed cooking with her, but I've been paying extra attention lately.

About 99% of people enjoy eating pizza. Ok, that's a lie, but I'm sure it's very close to being true (at least for Americans and Italians). I'm confident in saying the same thing about fried dough. Lets be real, both are to die for. One night my Nonna and I decided to make pizza and what we like to call, pita frita (fried dough).

We made two pizzas: a pizza with a pesto sauce and fresh mozzarella and a pizza with tomato sauce, soprasata (Italian sausage), prosciutto and fresh ricotta. We grilled the pizzas instead of baking them, which is something I tried while cooking with my Italian professor in college. I prefer to grill pizza because it intensifies the flavor and gives the crust an extra crunch.

After enjoying the pizzas, we walked over to the frying pan and made fried dough. Pita frita is the Italian version of the fried dough Americans call "elephant ears". It's crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside and it tastes best with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top.

The directions on how to make homemade pizza and pita frita are below. Seriously, get ready to enjoy!

Crust Ingredients (makes two pizzas):
1/2 Tablespoon of Yeast
1 Tablespoon of Crisco
1/2 Tablespoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of warm water (depends on consistency of dough)
4 cups of flour (depends on consistency of dough)

Toppings:
Pesto sauce
Tomato sauce
Fresh ricotta
Fresh mozzarella
Proscuitto
Fresh sausage

Directions:
1. In a large bowl combine yeast, crisco, salt, water and flour
2. Mix ingredients around in a circle with hands
3. Add water if the dough is too hard and if it's too soft/sticky, add more flour (during this process, put flour on your hands so the dough doesn't stick)
4. Knead dough with your hands in a punching motion until the ingredients are combined. This can be a long process; make sure the dough is the right consistency
5. Wrap bowl with plastic wrap and place a towel over for 2-3 hours, until the dough rises

6. After the dough has risen, heat the grill on high
7. Sprinkle vegetable oil and semolina on the bottom of each pizza/grilling pan
8. Cut a portion of the dough and place on a cutting board

9. Add flour to the dough to prevent from sticking and start rolling with a rolling pin until the dough is thin and forms into the shape of the pan
10. Place the dough on the pan and make sure it reaches the edges

11. Add the sauce and toppings and place grilling pans on the grill; lower the heat

How cute is she?

Pita Frita Ingredients:
Homemade dough (see the recipe above)
Vegetable Oil

Directions:
1. Fill a deep frying pan with about an inch or two of vegetable oil and heat on high

2. Sprinkle vegtetable oil on top of the dough
3. Cut pieces of dough with an ice cream scooper; stretch the dough into a longer shape before placing in the pan

4. Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding the dough. (I would suggest testing the oil out with a little piece of dough. Wait until the oil around the dough bubbles when you place it in the pan)
5. Once the oil is hot enough, lower the heat to medium and place dough in the pan