Home is one of the best places to be; personally, it’s my favourite place to be. Home is a place where you’re surrounded by the people you love, the things you grew up around, and some of best food in the world. Now, most people I know tell me that the food that reminds them of home is comfort food like casseroles and cookies, or Mom’s homemade soup. Instead for me, my Dad’s classic pizza night is what really tastes like home.
For as long as I can remember, I have been the sous chef in my Dad’s kitchen, and have become the expert batter- and sauce-taster he can trust today. Cooking a homemade dinner together is hard in my family, because everyone is always on the go, running from practice to practice and rehearsal to rehearsal. Because to this, pizza night was a very special night with my family, and only the most special of outsiders got the invite.
My Dad makes everything for pizza from fresh ingredients, just like my Nanny; so on homemade dinner nights like pizza night, we start from scratch. He mixes up his pizza dough recipe and if you’re lucky enough, you might get a little piece of dough to snack on, (and trust me, this is the sous chef’s favourite part)! The trick to the dough is to keep it sweet, and when you cook it, make sure it’s still a little bit soft in the middle. This way, you get a sweet, crunchy and doughy pizza, which is Dad-approved and extra delicious!
As per the sauce, its Dad’s special recipe! Many nights have been spent hunched over the stove and grinding down fresh tomatoes to create this mouth-watering sauce that’s begged for every time we’re asked, “What would you like for dinner?” The trick here is to let it simmer first to bring out the spices, as well, to make the sauce just as sweet as the dough! Their complementing tastes come together to make the best pizza in the entire world (yeah Dad, it really is).
Some of my best memories in that house were in my kitchen, making cakes, carving pumpkins, eating too much batter… But I especially loved and still do love pizza night and look forward to every one. I swear no other pizza in the world will ever compare to the one my Dad hand-makes for us.
Although I don’t have this recipe, and my Dad still declares to this day that it will always be top secret, I’ve included a Dad-approved pizza sauce and dough recipe that is sure to make your tastebuds smile. I hope it brings you some wonderful kitchen memories of your own with the people you love!
