There are very few places in Seattle that make a good pie, in fact, most of the pizza I’ve had on the west coast has been lousy.  Yes, I am from the northeast and yes I am opinionated and biased, especially when it comes to pizza!  I don’t understand the thick, mushy crust that isn’t fully cooked phenomena which dominates the the west coast pizza world. I feel like a cow chewing my cud and am full after one piece, how much fun is that?  So now I just make my own but it was a process that took several trials to perfect.  The biggest challenge is learning to suck it up and buy the right tools.  At the top of the list is a stone, a thick slab of ceramic that holds heat and draws moisture making your pizza crispy. Crank the oven as high as it goes, hotter the better. True pizza ovens are around 800 degrees Fahrenheit.  Second is a pizza peel, using two spatulas turned out to be a disaster that included burns and pizza casualties, not to mention a ton of heat lost while monkeying around trying to get the pizzas in and out of the oven.   Third is a rolling pin, unless you are one of those talented ones that can toss the dough.  I need the pin…

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Roll the dough as thin as possible.  If it’s not thin it won’t be crispy.  Make sure to have all your vegetables & meats prepped and ready to go.  My favorite combo so far has been roasted cauliflower, fennel, sausage, and garlic with olive oil. The great thing about pizza is that you can put anything on it.  Tonight we are trying one with some soft boiled eggs and sardines.  Cook it until the edges are just past golden and shazaam, you have delicious, crispy pizza that you can eat 5-6 slices of and not want to barf.  Another great way to cook pizza is to grill it.  The process only differs in that you have to grill one side first, flip and then build the pizza on the grill.  Make sure to oil the grill liberally as well to prevent stickage.

Tonight we are drinking a 2001 Veliko Bianco from Movia.  This wine is from Slovenia, although half its vineyards lie within Italy in the DOC zone of Collio Goriziano of Friuli. The estate straddles the Collio and the Brda (Slovenia’s name for the same area), they take the Slovenia designation simply because the winery is located in the Brda.  This property has been making wine for three centuries and has been owned by the Kristancic family since 1820.  They have been operating biodynamically for 20 years and have developed their own winemaking style through years of trial and error, learning the habits of the terroir.  Where else will you find a wine made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Merlot (dubbed Veliko Rosso - meaning “big red”) that has elegance?  Most of the wines spend several years in a combination of large Slovenian casks and French barrique on their lees. There is no fining, filtration or temperature control. Everything is done by hand in the vineyard and winery by Ales, the current Kristancic in charge, and his crew.

The Veliko Bianco is a blend dominated by the local indigenous variety Ribolla Gialla, with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. Full of honey, lily, quince, crunchy stones with a rich viscosity and solid acid structure, the finish lingers for a good minute. Almost a shame to be drinking with pizza, but not feeling a bit of remorse.