It's All About the Dough!

We love the food here.  Especially the authentic Mexican fare.  Nothing can beat it.  However,  occasionally, our Canadian roots show themselves and cravings for pizza like they make back in Alberta causes us to go in search of the perfect pizza here in our new back yard.

Oddly, pizza was one of the first foods we realized we missed.   Perhaps that was because, for the first couple of years, we honestly could not find, what we felt, was a good pizza!  We tried many, but none came close to matching the taste of Kevin's' favourite, the Pepperoni, Ham and Green Pepper combo from Royal Pizza in Sherwood Park  http://royalpizza.ca/locations.aspx.  No trip home will ever be made without at least one stop here, 5 if he can fit them in.

My favourite pizza has always been the deep dish pan pizza from Pizza Hut.  You know the kind.  The stuff they served back in the 80's and 90's, when in my opinion, they were at their best.   I can hear many of you right now, gasping and gagging because you think the crust is too oily, but to me, it is the ultimate comfort food.   I love the crispness the oil in the pan gives the bottom of the crust - and biting thru that into the gooey layer of cheese and toppings - nirvana.

Pizza Hut Pan Pizza
http://www.pizzahut.com.mx

Which is why I so excited to discover that Pizza Hut right here in Puerto Vallarta served exactly that pizza!!     At first, I thought it strange to find a Pizza Hut here, but, it turns out that Pizza Hut opened its original location at the Plaza del Sol mall in Guadalajara, in 1959!  Fancy that!   PV now has 2 locations, one conveniently located in the Galerias Mall, right upstairs, just beside Chili's.

Clean, modern and fully air-conditioned, we will probably eat here a lot this summer

Plus, the view is pretty nice

Unfortunately, Pizza Hut does not deliver to Nuevo Vallarta.  In the beginning, when we started working to open Casa Madera, there were only 2 only pizza delivery options and while both were excellent options at the end of a long of painting, furniture finishing, plumbing, yard work,  whatever, we were both too exhausted to do anything but pick up the phone and call for dinner.  However, neither offered the pizza "experience" we craved.  Not that it mattered much,  back then, I could fall asleep while eating, so taste wasn't all that important.

When La Dolce Vita opened within walking distance,  we were thrilled.    A swanky new pizza joint right down the street!!   And, we have enjoyed our share of their wonderful thin crust pizzas.  http://www.dolcevita.com.mx

And now, it seems, pizza places are popping up all over the place!  Locally owned joints, with wood fired ovens and a range of crusts from wafer thin to thicker than deep dish!  And they are all putting out quality product.  The difficulty now, is not finding a pizza place, it is deciding which one!!

Irresistible, no?

Within a 25 minute walk, from our door, we have:
La Dolce Vita as already mentioned, and
Ciao  https://www.facebook.com/CiaoPizzaNV .

For those who wish to venture further, a 50 peso cab ride will get you to either

Pizza Diavola https://www.facebook.com/diavolapizzaitaliana?fref=nf 
or
Buenos Aires https://www.facebook.com/RinconDeBuenosAires

and, of course, our go to spot in Bucerias, is
California's Pizza https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaPizzaMexico,

California's Pizza in Bucerias 

These are the places we have eaten at in the past year, and, no, they have not paid me to mention them by name.  (though if they were so inclined, they could do so.  lol)  Most likely, they will never even know that they have been mentioned in this blog, but many of you readers will be guests with us in the near future, and you will want to know about the great eateries we have here.

Ultimately, at the end of most days, we prefer to eat at home.   Since there are still only 2 options for delivery,  Kevin has embarked upon a quest to find his perfect pizza dough.   After numerous recipes, many, many taste tests, and a whole lot of fun, he has  found the dough that works best for him.  

Inspired by none other than FoodTv's Guy Fieri  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/prime-time-pizza-dough.html, this is our go-to dough for at home pizza, baked right here, in our own oven.

Our own, fresh from our oven.  

1 tsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for kneading
2 T olive oil
1 cup warm water (110F)


In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk sugar, yeast, salt and flour.  Add  warm water and olive oil and mix with dough hook until the dough starts to come together.   Allow the machine to continue kneading the dough until smooth and elastic.

Turn onto lightly floured board and knead 3 minutes.  Place in oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap and let stand in warm draft free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  Punch down and divide in half.  Each half will make 1 large thin crust pizza.   On lightly floured board, form into smooth balls and cover loosely with plastic wrap.   Return to warm draft free place and let rise another 35 - 45 minutes.  (You can wrap 1 ball well in plastic and freeze at this point if you don't want to make 2 pizzas. )

Preheat oven to 500F.  If using a pizza stone, put it in the oven now so it preheats along with the oven.

Press the dough with your fingers until it is as flat as possible, then pick up and stretch over the backs of your hands, gently pulling the edges outward while rotating the crust.  If that proves too frustrating, just use a rolling pin to roll it out.  The texture will be different, but you won't be so frustrated.

Try for round, but amoeba shaped is ok too.

If using a pizza pan, put the dough in the pan, and top the pizza as you like it.   Pop it in the oven and bake 8 - 14 minutes, depending on thickness, until the edges are golden and cheese is melted.

If using a pizza stone, stretch your dough and put on a well floured pizza peel before putting on the toppings.  Once you have the toppings on, slide the pizza off of the peel onto the stone and bake.  Baking time could be less on the stone so keep a close eye.  When cooked, use the peel to lift pizza off the stone and transfer to cutting board.

Buen Provecho!

Good things come from dirty laundry, part 4 - did someone say TEQUILA!

August 9, 2011 - It has been some time since I sat down at my computer at Casa Madera Bed and Breakfast and continued on with this story.  My apologies to those who were waiting for the next part but it was time for my annual sojourn home to Edmonton so I could get my yearly dose of cold.

Now it wasn't that I could not have written it there but my editor was here.  Yes, someone actually edits this diatribe.  Heather, stand up and take a bow because without you these rantings would never be fit to be read by anybody, let alone friends.  However, now she is in Canada so you are going to just have to take it as it is!

But I digress, aside from being cold and swatting entire squadrons of mosquito's, I had a great time at home.  I enjoyed my visit with family and friends but I especially loved spending time with Elizabeth, my granddaughter and my children (OK grown adults), Allison and Brendan.

You always have to bring things back that people like.  Brendan always gets hot sauce, the hotter the better but this year we found pickled habaneros so if he is making you a sandwich, watch out.

The major item that was brought back this year was 8 bottles of Tajin (pronounced -taheen) which is a spicy salt that you sprinkle on fruits and vegetables.  Heather's sister's family and friends have come to want it by the case so I stuffed as many as I could in my suitcase.  I firmly believe that is the reason I got searched by US Customs going into Denver!

But as usual the star in the suitcase was the bottle of Tequila for my brother.  You cannot buy good Tequila in Canada without dropping a lot of dough and for the most part you just cannot buy GOOD tequila in Canada at all.  So I bring him a bottle back every year as there are times when you want to sit back, relax and sip a good tequila.

[caption id="attachment_360" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I like this one!"][/caption]

Tequila.  The name is enough to make a lot of people shiver.   Mainly because they had bad experiences with it when they were younger.  Something which I can attest to myself. Whoever introduced the idea of a tequila punch party should be shot....but I digress.

I truly began to appreciate Tequila when I came down to Puerto Vallarta to buy the condo into which we moved.  I stopped in a bar one night on that trip and sat at the bar to watch a ball game.  The bartender and I got talking and he walked me through the various tequila's he had and explained the differences in quality and taste.  He was the one who showed  me that Tequila should be sipped, not shot.

He was right.  After moving through about 4 different variety's you could taste the difference between grades.  It was a good night and it allowed me to appreciate the subtlties located within that glass.

Thinking about good tequila always sends me back to our Guadalajara trip with Mary and Lore as it was them that suggested that one afternoon we should head out to the town Tequila, Jalisco.

September 2009 - Saturday

It had already been a full trip.  Lots of sightseeing and shopping we were having a great time.  Mary and Lore though thought we should take a small trip outside of town to Tequila.  It sounded pretty good to us but Mary had to convince her brothers that they should take us.

They had to finish dealing with the Papaya that they had but they were game so at 3:00 they loaded us all into the box of their Nissan King cab and we were off.  Yes, the box.  There was not enough room for us all in the cab so 4 of us got to ride in the box.  Considering it was about 32 degrees the box was a nice change.

[caption id="attachment_361" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The view from the back of the truck"][/caption]

The view from the back of the truck

However, the road to Tequila is not straight and it is very busy.  Traffic moves at the speed of light so you have to hold on.  It was fun but I am not sure I would want to do it again.

We arrived in Tequila in about 30 minutes.  It is a quaint little town with stores everywhere dedicated to selling...tequila!  The stores are everywhere.  Selling anywhere from 1 to 5 liter bottles.  Now the interesting thing in Tequila is that tequila is not taxed.  Not one of the bottles had a tax sticker in any of the stores we were in, including the brand name stores.  This allows you to get some good Tequila for a reasonable price.

[caption id="attachment_362" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="One of the many stores we visited"][/caption]

We were moving from store to store tasting this one, that one and that one over there.  It was great but there were more things to see in Tequila besides the stores.  If one had the time you could tour the Jose Cuervo Distillery or one of the many others in town.

We did not have time to take a tour so we did our own small walking tour of the town.  Checking out the square, one of the town cathedrals and seeing what else there is to do.  We will return to Tequila when we actually have time to stay there for a day or two to see all the sights.  If you ever have the time to see this town I would highly recommend it.  It is a great place.

[caption id="attachment_363" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="One of the tour barrels that goes around town"][/caption]




The time had come however to buy a bottle so I called in the brothers to tell me which one I should buy.  After trying a few they pointed at one and said it was the purest.  So I said the person behind the counter how much was the 5 liter bottle?

150 pesos!  14 bucks!  You're kidding, right?  Nope, he wasn't.  I quickly paid the man and took my leave in case he changed his mind.

Tequila bought we hopped back into the truck and made our way back to Guadalajara.  It was great visit in a neat town.

[caption id="attachment_364" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="The Main Cathedral in Tequila"][/caption]

Good things come from dirty laundry, Part 2

June 22, 2011 - I am sitting on our balcony at Casa Madera watching the rain drop from the sky.  It is intense for our first real rain of the season.  Rain.  Never thought I would enjoy it as much as I do here.  It probably has something to do with the fact that it is still 26 degrees and the water falling is warm not cold like it is in Canada. 

When it comes like this it is nice.  However yesterday we were on a hurricane watch as Hurricane Beatriz was working her way up the Mexican coast and while it would most likely not hit us directly we would probably get tropical storm winds and lots and lots of rain.  Beatriz though was just like the latest Canadian political landscape, it took a straight left turn and wandered out into the ocean.

Hurricanes.  Never had to worry about hurricanes in Edmonton however if you want warm weather you take the little side extras that comes with it.

Our first experience with a hurricane like event was in September 2009 and it came from the most unlikely source.....

September 2009 - We had made the deal on the house that was to become Casa Madera and were patiently waiting for it to close.  There were many delays but we were told don't worry it will close, we just don't know when. 

We had told Mary and Lore about the house purchase prior to returning to Canada for a vacation at the end of July.  They were very excited for us.   They were well aware of what we had in the condo and it was not going to go far in a 3000 square foot house.  It was then that they suggested we should all go to Guadalajara to shop for items for the house.

This was a great idea.  Heather and I always wanted to go to Guadalajara but had not been able to fit it in yet.  So we agreed that when returned from Canada we would set it up for the end of September after my kids had returned home (they were coming back with us for a vacation).

We returned and the dates were set.  We would leave Thursday morning on the midnight bus so we could hit the market in Tonala which runs Thursdays and Sundays.  We would stay at Mary's parents house.  Ok, this will be interesting but really who better to haul you around a city of 8,000,000 people than a couple of people who lived there!

To do this though we would have to get over our fear of being on the highway at night.  The one main rule we had always been told was to never, ever drive at night.  The roads are narrow, twisty and there is always the possibility of running into a cow as they sometimes graze on the side of the highways.  However, it made the most sense to do this so we said ok.

On the day we were to leave Mary said she would come by the condo and pick us up around 8:00 pm.  From our condo we went over to her friends Carlos and Bertha's house Bertha was determined to feed us and feed us she did.  Tacos dorado (deep-fried with potatoes, yummy), beans, rice, guacamole, it was endless and very, very good.

After she filled us with food we were off to the bus depot where we purchased tickets to Guadalajara which included a snack on board.  In minutes we were on the bus and on our way.  A big adventure for Heather and I who really did not know what to expect.  Mary and Lore were in total control.

The bus ride was non eventful.  There was a movie if you wanted to watch but I was more interested in trying to sleep.  Sleep, now that would have been nice.  I don't sleep well in moving vehicles, never have but I did manage to catch an hour of shut-eye on the 4 hour trip.

We rolled into Guadalajara at 4:00 am and took a cab to Mary's parents house.  It was 4:45 am and we were greeted by Mary's mother who had the biggest grin on her  face for someone who was awakened at this ungodly hour to let her daughter, her daughter's best friend and two middle-aged deer in the headlights white people into her house.  After the introductions we were shown to our bedroom and laid down to try to get a little sleep before the big shopping day.

We were up at 7:30 and went downstairs to actually say hello.  Or try.  We spoke very little spanish at this point and they spoke no english so we did what we could.  While we were talking I noticed in the corner of the living room there was a mountain made of Papaya's.  No one offered any explanation for them being there and we did not ask as we were just trying to fit in.

At that point Mary's mother, her sister Maggie, and Maggie's son were up.  Then two of the largest men I had ever seen walked into the living room.  Mary's brothers, Fernando and Victor.  Identical twins, great.  I will have enough problems getting know everybody's name without dealing with identical twins! 

Victor and Fernando started loading the papaya's into the back of their pick up.  Once loaded they were off and as far as we could tell were selling them door to door for 10 pesos each. 

Then more people came out of the back of the house.  Where were they all coming from?  This house is huge.  It turned out that 3 families were living in the house though we found out later that one was moving out on the weekend to their own apartment.

Heather and I were suffering from severe culture shock.   We were definitely fish out of water and were really never sure what was going to happen next. 

Breakfast, that's what happened next.  Papaya, now there was a surprise.  I was never a big fan of papaya but this was really good and we enjoyed it thoroughly.  Full of papaya we picked up our stuff and headed out to catch the bus to Tonala.