I’m a longtime fan of the Olympic Games and have been honored to attend three of them (Calgary ’88; Salt Lake City ’02 and Vancouver ’10). As much as I’d love to travel to Rio in person, the next best thing is to throw an Olympic-themed celebration of my own.
Sprouts Farmers Market challenged me to pull together a party with a food theme of my choosing. Of course, we’re all cheering for the Red, White and Blue but I thought it was a brilliant idea to add some international flavor to the ultimate world event so I chose Italy as my theme! My brother’s family just returned from a whirlwind European vacation where they took a pizza-making class in Florence, Italy and theirs is now my favorite pizza crust recipe ever.
Bonus: It doesn’t hurt that my brother just built a beautiful wood-burning pizza oven in their backyard but rest assured for the rest of us common folk, this pizza is scrumptious when baked in the oven or on the grill as well!
I’m not a huge fan of thin crust pizza, mostly because the American version is limp and lifeless. But in the Florence region, their crust is crispy and flavorful. The base of the dough is made with simple ingredients: flour, water, yeast and olive oil so the secret is in the preparation.
Any Olympic Italian-themed Party needs a spread of amazingly fresh toppings from Sprouts Farms Market that could include Sprouts Marina Pasta Sauce, pureed tomato, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leaves, fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil, dried oregano, spicy salami, pepperoni and anything else that fits your fancy. We used plenty of non-traditional toppings as well such as ham, smoked chicken, pineapple, maple bacon, olives and we even made a sweet mango pizza where we brushed the crust with melted butter, generously sprinkled cinnamon sugar and then topped with mangoes (this is also delicious with apples).
Of course, pizza was the main attraction but we also had fantastic sides and appetizers that included Italian-herb flavored Tuscan Crisps from Sprouts that we dipped in olive oil and mozzarella balls. And an Italian celebration is not complete without Gelato to top it off so don’t miss our recipe below.
Let the Games begin!
Authentic Pizza Recipe from Florence
Ingredients for pizza dough
7 cups of wheat flour
3 cups of water (room temperature)
1 oz yeast
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
(For pizza toppings: pureed tomato, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leaves, fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil, dried oregano, spicy salami)
Preparation
1. Add the yeast to water and stir vigorously until dissolved.
2. Place the flour in a pile on a marble or wooden surface.
3. Using your hands, make a well in the middle of the flour, then add the water mixture, salt and olive oil to the well.
4. With a fork, gradually add flour from the wall of the well.
5. When the mixture has a sticky consistency, begin to knead with your hands. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Once your dough is smooth, cut it into pieces (sized as you desire).
6. Form balls with each of your pieces of dough. Leave the balls to rest for two hours covered with a damp towel.
7. Take one ball of dough, which should have increased greatly in size, and make it circular by hand.
8. Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and using a rolling pin roll your dough into a circle with a diameter of approximately 5-6 inches.
9. Thinly spread your pizza base with tomato, followed by a handful of mozzarella cheese.
10. For Margherita pizza, add fresh basil leaves; for Marinara pizza, add chopped fresh garlic, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and dried oregano; for spicy salami, add hot salami.
11. Cook in oven for 4-5 minutes, at 460°F (220°C), and serve.
Other suggestions for pizza toppings: Pizza 4 Formaggi – add Fontina cheese, Gorganzola cheese, mozzarella cheese and Brie cheese. For Pizza Napoli – add capers and anchovies.
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I’m a huge fan of Gelato but my dreams were crushed when my sister-in-law informed me that Gelato is basically ice cream after it ix mixed together in your ice cream maker but before it is frozen. And then I got over it and stuffed my face with as much as possible. This Gelato recipe from their Florence cooking class has many delicious variations.
Fior di Latte Gelato
Serves 10 people
2 1⁄2 cups whole milk (no skimmed)
1 cup sugar
1 1⁄4 cups fresh cream
Preparation
1. Warm the milk and add the other ingredients, stirring well until everything is dissolved.
2. Pour the mixture into the machine and let it go to work! Your gelato should be a lovely smooth consistency.
Strawberry Gelato
Serves 6 people
Ingredients
2 cups of fresh strawberries
1⁄2 cup white sugar
1⁄2 cup water
Preparation
1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Pour the mixture into the machine and let it go to work! Your gelato should be a lovely smooth consistency.
Cioccolato Gelato
The ingredients and preparation are the same as Fior di Latte, however you must also add 1 cup (80g) of Cocoa Powder.
Crema Gelato
The ingredients and preparation are the same as Fior di Latte, however you must also add 5 egg yolks.
Lemon Gelato
Serves 6 people
Ingredients
2 cups lemon juice
1 cup white sugar
3 cups water
Preparation
1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Pour the mixture into the machine and let it go to work! Your gelato should be a lovely smooth consistency.
In partnership with Mile High Mamas.
Author: Amber Johnson
Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.
