Roman holiday

Today it was blissfully sunny in my corner of the world, and I was reminded of a holiday in 2008 that took us to Italy.
We arrived in Rome on a blisteringly hot September afternoon and grabbed a taxi to our B&B, which had been recommended to us by a wine agent we had met during a sampling at our neighbourhood liquor store in St. John's. He was offering samples of Italian wines and we told him we were planning a trip. "If you go to Rome, you have to stay at Barbara's," he said, and told us how to get in touch with her.
We were so glad we took his advice. From the balcony of her elegantly and ecclectically furnished apartment, you could see the dome of St. Peter's in the shimmering haze of the sun. Tired from the trip but thrilled to be in Rome, we headed out as soon as we dropped our bags and followed glimpses of the dome for about 15 minutes until we reached the walls of Vatican City.
By now it was early evening, and feeling hot and tired, we were tempted inside a pizzeria by the gorgeous display of pizza and pasta in the window. It wasn't much more than a hole in the wall, with a few booths and tables inside, and three or four chrome tables set up outside on the sidewalk. We pointed to what we wanted -- funghi pizza, as it turned out -- and selected an ice cold bottle of pale gold Pinot Grigio.
The pizza was deceptively simplistic -- a white sauce, strewn with sauteed mushrooms and melted cheese -- but the taste was pure heaven. Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth mushrooms on a surprisingly complex creamy sauce with a hint of spice. The Pinot Grigio was like chilled sunshine. It was one of the simplest meals we had in Italy, and one of the best.
Best of all? After spending two and a half weeks in Tuscany, we returned to Rome for a couple of nights before our departure and found the very same pizzeria.
The waiter was the same as before. "Funghi pizza and Pinot Grigio!" he said, beaming, when he recognized us.
Once we were back in Newfoundland, I found myself longing for the rustic-style pizzas we'd had in Italy, where the focus is on fresh, quality ingredients, and not the number of toppings you can pile on.
I dug out Pizza and Antipasti, a cookbook by Wilton House that I'd had since the 1990s, and decided to try to recreate a little bit of Italy in our kitchen.
These two recipes were both a success (I've altered them a little), and are good representatives of authentic Italian pizza. If you're feeling lazy on a Friday night after work, buy pre-made pizza shells instead of making your own dough.
Then, chill some Pinot Grigio, invite a few friends over, and enjoy.

Pizza a la Creme
2 tbsp. salted butter
3/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 shallots, peeled and diced
1 cup of white sauce* (recipe follows)
1 pizza dough shell
1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
3 slices crisp cooked bacon or prosciutto, chopped
a sprinkle of fresh thyme
salt, pepper and paprika to taste


White sauce
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 a yellow onion, diced
4 tbsp. flour
2 cups skim milk, heated
salt and white pepper
a pinch of nutmeg

For the white sauce
Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook 2 minutes over low heat. Stir in flour and continue cooking 1 minute. Pour in milk, whisking constantly. Season well and add nutmeg. Cook sauce 8 to 10 minutes over low heat. Stir 3 to 4 times during cooking process.
Strain sauce through a sieve into a clean bowl. Cover with a sheet of waxed paper that touches the surface of the sauce, and let cool before refrigerating. This should make enough sauce for 2 pizzas, depending on how saucy you are, and will keep 2 to 3 days in the fridge.

For the pizza
Preheat oven to 500 F. Heat butter in frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Spread white sauce over pizza shell. Cover with mushrooms and shallots and top with grated cheese. Season with pepper, salt and paprika.
Cook 10 to 12 minutes. About 2 minutes before pizza is done, add chopped bacon or prosciutto and complete cooking.


Phyllo pizza (makes 6 to 8 servings)
2/3 cup melted salted butter
14 sheets of phyllo pastry dough
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the real stuff, not the processed stuff in the shaker can)
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed and chopped
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
4 large plum tomatoes, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Brush large rectangular baking sheet with melted butter. Position first sheet of phyllo dough in bottom and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. And next sheet of dough, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat for remaining sheets of dough.
Heat 2 tbsp. oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and basil. Season well and cook 4 minites. Spoon mixture over top layer of phyllo.
Cover with mozzarella cheese. Top with tomato slices and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Drizzle remaining olive oil over tomotoes. Season with pepper.
Cook 30 to 40 minutes in the oven.