Pesto, Potato and Garlic Pizza

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Friday Night Pizza Night with T.W.O.! This week we are featuring a hearty pizza that includes pesto, potatoes and garlic. We adapted the recipe from one of our favorite pizza parlors in San Francisco – ZA Pizza! We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients

– Pizza dough*
– Cornmeal
– Flour
– Pesto**
– 2 red potatoes, thinly sliced
– 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
– 2-3 cups mozzarella

*T.W.O. used pizza dough from VJB Deli.
** T.W.O. used Bolani Basil Pesto (all natural, low fat)

Preheat oven to 425ᴼF.

Season the thinly, sliced potatoes with salt, pepper and oregano. Place the potatoes on a greased cookie sheet and cook for 20 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, roll out the pizza dough on a floured/ cornmeal surface. Once the dough is evenly rolled out, transfer the dough to a greased cookie sheet. Next, take the pesto and spread it on the dough, making sure you reach all the edges. Then add the mozzarella to the pizza. Take the garlic and sprinkle it evenly on top of cheese.

Once the potatoes are done (they should be soft, but not mushy), add the slices of potatoes to the top of the pizza.

Let the pizza rise for about 15 minutes. Note – you don’t want to put the pizza in a cold oven, so make sure your oven reaches 425ᴼF.Once the oven is ready, place the pizza in the oven and watch closely. Do not open the oven door, as you want to keep the heat in. The pizza will take 15-20 minutes. Once done, take the pizza out of the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes prior to cutting.

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That’s amore!

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VJB Vineyards & Cellars

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Wine. Pizza Oven. Deli. Gelato. Music.  VJB Cellars has it all!  Not only is their wine delicious, the atmosphere in their piazza is excellent.  T.W.O. has been going to VJB for many years and takes all their visitors to this family-owned Kenwood winery.

Meet the Belmonte’s

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Vittorio, Henry and Maria Belmonte are the family members who started this winery.  Just about every weekend, you can see at least one of them roaming around the piazza.  Like every visit to VJB, Vittorio and the staff greet us with open arms, just as if we were family. When in Italy…or should I say VJB!

The Piazza

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The piazza is an open aired patio that is identical to the ones in a small, Italian town.  With a pizza kitchen on one end and long tables on the other, it is a great place to enjoy lunch and some wine on a beautiful day. The food is excellent.  Pizza, ribs, paninis and sandwiches are all made fresh to order.  T.W.O. highly suggests the traditional margarita pizza.  If you decide to go to VJB on the weekend, you can expect live music in the piazza.  Close your eyes and you will think you are in Italy!

The Deli

The deli has everything from cold meats, fresh salads, and cheese that you can order to go or to enjoy in the piazza.  Don’t forget to pick up some of Maria’s pasta sauce on the way out- it is delicious!

The Tasting Room + VJB Wines

Now to taste some delicious wines! Prosecco, Rose, Zinfandel, Montepulciano, Cabernet, Rosso Family Blend, Dante, Sangiovese and Barbara are some of the varietals you will see at VJB. Even though T.W.O. enjoys all of the wines at VJB, their favorites are the Barbara and the Dante.

Gelateria

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After an afternoon of live music, pizza and some great Italian wine- why not end it with some gelato! The dark chocolate is phenomenal!!

IMG_1965*This photo was taken on a previous trip to VJB with more of our family!

Cheers to VJB Cellars and a T.W.O. favorite winery.  Thank you to the Belmonte Family for welcoming our family to your winery and making us feel like we are at home every time!

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A San Francisco Weekend

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T.W.O. reunited in San Francisco this past weekend and had a great time with friends and family! Below are some highlights of the fabulous three days.

Ferry Building

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A marketplace, office space, meeting spot and event space – this building has it all. Not only is the architecture of the building spectacular with its high ceilings and natural light, it is also an iconic building to the city with its 245-foot tall clock tower that was designed after the 12th-century Giralda bell tower in Sevilla, Spain. In the 1930’s, the Ferry Building was the second busiest transit terminal in the world, but with the construction of the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge, it has become less of a transit terminal and more of a marketplace.

Chili Night Dinner Party

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Being the first day of November, T.W.O. deiced to cook chili and cornbread for their small dinner party. In addition to the Fall menu, T.W.O. created a tablescape that gave the small city apartment a cozy feel. It was a wonderful night of good food, views and people. The cornbread recipe can be found HERE and we will be featuring the chili recipe on Thursday.

Golden Gate Bridge Runs

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On the weekends, T.W.O. likes to start off the day with a great exercise. It helps that there is a spectacular view along the way! (Well sometimes…if it’s a typical San Francisco morning, you might not see the bridge, yet alone the water.)

Sonoma County Afternoon Drive

Forty-five minutes across the Golden Gate Bridge and you are in wine country! T.W.O. + family took a day trip to get out of the city and enjoy the beautiful scenery, food and wineries. They went to three wineries – VJB Cellars, Imagery and Ram’s Gate. In the next couple of weeks we will be highlighting each winery individually. Stay tuned!

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