Enjoy the Crispy Pourable Pizza alongside Elif Shafak's 'The Island of Missing Trees' and a refreshing Aperol Spritz. This combination brings together the innovative culinary twist of a pourable pizza with the rich storytelling of Shafak's novel, both offering a delightful mix of tradition and creativity. The Aperol Spritz complements the dish with its light and bubbly profile, perfect for a relaxed evening of reading and dining.
Ingredients
Batter:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
Toppings:
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni or other preferred meats
- 1/2 cup sliced bell peppers
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/4 cup sliced black olives
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
- Red pepper flakes, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the Batter:
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet or a round baking dish.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried basil.
- In another bowl, whisk together the milk and egg until well combined.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. The batter should be pourable.
Assemble the Pizza:
- Pour the batter into the prepared skillet or baking dish, spreading it out evenly to cover the bottom.
- Spoon the pizza sauce over the batter, spreading it evenly but leaving a small border around the edges.
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese over the sauce.
- Add your desired toppings, such as pepperoni, bell peppers, mushrooms, black olives, and red onion.
Bake:
- Place the skillet or baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and crispy, and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve:
- Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves and red pepper flakes, if desired.
- Slice and serve hot.
The Island of Missing Trees
A poignant and enchanting tale set against the historical backdrop of a divided Cyprus, this novel explores love, loss, and the connection between people and nature. Elif Shafak weaves a rich narrative through the perspectives of two star-crossed lovers and a unique fig tree, whose stories span decades and dive into the complexities of identity and home.
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK Winner of the 2022 BookTube Silver Medal in Fiction * Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction "A wise novel of love and grief, roots and branches, displacement and home, faith and belief. Balm for our bruised times." -David Mitchell, author of Utopia Avenue A rich, magical new novel on belonging and identity, love and trauma, nature and renewal, from the Booker-shortlisted author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World. Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. In the taverna, hidden beneath garlands of garlic, chili peppers and creeping honeysuckle, Kostas and Defne grow in their forbidden love for each other. A fig tree stretches through a cavity in the roof, and this tree bears witness to their hushed, happy meetings and eventually, to their silent, surreptitious departures. The tree is there when war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to ashes and rubble, and when the teenagers vanish. Decades later, Kostas returns. He is a botanist looking for native species, but really, he's searching for lost love. Years later a Ficus carica grows in the back garden of a house in London where Ada Kazantzakis lives. This tree is her only connection to an island she has never visited— her only connection to her family's troubled history and her complex identity as she seeks to untangle years of secrets to find her place in the world. A moving, beautifully written, and delicately constructed story of love, division, transcendence, history, and eco-consciousness, The Island of Missing Trees is Elif Shafak's best work yet.
Discussion Questions
- How does Shafak use the fig tree as a symbol throughout the novel?
- In what ways does the novel address the concept of identity?
- How do historical events shape the characters' lives and choices?
- Discuss the role of nature and environment in the narrative.
- How does the novel explore the theme of belonging?
- What impact do the personal stories of the characters have on your understanding of the broader historical context?
- How does the novel depict the concept of home?
- Analyze the relationships between the characters and their significance.
- What role does memory play in the story?
- How does the novel balance the perspectives of different narrators?
Authors:
Elif Shafak
ISBN: 1635578590
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Published Date: 2021-11-02
ISBN: 1635578590
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Published Date: 2021-11-02
Aperol Spritz
The Aperol Spritz is a classic Italian cocktail that is light, refreshing, and perfect for sipping alongside your favorite dishes. With its vibrant orange hue and pleasantly bitter-sweet flavor, it's a delightful complement to the Crispy Pourable Pizza.
Ingredients
- 3 parts prosecco
- 2 parts Aperol
- 1 part soda water
- Orange slice
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- Fill a large wine glass with ice cubes.
- Add prosecco, followed by Aperol, and top with soda water.
- Gently stir to mix the ingredients.
- Garnish with an orange slice and serve immediately.