A former chef and local dad, Joe Bass, shares his passion for cooking with all the busy parents. Joe and his family live in The Waters neighborhood in Pike Road, AL. He also had the pleasure of marrying his wife, Lindsay, at The Waters in 2010. The couple has a daughter, Chandler, who is almost ten. Joe shares, “She’s such an adventure seeker and always open to trying new and exciting things.” When Joe isn’t in the kitchen preparing some of his signature dishes, he’s dedicating his time to his full-service ad agency, Hatfield Taylor.
Joe’s passion for cooking emerged at a young age. At only 15, he started watching cooking shows and did his best to replicate the dishes he saw prepared. In 1998, after reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, Joe knew what he wanted to do. For a decade, he cooked in professional kitchens with world-renowned chefs. Joe delved deeply into his passion for cooking and, at age 23, operated his own restaurant in Rosemary Beach, FL. He believes cooking brings people together for some great food and allows for creativity and craftsmanship.
Though Joe likes to cook different dishes, some of his favorite ones to prepare are plates of pasta plus grilled and seared meat with veggies. He says, “Good ingredients make great food that can be on the table fast.” While preparing meals, he prefers using cast iron skillets, Thermo Pro, Henckels knives, ironclad pans, KitchenAid mixers, spatulas, quality tongs, soup spoons for tasting and basting, and quality wood cutting boards, to name a few. Joe also enjoys cookbooks, his favorite being The French Laundry by Thomas Keller.
Pizza is a staple in the Bass household. Joe shares a favorite homemade pizza recipe with us this month!
Homemade Neapolitan Pizza
Ingredients:
Sauce (prepare up to 2 days in advance):
Peeled whole organic tomatoes
Chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons of chopped oregano leaves
3-4 cloves garlic minced
Extra virgin olive oil to taste ( a few tablespoons as a start)
Salt and pepper to taste
Note: If you prefer a sweeter sauce, add a few pinches of sugar.
Cook on low for 30 minutes.
Pizza Dough:
3 cups Pizza Flour (or bread flour or high protein flour) (384g)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1-1/4 cup warm water
Directions:
Combine the Pizza Flour with all ingredients in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with a dough hook until it comes together as a shaggy ball. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and continue to knead by hand for 5 minutes. Or, if using a stand mixer, mix on low speed for 5 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball and lightly cover for 1-2 hours (or up to 18 hours in the fridge), allowing the dough to double in size. Leave overnight for a more airy crust. Experiment with this for your liking.
Preheat oven or grill (and your pizza stone if you have one) to 500°F. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape them into two smooth balls. If it’s too sticky, rub a little flower on them.
Prepare a 12-inch pizza pan or peel with a generous amount of cornmeal or semolina flour. Flatten the pizza dough by hand by pressing down and outward and spreading motions.
Add sauce and toppings of your choice and bake for 8–12 minutes. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 for the second ball of dough.
