A different kind of cookbook, from a different kind of restaurant. The team behind the award-winning Montreal pizza joint Elena presents Salad Pizza Wine, delivering recipes for all of life’s good things, with fresh, delicious and easy-to-recreate takes on modern Italian dishes, including:

Elena’s famous pizza
If you could eat pizza every day and feel great, would you believe it? From heavy hitters to off-menu pies, the secret to a pizza-filled life is in Elena’s naturally leavened dough.

Salads + Vegetables
Like people, this book contains multitudes; you can stuff your face with pizza on the daily and take pleasure in eating vegetables with the seasons.

Pasta
Learn how to make two super versatile doughs and their multiple variations, and impress your loved ones with an all-star roster of favourite pastas.

Meat + Fish
Take your pick from weeknight-friendly recipes, dishes to save for special occasions and one once-in-a-lifetime adventure: the gargantuan Timpano, inspired by the classic film Big Night.

Hoagies
Who doesn’t love sandwiches? Portable and easy to share with a friend, hoagies are also perfect for wrapping up all your tasty leftovers.

Desserts
End every meal on a high note with a series of serious sweet treats for beginners and advanced bakers alike.

Go-Tos
Lay the foundation for your home-cooking adventure with basic recipes that deliver big flavour, from crunchy toasted breadcrumbs and multi-purpose sauces to simple pickles and homemade cheeses.

More than a collection of recipes, Salad Pizza Wine shares Elena’s passion for natural wines too—the wine part of Salad Pizza Wine—as well as their goofs and thoughts on living a fuller life. The authors—Janice, Stephanie, Ryan, Marley—were part of Elena’s opening team who came together, burnt out from years in the restaurant industry and ready to start afresh. Their answer was to create a restaurant that was also a healthy working environment (gasp).

At Elena, it’s all about making the most of a good thing—and the same goes for this book. Whether it’s planning a dinner (salad, pizza, wine? pizza, pasta, dessert? salad, meat, hoagie?), or letting go of stuff that no longer serves you, Salad Pizza Wine encourages you to choose your own adventure—both in the kitchen and in life.

Written in a self-deprecating, tongue-in-cheek style, this is a cookbook you’ll really want to cook from and read. Because what’s better than cooking beautiful food, being kind to those around us and laughing as we all try to figure it out?

 

Naturally Leavened al Taglio Pizza Dough

Al taglio is a rectangular style of pizza that’s cooked on a baking sheet and typically sold in square slices by weight. Whenever we go to Italy, one of our first stops is always Bonci Pizzarium in Rome, where they sell all sorts of al taglio pies, from stracciatella with marinated zucchini to tripes cacio e pepe. Al taglio is deceptively easy to make at home and can feed a lot of people. And when it’s done right, the dough rises to form Instagram-worthy air bubbles that are hard to resist.

special Equipment

Mixer (optional)

Very large mixing bowl Dough scraper

6 1/3 cups (820 g) bread flour

1 1/3 cups (200 g) spelt or whole wheat flour

3 cups (750 ml) water, room temperature

1 cup (200 g) Sourdough

Starter (see below)

5 tsp (25 g) fine sea salt

3 tbsp (45 ml) extra virgin olive oil, divided, + more oil or butter for greasing the baking sheets

Semolina rimacinata or all-purpose flour, to dust your work surface

hydrate the flours: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a hook attachment (or in a very large bowl using a rubber spatula), combine the flours with the water. Mix on the lowest setting until a shaggy mass forms. Turn off the mixer and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Mix or knead the dough: Add the sourdough starter and salt and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and relatively uniform, about 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a clean surface and scrape out the mixing bowl using a dough scraper, discard- ing any dried bits. Generously oil that same bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil and place the dough inside. Cover the dough and rest it at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Fold the dough and let it rise: Starting with the edge farthest away from you, gently lift and fold the dough in half over itself. (This motion should be done confidently to stretch the dough without ever tearing it.) Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the same process until the dough has been folded on itself for a total of four times, rotating the bowl after each fold. Cover the dough and rest it at room temperature for 30 minutes. Repeat the folding process two more times, resting the dough 30 minutes at the end of each folding session. The whole process should take about 1½ hours.

divide the dough: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface by flipping the bowl over and letting the dough slowly fall out.

Using a dough scraper, divide the dough in half.

shape the dough: Working with one piece at a time, fold each corner toward the center of the dough. Then fold the dough on itself twice as if you were folding a piece of paper to put in an envelope. Use the dough scraper to tuck the edges and create a smooth and even oval shape. Put the dough back in the same oiled container.

Cover and chill in the fridge for 2 days. During this time, the dough should proof gently, becoming lighter and springier to the touch.

It can be stored in a lightly oiled, sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for a few months.

When you are ready to make your pizza, proof the dough again: Grease two baking sheets with olive oil (or use butter for an extra-crispy bottom crust). Uncover the dough and coat lightly with 1 tbsp olive oil. Carefully transfer each dough portion onto the baking sheets, keeping the top side of the proofed dough facing up. Using your fingertips, gently press down on the surface of the dough to release some of the air. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest in a warm spot for at least 30 minutes and up to

3 hours. (The longer the dough proofs, the more relaxed it will become, making it easier to stretch but also more fragile.)

stretch the dough: Once the dough has proofed, uncover it and start stretching it by lifting it from the bottom to make sure no air gets trapped underneath. Gradually and gently stretch out the corners of the dough toward the edges of the baking sheet.

Continue working with your fingertips to stretch the dough until it’s about the same size as the baking sheet. Press the dough firmly into the corners. Repeat this process with the remaining portion of dough. Your al taglio is now ready to welcome toppings.

 

Sourdough Starter

MAKES A POTENTIALLY NEVER-ENDING SUPPLY TO SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS 

Making and keeping a sourdough starter can be a pain at first, but it will bring the taste of your pizza dough and bread to the next level. If none of your friends have a sourdough starter at home, making your own is easy if you follow these simple steps.

All-purpose flour Warm water

Whole wheat flour, rye flour or flour of your choice (to feed your starter)

Making and keeping a sourdough starter can be a pain at first, but it will bring the taste of your pizza dough and bread to the next level. If none of your friends have a sourdough starter at home, making your own is easy if you follow these simple steps.

day 1: In a container with a lid (a mason jar or a plastic container work fine), combine ¼ cup all-purpose flour with ½ cup very warm water (86°F–95°F) and mix, making sure to leave a few inches at the top for the starter to expand. Place the container somewhere warm (a turned-off oven with the light on works well).

day 2: After 24 hours, the mixture should be bubbling and sour, meaning the fermentation process has started. If it hasn’t, wait another 12 hours and check again. Add ¼ cup all-purpose flour and mix to combine. Return the jar to its cozy spot.

day 3: The starter should now be bubbling more and have gained in volume due to fermentation. Discard all but roughly 2 tbsp of the starter mixture and add ¼ cup flour of your choice and ¼ cup warm water (about 75°F–82°F). This is your daily starter feed.

happily ever after: The fermentation should be stable after day 3 and your starter should now smell like yogurt and have peaked in volume. To test it, flick 1 tsp starter in a bowl of warm water. If it floats, it’s ready. You can now feed your starter daily with wheat or rye flour, discarding all but roughly 2 tbsp of starter mix and adding your starter feed (¼ cup flour of your choice and ¼ cup warm water). After several feedings, you’ll start to notice your starter rise and fall throughout the day—this is normal.

If you’re baking regularly, your starter should be fed daily, stored in a sealed container and kept between 68°F and 86°F. If you’re not baking regularly, your starter can be stored in the fridge without feeding for up to 30 days. When you’re ready to use it again, take it out of the fridge and repeat each step starting from day 3. It should be ready to use the next day. Keep in mind that the more mature a starter is, the more sourness will be exhibited in the final product. A healthy starter will keep for years.

Excerpted from Salad Pizza Wine by Janice Tiefenbach, Stephanie Mercier Voyer, Ryan Gray and Marley Sniatowsky. Copyright © 2023 Janice Tiefenbach, Stephanie Mercier Voyer, Ryan Gray, and Marley Sniatowsky. Photographs by Dominique Lafond. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.