Res Ipsa: Nutella Pizza

My mother, an attorney, was the first person to teach me about res ipsa loquitur, a legal term that translates to “The Thing Speaks for Itself.” I will leave it to the lawyers out there to explain the finer points of how it’s used to prove negligence in the courtroom, but as long as I can remember, my mom and I have been translating it in a way that I feel certain it was meant to be translated. That is: If you are good enough, strong enough, fast enough, smart enough, nice enough, you don’t have to spend any time convincing people you are good enough, strong enough, fast enough, smart enough, nice enough. Those qualities should hopefully speak for themselves.

The exception to this rule, as my kids know, is when you are my child and when you are home in your own house, at your own dinner table, or anywhere else for that matter, there is no such thing as too much speaking about yourself. You should feel free to tell your parents every single wonderful thing you think about yourself at all hours of the day. But everywhere else, you try to check the bravado at the door.

My loose interpretation of this term has proven to be very convenient beyond the realm of parenting. Take the above 5-minute dessert you see above. My feeling is that you don’t need to hear 500 words from me about how delicious it is. Just look at the freaking thing! It’s a Nutella Pizza! And as such, res ipsa loquitur.

Nutella Pizza
I feel like I can’t walk two feet without seeing this offered on a menu. The lastest place I’ve spied it: The Cookery.

Using a rolling pin, roll storebought pizza dough as flat as you can roll it. In a cast iron pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and a drizzle of canola oil over medium heat. Add dough and fry until it bubbles on top and looks golden and crispy underneath. Lift dough with spatula, add another pat of butter to the pan and allow to melt before cooking the other side of the dough. When it’s cooked through — another 2 to 3 minutes — remove from pan onto a large plate. Once it has cooled slightly, spread a generous amount of nutella on top and add sliced bananas or strawberries (we didn’t have them on this particular night) or both. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into wedges to serve. You could also do this on the grill. Just make sure you brush the grates with plenty of oil.