The Holiday Table: 10 Thousand Villages

For 65 years, Ten Thousand Villages has been establishing long-term buying relationships in places where skilled artisans lack opportunities for stable income. The commitment to support artisans around the globe is strengthened through fair trade compensation practices including cash advances and prompt payments. As the company continues to grow, Ten Thousand Villages has deliberately married the concept of fair trade with healthy and environmentally sustainable business practices. From store operations to product sourcing to marketing practices, Ten Thousand Villages strives to meet the “triple bottom line” of economic, environmental and social sustainability.

Founded in 1946, Ten Thousand Villages has grown from the trunk of founder Edna Ruth Byler’s car to a network of more than 390 retail outlets throughout the United States. Ten Thousand Villages is an exceptional source for unique handmade gifts, jewelry, home decor, art & sculpture and personal accessories made by artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. One of the world’s largest fair trade organizations and a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization and the Fair Trade Federation, Ten Thousand Villages strives to improve the livelihood of tens of thousands of disadvantaged artisans in 35 countries. Product sales help pay for food, education, healthcare and housing for artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. For more information, visit tenthousandvillages.com.

Ten Thousand Villages, the leading Fair Trade source for unique handmade items made by artisans from around the world features the Terra Cotta Pizza Stone, to create a twist on your family’s traditional dish. Proudly handmade by HEED Bangladesh, a non-profit organization committed to upgrading the socio-economic condition of the disadvantaged and underprivileged, the Terra Cotta Pizza Stone ($39.00) includes a recipe for Bengali Style Pizza – perfect for a unique family pizza night or a change in the way you look at pizza at home.

Bengali Style Pizza

Servings: 1-2 (10” pizza)

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-12 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 10 inch pizza dough or bought shell (uncooked)

• ¾ cup crab meat

• ¾ cup chopped shrimp

• ½ cup crushed pineapple

• 5 mushrooms, sliced

• 4 ¼ oz. canned sliced black olives

•1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

• ½ cup crumbled feta

• Dash of corn meal

 Step by Step Procedure:

1.Place baking stone in oven.

2.Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

3.Remove hot stone from oven and place on heat resistant surface.

4.Sprinkle corn meal onto stone to inhibit dough sticking.

5.Spread pizza dough onto stone making sure not to burn yourself in the process.

6.Brush dough with oil.

7.Top with crab, shrimp, pineapple, mushrooms, olives, mozzarella and feta cheese.

8.Bake at 450 degrees F. until cheese is bubbly.

Other uses: Bread, bagels, dinner rolls and cookies are also good with baked on a pizza stone.