Growing
up in the New York Metropolitan area, we took it for granted
that the best pizza was to be had right in our own neighborhood
pizzeria. The crispy crust, spicy sauce and melting cheese with
all the
fresh toppings, cooked well done on hot brick ovens. You could
always find a great pizza even outside your neighborhood, every
town had one or two good pizzerias. However, this is not the
case once you cross the Mississippi and head west. Occasionally
you find a decent pizza, but most of the time, odds are, you
will be disappointed. Some pizza chains do a credible job, but
they can never match the original Ma & Pa operations back east.
Whenever I go back to Jersey to visit family, I always bring a
couple of pizzas back with me on the plane. The rest of the
time, I make my own. If you find yourself in the same
predicament and there isn't a good pizza shop to be found within
a hundred miles, here is a home-made pizza recipe that can be
just as tasty as the one your old neighborhood pizza man made.
The Dough
An
easy and acceptable option is a store bought ready made
crust (Boboli), add sauce,
cheese, your favorite toppings and you'll have a better pizza
than many pizza places I've eaten in. I prefer frozen bread
dough that you can find in any supermarket. (Rhodes or any other
good brand) They come in packs of 3 - 5 dough.
Take one frozen dough, place on plate and cover with
plastic wrap, allow to thaw overnight in your fridge.
Remove from fridge and let sit outside for 30 minutes or
so.
Grease a shallow baking pan with shortening (Crisco
vegetable shortening works best). Coat pan well, spread
with paper towel.
Set dough in pan, begin to press and stretch dough
gradually, let sit 10 - 15 minutes, return and repeat
stretching until dough touches the edges, spray oil or
sprinkle a little olive oil on top.
Let dough sit in warm area and allow to rise for
approximately 30 minutes.
Pre-heat oven to 375° - 400° (setting dough on top or
close to pre-heating oven will make it rise quicker).
Use fork to prick dough evenly all over except for
edges, this will keep dough from getting large bubbles
while baking.
Cook dough in oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until dough
begins to turn golden brown on top.
Remove from oven and let sit. (This is your pizza crust
ready for topping.
The Sauce
(There are a couple options)
You can use the same sauce that you make for pasta.
(Tomato, Marinara, Meatsauce, etc.)
A good quality canned crushed or small diced tomatoes,
(add granulated garlic, oregano, salt and pepper). 15
oz. can per pizza or 28 oz. can for 2 pizzas.
Create your own pizza sauce.
Note:
if you aren't a fan
of tomato, you can use Alfredo
or Pesto sauce.
Here is my recipe for 1 pizza
Ingredients:
15 oz. can
crushed or fine diced tomatoes
1 medium
red onion (cut in half, sliced thin)
1 oz.
fresh chopped basil
1 Tbsp.
fresh chopped oregano leaves
1 Tbsp.
extra virgin olive oil
1 dash
salt & pepper
Directions:
Heat olive oil in sauté pan on medium high heat.
Add onions and sauté until caramelized.
Add tomatoes and stir with onions.
Add fresh basil, oregano, salt & pepper.
Cook 5 -7 minutes on medium heat.
Set aside to cool off.
The Cheese
A Good
quality mozzarella is traditional, but why settle for the
usual? I use
a ripe piece of Monterey Jack cheese (freshly grated or
shredded).
Other choices include:
Sharp
cheddar
Fontina
Imported Parmesan
Asiago
jalapeno Jack
Note:
the better quality the cheese, the more flavorful the
pizza.
The
Meats
Ground Italian Sausage (cooked and drained of fat) or
precooked sliced link sausage.
Sliced meatballs (found in Italian delis or frozen in
supermarkets). For really great meatballs, see my
recipe: the perfect
meatball
Sliced pepperoni or your favorite salami
Good
quality sliced ham (chopped coarse), Prosciutto ham or
Canadian bacon can also be used.
Anchovies (the much maligned little fish is the best
thing to happen to pizza), Most pizza places add it
whole - often sitting in an open can for days, greatly
affecting the taste and smell of the fish. I open a
fresh can and cut in 1/2 inch pieces and spread then
evenly on top of the pizza sauce before adding other
toppings.
Note: to get rid of the
overly salty or fishy taste, soak the anchovies in a little
milk for 10 - 15 minutes and rinse before using. Don't be
afraid to experiment with different combinations of meat,
including: chicken, pork, or even smoked fish and seafood
toppings.
The Veggies
( The Fresher the better)
onions: Basic ingredient, you have to use in one form or
other (sliced, diced, sautéed) I prefer using red
onions.
bell
peppers, red or green (sliced, diced or roasted)
mushrooms, white or crimini (sliced thin, raw or
sautéed) If you want to go more gourmet, choose
Portobello, Porcini, Morels, Shitake, or Chanterelles.
olives, sliced canned black olives are traditional, but
any type of olives can be used.
fresh or roasted garlic
grilled eggplant
artichoke hearts
sun
dried tomatoes (seen left)
crushed red pepper flakes (sprinkled on top)
Note: Using different or too many vegetables can make
for a soggy pizza. You can sauté veggies ahead of time to
get out excess moisture, this makes for a more flavorful
pizza.
The Process:
Spread pizza sauce on pizza crust with a large spoon or
ladle, leave 1 inch of crust exposed.
Sprinkle your choice of cheese or cheeses evenly.
Add
you choice of toppings.
Note: It is important that you distribute all
toppings evenly throughout the pizza. (Amateur pizza
makers fail to do this, you'll notice clumps of toppings
and other parts of the pizza will have little or no
toppings.) Every bite of your pizza should have equal
amounts of all items.
Place pizza in oven, cook at 375° for 20 - 30 minutes or
until pizza is well done on bottom.
Remove from oven, cut in slices with large knife or
pizza cutter.
Note: to maximize proper baking and perfect
crispiness, you should invest in a pizza stone to fit
your oven. They come in various sizes and cost $15 -
$30. It's as close as you'll come to a professionally
cooked pizza.
Directions for using pizza stone:
Remove bottom grill from your oven and place pizza stone
on bottom.
Pre-heat stone 20 - 30 minutes at 450° - 500°.
Transfer ready to bake pizza from original pan onto
pizza stone, cook 30 minutes or desired crispiness. Note: Transferring
the ready to bake pizza from tray to stone can be
tricky. Use a floured wooden board or pizza paddle to
slide your pizza onto stone.
This
recipe involves time, a little labor and lots of love. The
result is well worth the effort, at less than half the cost of
of a delivered pizza.
