Now that’s a slice

If you play golf, you know what a slice looks like. And, it usually entails a walk through the woods. But, that’s not what we celebrate today. Today is national pizza day. When you look at a piece of a fresh baked pie, you can’t help but comment: Now that’s a slice! The irony is that people think of pizza as Italian. But, this is an American holiday. And, by the numbers, that makes sense. Americans eat more pizza than any other country in the world. Estimates put us at about 3 billion pizzas per year. With numbers like that, it’s no wonder we have more variety in our pizzas too.

Purists point out that American pizzas differ greatly from Italian ones. Traditional Italian pizzas tend to use minimal topping, a lighter sauce, thinner, crisper crust, and focus on Fresh ingredients like buffalo Mozzarella, fresh basil, and tomato. Also, Italian pizzas bake in wood fired ovens as opposed to traditional ovens. But, this comparison is based on stereotypes. There is no one American pizza. And, you can get Italian style pizza in America. Right here, in Boston and New York, Italian immigrants brought pizza to America. There are still wood fired ovens from the 19th and early 20th centuries in use in some pizzerias in the northeast. You can get thin crust, thick, deep dish, Sicilian, Chicago, New York, Detroit, Greek, bar, and more types of pizza throughout the United States.

Even Italians say: Now that’s a slice

Of course, there are some abominations when it comes to pizza with some purists. School cafeterias serve french bread pizza. People even put sauce and cheese on English muffins and bagels and call it pizza. Then there are Mexican pizzas using tortillas. While these all may scare some, they are all actually pretty tasty. American innovation allows us to think past the confines of one type of pizza. Think of it as our very own culinary DEI. Some think it’s a bad thing. But, through diversity, we create more variety, and taste experiences to allow more and more people the transcendent experience of pizza. True, some versions are not so great. But, is there really anything you can call bad pizza?

Well, there are frozen pizzas and some mass produced versions that fall a bit short of the mark. But, I remember a parody book I read a long long time ago. It said about Italian wines: there are no great Italian wines. There are no bad Italian wines. There are just Italian wines. While the veracity of that sentiment is false, the concept holds true to pizza as a broad generalization. It’s not usually on the menu for a grand gala event. But, no matter what the situation, it’s hard to call it bad, unless someone really goes out of their way to make it so. A crappy sauce, crust, topping or cheese can make or break a pizza. Only the shape of the pizza can stop you from saying: Now that’s a slice.

Where did this phenomenon come from?

Pizza belongs to a special class of food: The pie. Which, of course, makes it part of the most important food group there is. People talk about power in Pyramids. But, the circle is a universal phenomenon embodied in the pie. Circles base their entire existence on the number Pi (3.14159265359) It’s a mysterious number that everything in the universe seems to revolve around. Pizza and other pies are a beautiful representation of that universal enigma. And, they’re freaking yummy. So, no complaints here.

But, what about pizzas? You may think they came from Italy. And, you’d be mostly right. The pizza we know today was invented in Naples and propagated through the 19th and 20th century. But, the first pizza like foods date back to ancient times. Persian soldiers baked bread on their shields in the battlefield, topped with cheese and dates in the 6th century BC. Ancient Greeks had Plakous, a flatbread with honey, oil, and cheese. And Romans had a flatbread spread with Moretum (a cheese and herb spread) depicted in murals found at Pompei. The sauce and cheese variations came later. Again, marinara pizzas and Margarita pizzas displaying the colors of the Italian flag: red tomato, White cheese, and green basil became popular in the 19th century.

How to celebrate

maybe it’s unconventional, but, having a pizza party is apropos today. Don’t let the people in Severance know. It may spark anarchy when they see how lame a melon bar is. Fortunately, for those of us on the outside, pizza is overly abundant. And, as mentioned, it comes in so many varieties, there’s no excuse for not trying some. Yes, it’s not the healthiest thing. Carbs, salt, and fat don’t rank in the top healthy foods. But, there are alternatives. These days you can make or get vegan pizzas, gluten free, low fat, low sodium, low carb, and others. There are so many ways to make you say “Now that’s a slice!”

And, they don’t all have to be savory. Remember that ancient varieties with dates and honey? Try fresh fruits, sweetened cheeses, chocolate, caramel, or whatever else you have around. Or, if you think it’s only for lunch or dinner, think again. Breakfast pizzas are a definite thing. After all, the basic American breakfast is eggs, potatoes, and toast. Pizza is like the toast. Then, top it with breakfast ingredients. The Italians who invented the modern day pizza did so as a convenient way of having a hot meal in a sandwich like, portable form. Baking your food on or in the bread is the ultimate in portability. So, how do you celebrate National Pizza day? anyway and anywhere you want.

Buy or BYO: Now that’s a slice!

The beauty is that pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world. Chances are, there’s a pizza shop within a few miles of where you are right now. Or, it’s available in a freezer. Then again, you can make your own. It’s easy and convenient to buy pre-made crusts and top with your own toppings. Better yet, you can make your own. I like to keep dough on hand just to speed up the process. making the dough is pretty easy. But, it does take some time and patience. You need to bloom the yeast, knead the dough, rest and rise it, then pull or roll, top, and bake it. From scratch, you can have pizza in under an hour. If you have a dough available, it’s under 30 minutes (faster than delivery in most cases).

Of course, there are so many varieties that it can be more complicated. But, for our purposes, we have a simple, Neapolitan style dough recipe. We recommend making a batch or two, forming balls of dough, and freezing what you don’t use to have it available for a quick meal. You can also use it to make calzones, which are pretty much a pizza sandwich. So, without further ado, here are some recipes to get you started. Play around with your own favorite toppings. There is no right or wrong with pizza (except Hawaiian. But that’s a whole debate there). And, enjoy!

Classic Mediterranean flatbread pizza dough

cheffd

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

resting time 40 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 2 flatbreads

Ingredients

  

• 1.5 Lb Type OO flour
• 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp Active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 to 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 pint warm water (around 100 degrees)

Instructions

 

• Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar in the bowl of a mixer. Allow to bloom for about 10 minutes.
• Mix salt and flour in a separate bowl
• Add 1 Tbsp oil to the yeast and water in a mixer with a dough hook attachment. Add in flour in 3 to 4 batches so it incorporates evenly and doesn't fly all over. Run the mixer at a slower speed until all the flour is in. Then speed up. Mix until a relatively dry, firm dough occurs. Add more olive oil if it is too dry. It should have some spring to it.
• When done, lightly flour the dough ball so it won't stick and allow to rise for about 1/2 hour.
• Cut dough into smaller balls or leave whole.
• Roll out with a rolling pin or by hand. (I prefer by hand, it has a better mouth feel).
• Either grille the dough then top and finish in a 550 degree preheated oven or top and bake on a piza stone in the same oven.

Keyword Appetizer, Arugula, balsamic, date, fig, flatbread, goat cheese, Main course, Mediterranean, reduction, What would Jesus eat?

Margarita Neopolitan Pizza Pie

cheffd

Here is a basic pizza pie dough recipe

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Resting time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Equipment

• Pizza Stone

Ingredients

  

• 1.5 Lb Type 00 flour
• 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
• 1 Tbsp dry active yeast
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 pint warm water Around 100 degrees fahrenheit
• 1 to 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
• Topping:
• 2 Lb Sliced Fresh Tomato
• 1 cup Thin sliced/shaved sweet Onion
• 2 Tbsp Thin shaved Fresh garlic
• 1 Lb Thin sliced and drained Fresh mozzarella
• 1/2 Cup Fresh basil leaves
• Olive oil to drizzle
• Flaked Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Oregano or 1Tbsp Fresh chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• corn meal for dusting

Instructions

 

• Put warm water, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a mixer. Allow the yeast to activate for about 10 minutes
• Add in the salt and 1 Tbsp olive oil.
• Use a dough hook attachment on the mixer. Start at a low speed, and gradually add in the flour. Then increase the speed as you incorporate the last of the flour, so it doesn't fly all over.
• Mix until a dry dough forms. Add a little more oil if it is too dry.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and put on a floured surface. Sprinkle flour on top and cover. Let the dough sit about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour.
• Cut the dough into smaller portions if you want or leave whole if you have a large enough stone to accomodate.
• Preheat your oven to it's highest temperature. Most max out at 550. Have the pizza stone in the oven
• When the oven is hot, form the dough by hand. You can roll it out if you want, but I find the dough forms better and has a better mouth feel if done by hand.
• The dough can be formed on a pizza peel and slid into the oven or built on the stone itself. If you build it on the stone, be prepared to work fast. Either way, you want to dust the stone with corn meal to prevent sticking. If you are building on a peel, put some corn meal on the peel as well (also to prevent sticking).
• Drizzle the pizza crust with olive oil. Top with tomato slices (thin is better), onion, and garlic, top that with the fresh mozarella, then sprinkle parmesan, oregano, salt, and pepper on.
• Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes depending on how well done you want it. The cheese should be somewhat browned. Be careful that it is not too wet.
• Either hand tear or slice the basil and sprinkle evenly over the pizza, Cut and serve immediately.

Notes

• Type 00 flour is a finely ground flour available in specialty stores. In Italy they categorize flour by the fineness of the grind. 00 is the finest grind. It’s gluten content is similar to AP flour, but the grinding makes the gluten react differently, resulting in a crisper dough. You can mix with AP or bread flour if you want a chewier crust.
• Fresh Mozzarella needs to be drained first. It has a lot of moisture, and can make your pizza soggy. Slice it thin. Otherwise it will not cook quick enough, and, the moisture will seep out. You can use regular mozzarella if you want. But, fresh or buffalo Moz is preferred in this type of pizza.
• Strain the tomatoes too. They can sog out the crust as well.
• This dough is universal. I like to make larger batches of it, cut into smaller balls, and freeze the dough. You can put whatever toppings you want on it. Try a fig, prosciutto, and blue cheese, drizzle with balsamic reduction! Molto Bene!

Keyword Neapolitan, Pizza, pie, dough, Classic, Italian, Cheese, Mozzarella

Candied Lemon, Berry, and Ricotta Grilled Flatbread pizza

cheffd

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dessert

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  

• 4 Cups Typo 00 Flour
• 2 Cups Warm Water
• 1 Tbsp Yeast
• 2 Tbsp Turbinado Sugar
• 1 tsp Kosher or sea salt
• 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• For the lemon
• 2 Medium Lemons
• 2 Cups Water
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• For berries
• 2 Cups Assorted Fresh Berries (Sliced strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Blackberry)
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Grand Marnier
• 2 Cups Ricotta Cheese
• 2 Tbsp Chiffonade Fresh Basil Leaves
• 2 Tbsp Honey
• Large Grain Kosher or sea Salt like Malden's sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

 

• Make the pizza Dough: Mix the water, yeast, and turbinado Sugar. Let it "bloom" for about 10 minutes until it becomes frothy. Add flour, oil, and salt and mix with a dough hook until a firm dough is achieved. Oil the dough and allow to rise in a bowl. Then punch down the dough and form into 2 or 4 balls. Set aside. This can be refrigerated or frozen until needed or just keep out if using immediately.
• Use a zesting tool or peeler to make thin julienne strips of zest from the lemons. Mix the zest, the juice from the lemons, water, and sugar in a pot. Cook over medium heat until the zest is soft and the juice becomes a syrup. Allow to cool.
• Fold a little of the lemon syrup, honey, and basil into the ricotta. Taste it. Add more sweetener if you want it sweeter or less if not.
• Slice the Strawberries. Mix all the berries with sugar and grand Marnier. Let it macerate for about 10 to 30 minutes.
• Preheat a grille to high heat. Also, preheat oven to 400.
• If pizza dough was refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature and rise slightly. Otherwise, it should be good to go. Dust with a little flour to prevent sticking. Pull the dough by hand. Shape into rounds or rectangles as you prefer.
• Place the pizza dough on the grille to give it marks. The dough will begin to bubble. Flip and mark on the second side. be careful not to burn it. Place the grilled doughs on sheet pans sprayed with pan spray.
• Brush the dough with the lemon syrup. Sprinkle the ricotta and berries around the dough evenly. Drape the lemon zest over the cheese and berries in an evenhanded manner as well. Place the pizzas in the oven and cook about 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
• Remove from the oven, cut and serve. Sprinkle with a little Large grain salt if desired. Accompany with a nice Rose wine.

Keyword berry, Candied, flatbread, Grilled, Lemon, Pizza, Ricotta