Pizza, Anyone?

Dateline: 05/13/98

Pizza and pizza-like creations are common throughout Italy, and a number of regions claim the honor of having invented it in the first place. Not that the invention could ever be proven -- the idea of slipping a flattened disk of dough graced with a topping into a hot oven and baking it quickly is amazingly simple, and many people must have come up with it independently.

Indeed, in a recent post to It.Hobby.Cucina, the Italian general cooking newsgroup, RoDante da Fano traces its origins from Ancient Egypt to Imperial Rome, where there were a number of different kinds of flat baked breads with a variety of sweet or salty toppings, and goes on to say that the descendents of these proto-pizzas were common throughout the peninsula in the 1700s. In 1835, he continues, Alexandre Dumas noted in his diary that "in Naples pizzas are flavored with oil, lard, tallow, cheese, tomato, or anchovies…" Other chroniclers listed other common toppings, also noting that pizza was a cheap food that Neapolitans ate for breakfast or lunch, and in the 1870s a Neapolitan pizzaiolo created the Margherita, which he named after Italy's beautiful queen, by sprinkling a few fresh basil leaves over a pizza topped with mozzarella and tomato -- red, white and green, the national colors.

The Margherita is still the most popular pizza today, perhaps because it's simple, light and tasty. It's also, in some ways, a better foil for the pizzaiolo's skill than some of the pizzas with more elaborate toppings, because what little there is has to be perfect: Well-risen well-turned dough; mozzarella di bufala, made from the water buffaloes that are raised around Naples; good light tomato sauce; good extra virgin olive oil; and fresh basil. Ideally it should be baked in a wood-fired oven, whose hot floor will rapidly crisp the dough.

At home, a pizza stone can take the place of the terracotta floor of the wood-fired oven, and one can substitute the mozzarella di bufala with mozzarella fiordilatte made from cow's milk (as do most Italian pizzerias). The important thing is that you use good quality ingredients, and make your pizza with care.

To begin, the dough:

If you are pressed for time, give your neighborhood bakery a call and ask if they sell fresh pizza dough. Many do, as do supermarkets -- at least in Italy. Of course making dough at home from scratch isn't difficult, and probably won't take any longer than driving out to the bakery.

For 2 12-inch crusts, the Joy of Cooking (III edition) calls for the following:

• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1 1/3 cups warm (105-115 F, or 42-45 C) water
• 3 1/2 -3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

This strikes me as a bit too much salt (I use a teaspoon) and I would omit the sugar.

In any case, begin by dissolving the yeast in the water, in a large mixing bowl; let it stand for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and mix, either by hand or with a mixer set to low speed, until the ingredients are blended. Now hand-knead the dough or mix it with a dough hook setting the speed to low for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Coat the insides of another bowl with olive oil and turn the dough in it to coat it too, then cover with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place to rise for an hour, or until it doubles in volume.

For the baking, preheat the oven to 475 F (250 C); if you are using a baking stone it should heat for at least 45 minutes. Otherwise grease and dust two flat baking tins with corn meal. Divide the dough in half, roll each half into a ball and let them sit for 15 minutes. Then shape them into disks, stretching them as you roll them out on a floured surface.

Ladle and spread a half cup or so of tomato sauce over them, leaving an inch of sauce-free rim, add the toppings (see below), and bake.

If you're using a baking stone the Joy Of Cooking suggests you place the pizzas on baker's peels dusted with cornmeal, and put the pizzas + peels on the stone. Italian Pizzaioli, on the other hand, use long poles with thin metal disks that are slightly broader than the pizza; they flour the disk, slip it deftly under the pizza, put it in the oven, and yank it back out (the flour keeps the dough from sticking). In the home setting I would be tempted to use a flat cookie sheet instead, lightly flouring it, to transfer the pizza from the work surface to the stone.

If you're using a metal baking pan you should bake the pizza towards the bottom of the oven. In a recent post to Rec.Foods.Cooking Karen suggested baking on the bottom rack for about 4 minutes, or until the pizza is firm enough to slide off the pan, and then slide it from the pan straight onto the rack to finish cooking.

The pizza will in any case be done when the crust is browned and the toppings are cooked; this takes 5 minutes in a wood-fired oven and about 15 at home. If you discover that the mozzarella begins to brown before the other ingredients are cooked to your satisfaction, the next time add it after the pizza (with the other toppings) has baked for about 5 minutes.

Having said all this, once you have your dough, what to do with it? The standard topping combinations one encounters in Italy differ somewhat from those I have encountered elsewhere. The quantities given below will be sufficient for one pizza each, so if you make the dough given above you will need to double the amounts, or select two.

Pizza Margherita: to honor the Queen

You will want 1/2 cup tomato sauce, about a quarter pound of shredded mozzarella, and 3-4 fresh basil leaves. Spread the tomato sauce on the dough, sprinkle with the mozzarella, drizzle with a few drops olive oil, add the basil and bake.

Pizza Marinara: the garlic-lover's delight

You will want two cloves (or more or less to taste) finely sliced garlic, and 1/2 cup tomato sauce. Spread the sauce over the pizza, sprinkle the garlic, drizzle with a few drops olive oil and bake.

Pizza al Prosciutto: a standby

You will want 2-3 ounces finely sliced cooked ham, shredded, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, and 1/4 pound shredded mozzarella. Spread the tomato sauce, sprinkle the with the mozzarella and ham, drizzle with a few drops olive oil and bake.

Pizza Prosciutto e Funghi: another standby

You will want about a cup finely sliced Champignon mushrooms, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 2-3 ounces finely sliced ham, and 1/4 pound shredded mozzarella. Spread the tomato sauce, sprinkle the other toppings over it, drizzle with a few drops olive oil and bake.

La Napoletana: yet another standby

1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 pound shredded mozzarella, 3-4 anchovy filets or more to taste, 1 tablespoon or so rinsed salted or pickled capers, a dusting of oregano. Spread the tomato sauce over the pizza, dot it with the remaining ingredients, drizzle with a few drops olive oil and bake.

L'Atomica: A fiery wonder

Though the one constant is a healthy jolt of crumbled red pepper, the other ingredients vary considerably from pizzaiolo to pizzaiolo.

Variation 1: 1/2 cup tomato sauce, a tablespoon or to taste salted or pickled capers (rinsed), 3-4 anchovy fillets, boned, a dusting of oregano, and crumbled red pepper, to taste. 1/4 pound shredded mozzarella is optional. Assemble the pizza, drizzle with a few drops olive oil and bake.

Variation 2: 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 3/4 cup finely sliced mushrooms, a dusting of oregano, crumbled red pepper to taste, and 1/4 pound shredded mozzarella (optional). Assemble the pizza, drizzle with a few drops olive oil and bake.

Pizza Quattro Stagioni: The four seasons

1/2 cup tomato sauce, 3-4 canned artichoke hearts, quartered, 5-6 black olives packed in brine (you'll want the sweet variety), 1/2 cup finely sliced mushrooms, 2 ounces finely sliced ham, shredded, and 1/4 pound shredded mozzarella. Spread the tomato and the mozzarella, arrange the other four toppings each in its quarter of the pizza; drizzle with a few drops olive oil and bake.

Pizza Capricciosa: Everything in the house

Not really, but it seems like that. It's usually the richest pizza offered, and every pizzaiolo makes it differently. This is based on the Pizzaria Giancarlo, outside Florence's Porta San Frediano. 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 pound shredded mozzarella, 1 finely sliced hot dog, 1 link sweet Italian sausage (about 2 inches long), skinned and shredded, 8 thin slices salamino piccante (pepperoni in the anglo-saxon world) 2 ounces thinly sliced ham, shredded, 2 canned artichoke hearts, quartered. Spread the tomato sauce over the pizza, sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the sauce, drizzle with a few drops olive oil and bake.

Pizza ai Quattro Formaggi: Cheese Galore!

1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 pound shredded mozzarella, 1/3 cup (each) shredded pecorino, gorgonzola, groviera (Swiss Cheese), and fontina or asiago, one black olive. Spread the tomato, and sprinkle it with the cheeses; the pizza will look almost white. Dot it with the olive and bake.

La Maialona: The hogger (sorry, but that's what it translates to)

1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 pound shredded mozzarella, 2-3 ounces thinly sliced ham, shredded, 1 hot dog, finely sliced, 1 sweet Italian link sausage (2 inches long) skinned and shredded. Spread the tomato sauce, sprinkle the remaining ingredients over it, and bake.

Contadina: Another specialty from Giancarlo, outside Porta San Frediano

1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 pound mozzarella, shredded, a small onion, finely sliced and the rings separated, 1 sweet Italian sausage (2 inches), skinned and crumbled. Spread the tomato sauce over the pizza, sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the sauce, drizzle with a few drops olive oil and bake.

Pizza alla Bismark: What's that egg doing here?

For reasons unknown to me a pizza with an egg cracked over it so it emerges from the oven sunny-side-up is called a Bismark. Excactly what else goes onto the pizza is up to the pizzaiolo, but ham goes quite well. So: 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 2-3 ounces thinly sliced ham, shredded, and an egg. Spread the tomato sauce over the pizza, sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the sauce, crack the egg over the middle of the pizza, drizzle with a few drops olive oil and bake.

Pizza Vegetariana: Betty's favorite

Again lots of variability, though the vegetables used are almost always cooked: stewed peppers, stewed eggplant, artichoke hearts, spinach, and what have you Begin with the standard 1/2 cup tomato sauce and 1/4 pound shredded mozzarella, and go from there, adding the cooked vegetables you prefer. Drizzle with a few drops olive oil and bake.

Winding down, I have never found garlic powder/salt or crushed red pepper flakes in an Italian pizzeria. However, if you want them, feel free. Also, feel free to improvise on these -- pizza is an ever-evolving art, which also includes focacce and calzoni. And here you will find links to pizza recipes on the Net.

To drink? A light zesty red wine, for example a Chianti d'annata, or a Valpolicella Classico, or something even zestier, for example Lambrusco (I especially like these), or beer.

Afterwords? Tiramisu.

A Printer-friendly version of all this.

If you plan to eat pizza in Italy, here is some advice on selecring your pizzeria.

Good Food & Drink,
Kyle Phillips

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Text & photos © Kyle Phillips, who drew from a number of sources, Italian and English.