A pizza story.
It’s crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, covered with hot tomato sauce and topped with creamy, gooey mozzarella. Ninety-three percent of people in the U.S. eat it at least once a month. Fourteen billion are sold each year. That’s 46 slices for every man, woman and child. And it’s the only food listed by name in your telephone directory.
We all know it and love it. But few of us know its story. Read on and you’ll soon be the smartest person around the pizza pie.
Everyone knows pizza comes from Italy, right? Well, sort of. Folks in the next peninsula over, Greece, started eating flat round bread baked with an assortment of toppings well over 2,000 years ago. They called it plankuntos.
The tomatoes didn’t come until much later, introduced to Europe courtesy of New World explorers in the 17th century. But Europeans kept tomatoes at arm’s length, thinking they were poisonous and using them only for ornamentation. For a time they were even referred to as “devil’s fruit.” Until the working-class citizens of Naples discovered they were not only risk-free, but also delicious, forever changing the cuisine of their countrymen and, later, the world.
The crowning touch.
The ultimate ingredient, mozzarella di bufala, wasn’t added until 1889 when a young man named Raffaele set out to impress his Queen. Upon hearing of an impending visit from Italy’s King Umberto and Queen Margherita, pizzaiolo (pizza maker) Raffaele Esposito set out to create three original pizzas in their honor. In a patriotic instant, the Queen chose the one covered with the colors of the Italian flag—red tomato sauce, green basil and white mozzarella—and Pizza Margherita was born. Word soon spread that what once was a crude peasant food had been embraced by the Queen, and its popularity in the country skyrocketed. Street vendors were replaced by eat-in shops, and competition led to variety.
Italian immigrants brought pizza with them to the U.S., and in 1905 Neopolitan Gennaro Lombardi opened the first American pizzeria in New York City. But pizza stayed behind the scenes until World War II, when GIs discovered the easy-to-eat treat in Italy and brought their love for it home to the States. With their cravings and word-of-mouth advertising, demand for pizza exploded, and its ease, flexibility and unsophisticated nature has kept it at the height of popularity through to today. There seems to be no end to the forms it can take. New York-style pizza, deep-dish pizza, stuffed-crust pizza—all with topping combinations limited only by one’s imagination.
Here are a few recipes from our imagination. We’d love to see some of yours. Click the “Submit Recipes” button at the top of this page to share your family favorites.
Feel free to use fresh pizza dough from your bakery section for any of these recipes and skip to the Shaping the Dough section.
But if you’re feeling like a go-getter, go get these ingredients and make it from scratch.
Making the Dough
Makes two 12-inch pizza crusts
1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1 3/4 cup warm water
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
Add yeast to warm water and allow it to activate for about 10 minutes.
In a food processor, add yeast and water to salt and two cups flour. Pulse repeatedly for about 10 seconds, then add the olive oil and pulse. Add remaining flour one cup at a time, pulsing until blended. The mixture should easily form a ball. If it falls to pieces, add water a tablespoon at a time. If it’s like a batter, add flour one tablespoon at a time. When ready, place mixture onto a floured board and knead until dough is elastic, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Place dough in a plastic grocery bag or in a bowl covered with a towel and let it rise until it doubles in size, about 45 minutes. Then punch it down so it deflates and let it rise again for about an hour. Divide dough in half.
Shaping the Dough
2 tablespoons cornmeal
Flour
Place dough on a lightly floured wooden board and sprinkle flour on top. Press the ball down into a flat cake about 1/2 inch thick. Lift the dough and lay it over the back of the fist of one hand. Put your other fist under the dough, right next to your first fist. Now gently stretch the dough by moving your fists away from each other. Rotate the dough after each stretch. Continue until the dough is about 1/4 inch or about 12 inches across.
Dust a pizza stone, pizza pan, or cookie sheet with cornmeal. Place dough on top and roll edges slightly to create a ridge and you’re ready for toppings.
Baked Potato Pizza
Jerk Chicken Pizza
Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza
Philly Cheese Steak Pizza
Eggplant and Red Pepper Pizza
Baked Potato Pizza
1 pound russet potatoes, chopped small
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 green onions, chopped
½ pound bacon, cooked and drained
½ cup cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Cover potatoes with cold water in large pot. Add one tablespoon salt. Quickly bring water to boil and cook over high heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.
Combine ricotta and oil in a small bowl and spread into a layer over fresh dough. Cover with bacon, potatoes and green onions, then sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Season with salt and pepper and bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
Jerk Chicken Pizza
1 green bell pepper
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, chopped
Up to 1 tablespoon jerk sauce, to taste
3 cloves garlic, diced
¼ pound thin-sliced salami
1 Portobello mushroom, finely chopped
1/2 cup of your favorite pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preheat broiler. Brush whole green pepper with 1 teaspoon olive oil and broil on baking sheet, about five minutes per side. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place remaining olive oil in skillet over medium heat, and sauté chicken until juices run clear.
Remove seeds and skin from cooled green pepper and chop. Add green pepper, jerk sauce, garlic, and mushroom to skillet with chicken and cook over medium heat a few minutes, until heated through.
Spread with pizza sauce over fresh dough. Assemble salami on top, then spread chicken mixture evenly. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake pizza until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 Bosc pear (the brown ones), thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 1/2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Layer mozzarella cheese over fresh dough. Layer pear slices on top. Sprinkle with walnuts and Gorgonzola.
Bake pizza until light brown, about 10-12 minutes. Top with chives and serve.
Philly Cheese Steak Pizza
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium green pepper, sliced
½ pound mushrooms, sliced
½ pound roast beef, thin-sliced and cut into small strips
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons garlic, crushed
4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet and cook onion and pepper over medium heat until tender, about five minutes. Add roast beef and mushrooms and cook three more minutes. Remove from heat. Add Worcestershire sauce and stir. Rub fresh dough with crushed garlic and remaining olive oil. Top with two cups mozzarella, then add roast beef and vegetables evenly. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake pizza until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Eggplant and Red Pepper Pizza
1 eggplant
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 red onion, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
½ cup of your favorite pizza sauce
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, chopped
Salt and pepper
8 fresh basil leaves
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
To prepare the eggplant, peel it (the skin is both bitter and tough), slice it, sprinkle it with salt and allow it to drain in a colander for up to an hour. This helps make the eggplant less bitter and keeps it from absorbing oil. Gently squeeze each slice and dice it.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté garlic and onion. When just beginning to brown, add eggplant and red pepper, toss, and add balsamic vinegar. Cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes.
Spread the pizza sauce over fresh dough. Spread your vegetables evenly across the base. Place mozzarella evenly.
Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake pizza until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Top with fresh basil leaves and serve.
© 2008 Sorrento Lactalis Commercial, Inc.
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