…but I couldn’t help but notice three very interesting items topping the news this morning, this story about big escalations in food prices, this one about food riots in places like Haiti, and this one about the rediscovery of the potato as a staple crop. What’s the common denominator here? In a word: ethanol. Of […]
READ ONPizza and pizzerias have been in existence in America, mostly on the east coast, for over 100 years now, however pizza never really took off as a mainstream food until the 50’s. The reason for that is World War II, which exposed tens of thousands of allied troops, notably those who served in the Italian […]
READ ONLast week I alluded to the “long” history of pizza, which it to say the history of various types of round, flat breads on top of which other food items are placed and then the whole thing eaten. If that’s your definition of “pizza” then it has a very long history indeed, stretching well back […]
READ ONOne of the main ingredients of a true Neapolitan pizza, as I’ve mentioned, is buffalo milk mozzarella. But why? And how did there come to be water buffalo in Italy anyway? Aren’t they more of an India/Southeast Asian kinda deal? The answer is the Crusades. Starting in roughly 1200 A.D., crusaders returning from their travails […]
READ ONThe thing that’s so surprising (and a little disconcerting) about Neapolitan pizza Margherita (which is what I made yesterday) is its simplicity. The crust is made of flour, yeast, water and salt. The sauce, crushed tomatoes and salt. The topping, herbs and a few pieces of fresh mozzarella. The big “ingredient” in a true Neapolitan […]
READ ONThe main thing was I baked at too low a temperature. Since I only recently bought my spiffy new thermometer, my bet is that I’ve been doing this all along. The consequence is that not enough heat is penetrating the dough fast enough, which means I’m having to leave the pizza in the oven longer, […]
READ ONI call it “-ish” because my brick oven pizza doesn’t strictly adhere to Italian D.O.C. regulations. But then why should it really? I live in Kentucky. Going nuts procuring perfectly authentic everything — tomatoes, flour, oil, cheese and salt — plus making my dough in perfect accordance with D.O.C. strictures — to my mind goes […]
READ ONNot especially, particularly for the first-time Neapolitan pizza maker. Funny thing about the pizza making arts, most people who are just beginning to practice assume that the magic is all in the flour (or some other secret ingredient), when the trick is really in the technique (the handling of the dough, the heat of the […]
READ ONBecause if Neapolitan-style pizza is about any one thing, it’s heat penetration. Crusts must be crispy and toasty on the bottom, which is a difficult effect to achieve if it goes onto the stone with much more on it than crushed tomatoes on the top. Toppings absorb heat, you see…heat the crust needs to bake […]
READ ONBrick ovens are of course the preferred device for making Neapolitan-style pizzas. I happen to have one, however I recognize that there may be a few of you oddballs out there who for some strange reason don’t. But then I made Neapolitan-style pizzas for years using my simple Whirlpool. You can too. The trick is […]
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