"...when the dough is really perfect, one should never lose track of its glory and the deep, simple satisfation of biting into it and having its hot, yeasty flavors float up one's nostrils, with the ingredients never overpowering the dough."
(from "New American Classics", Jeremiah Tower)
Jeremiah Tower never spoke truer words - but I'd known them all along. Sadly, much of the world doesn't understand. I remember once telling a friend how the perfect pizza only has perfect tomatoes, and only sometimes, perfect cheese.
"That's not a pizza! That's just the base!"
Umm, no. The pizza dough isn't a vehicle for shredded imitation salami or ham, tinned pineapple, frozen prawns, tomato paste and rubber-band cheese (and if you are salivating at the mention of these you should probably stop reading now). A good base, rich and crisp in extra virgin olive oil, perfect tomatoes - which can mean good Italian tinned tomatoes, but never tomato paste - herbs, and fresh mozzarella makes you realize that the glory of pizza is in its simplicity.
Let's look at the origins of pizza: a peasant dish of bread dough, topped with tomatoes from the garden or the cellar, and herbs from the garden; olives sometimes, or anchovies or onions. Cheese when rich, no cheese when poor. And that's it!
The secret to beautiful pizza is also in its cooking. Cooking in a bakeoven is the ONLY time that all the ingredients can be put on the raw base and cooked together. It is a big mistake cooking it like this in an ordinary oven. It's quite simple: pizza crust needs 20-30 minutes to cook. That's about 10-20 minutes too long for many ingredients: twenty minutes in the oven leaves the delicate mozzarella overbrowned and tough, anchovies dessicated and eye-wateringly pungent. This means that in ordinary ovens, pizze must be cooked in stages. The raw base is topped with tomatoes or tomato sauce, and baked for 10 minutes before the remaining toppings are added and the pizza is returned to the oven to finish off.
Simple as I like my pizze, I love a few fancy recipes, quite unlike any you may have ever had, from my native Argentina. Spinach pizza is superb, but - shock! horror! - it needs to be eaten with knife and fork.
BASIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING PIZZA IN AN ADOBE OVEN
1. Pat dough out to a circle, and place on cardboard tray which has been generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Top with desired toppings, and slide into very hot oven. Seal door and chimney, and cook 3-5 minutes.
1. Pat dough out to a circle, and place on cardboard tray which has been generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Top with desired toppings, and slide into very hot oven. Seal door and chimney, and cook 3-5 minutes.
THE WORLD'S EASIEST PIZZA CRUST
Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm water
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. yeast
3 tbsp. good olive oil (for a softer dough, you can use olive oil and soft butter, half and half)
325g. flour
3/4 cup warm water
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. yeast
3 tbsp. good olive oil (for a softer dough, you can use olive oil and soft butter, half and half)
325g. flour
Method:
1. Place water, salt, yeast, and oil in food processor. Wizz to combine.
1. Place water, salt, yeast, and oil in food processor. Wizz to combine.
2. Add half the flour, and wizz to mix. Add remaining flour, and wizz until dough comes together. No need to knead.
3. Allow to rise in an oiled bowl in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and use dough as desired.
THE WORLD'S EASIEST TOMATO SAUCE
If you haven't got access to beautiful, squashy, sun-ripened tomatoes - and let's face it, how many of us do these days - this sauce is just the thing, and only takes a couple of minutes from go to whoa.
If you haven't got access to beautiful, squashy, sun-ripened tomatoes - and let's face it, how many of us do these days - this sauce is just the thing, and only takes a couple of minutes from go to whoa.
Ingredients:
1 tin Italian tomatoes (drained or not, depending on how thick you like your sauce)
salt and pepper, to taste
chopped fresh oregano or basil, or dried Greek or Italian oregano, to taste
minced garlic, to taste
a trickle of extra virgin olive oil
1 tin Italian tomatoes (drained or not, depending on how thick you like your sauce)
salt and pepper, to taste
chopped fresh oregano or basil, or dried Greek or Italian oregano, to taste
minced garlic, to taste
a trickle of extra virgin olive oil
Method:
1. Place all ingredients in food processor. Pulse until combined, being careful to not completely process the texture out the tomatoes.
1. Place all ingredients in food processor. Pulse until combined, being careful to not completely process the texture out the tomatoes.
IF YOUR MOZZARELLA ISN'T PERFECT...
The best mozzarella is fresh, white, moist with whey, and hard to find! But you can add flavour to supermarket mozzarella by grating it, mixing in some freshly grated Parmesan, and a generous trickle of extra virgin olive oil. Allow it to sit like this for half to one hour before using. And if you can't be fizzed - Provolone makes fabulous pizza.
The best mozzarella is fresh, white, moist with whey, and hard to find! But you can add flavour to supermarket mozzarella by grating it, mixing in some freshly grated Parmesan, and a generous trickle of extra virgin olive oil. Allow it to sit like this for half to one hour before using. And if you can't be fizzed - Provolone makes fabulous pizza.
