Big Meeting Day at Food Kingdom Headquarters
Hello, foodies! An all-day business meeting at the studios today is preventing J.N. and I from reviewing another chain pizza today, but I didn't want day 3 of our week-long challenge to pass without any additional pizza recommendations, so today I want to share with you what I believe to be the best, and one of the easiest, home-made pizza recipes out there. Making your own is really a very viable option and it gives you ability to time the arrival of your pies perfectly, and to periodically re-supply your guests with additional bites as the game progresses without having to keep calling for delivery over and over.
It's All About the Sauce
There are many storebought crust options out there for the home cook, from refrigerated dough in a bag to frozen dough discs, from Boboli to my current favorite, prepackaged naan. But the element that will make the biggest impact on the quality of your finished pizza is the sauce, and so I share with you here a super-simple recipe for a powerfully pungent, irresistibly aromatic sauce. I first heard of it from legendary Washington D.C. chef Roberto Donna when he shared it on Julia Child's show Cooking With Master Chefs, but it's so elemental that it probably goes back generations.
INGREDIENTS:
1 28 oz. can plum tomatoes (I prefer Hunt's but any high quality brand's fine)
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and minced (I think that's a fair amount but it's hard for me to have too much garlic!)
4 tbs finely chopped fresh basil (you can also do a basil chiffonade, which is taking about 10 broad leaves of italian basil, rolling them up tight and then slicing the roll crosswise, as thin as you can imagine. It makes a lovely presentation)
1 tsp olive oil
Fresh pepper to taste (you don't need extra salt, believe me)
First, drain all the juice from the tomatoes and reserve for another use. Next, take each plum tomato and start pulling it apart into little mushed up strips with your hands. This will seem a bit laborious compared to just pureeing it, but this is how you get the juicy chunks that make this sauce special. After you've done this you'll have a raggedy mass of tomato pulp and shreds, the foundation for your sauce. Drain off the additional tomato juice that has burst out of the plum tomatoes (you don't want a wet and watery sauce) until you're left with mainly tomato pulp and shreds and just a little bit of juice. Add the garlic, olive oil, and 3/4 of the basil, reserving the rest for garnish. Voila! You now have enough sauce for at least five good-sized pizzas, probably more.
Fire It Up
Regardless of what dough or pre-made crust you use, you'll want to get those nice wood-oven style crispy edges. This calls for an oven temp of at least 450 degrees and preferably a nice hot surface. Pizza stones are everywhere now, and they're fine, but even better are unglazed quarry tiles, which you can get at any hardware store. If you give them a good soapy scrubbing first, they're perfectly safe as a cooking surface. Line your oven rack with these and they'll act like one big pizza stone and you won't have to worry about fitting the pizza to the size of your round stone. If the inside of your oven is on the small side, you may need to cut some half tiles to get the right amount of coverage, but once you've got these things they'll last forever. And they're dirt cheap anyway.
Which Cheese?
That's really up to you. I like some nice fresh mozzarella slices for this sauce, finished with a sprinkle of Parmesan and basil for a classic Pizza Margherita. But shredded mozzarella is fine if that's your preference. Be sure not to overwhelm your pie with toppings because that's a recipe for messy disasters. Other than that, let your creativity rule. Happy Baking, and I'll see you tomorrow with another mass-market option. If there are any particular ones you'd like to see reviewed, let us know.
CLICK HERE TO LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, SO YOU NEVER MISS A SINGLE REVIEW!
Hello, foodies! An all-day business meeting at the studios today is preventing J.N. and I from reviewing another chain pizza today, but I didn't want day 3 of our week-long challenge to pass without any additional pizza recommendations, so today I want to share with you what I believe to be the best, and one of the easiest, home-made pizza recipes out there. Making your own is really a very viable option and it gives you ability to time the arrival of your pies perfectly, and to periodically re-supply your guests with additional bites as the game progresses without having to keep calling for delivery over and over.
It's All About the Sauce
There are many storebought crust options out there for the home cook, from refrigerated dough in a bag to frozen dough discs, from Boboli to my current favorite, prepackaged naan. But the element that will make the biggest impact on the quality of your finished pizza is the sauce, and so I share with you here a super-simple recipe for a powerfully pungent, irresistibly aromatic sauce. I first heard of it from legendary Washington D.C. chef Roberto Donna when he shared it on Julia Child's show Cooking With Master Chefs, but it's so elemental that it probably goes back generations.
INGREDIENTS:
1 28 oz. can plum tomatoes (I prefer Hunt's but any high quality brand's fine)
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and minced (I think that's a fair amount but it's hard for me to have too much garlic!)
4 tbs finely chopped fresh basil (you can also do a basil chiffonade, which is taking about 10 broad leaves of italian basil, rolling them up tight and then slicing the roll crosswise, as thin as you can imagine. It makes a lovely presentation)
1 tsp olive oil
Fresh pepper to taste (you don't need extra salt, believe me)
First, drain all the juice from the tomatoes and reserve for another use. Next, take each plum tomato and start pulling it apart into little mushed up strips with your hands. This will seem a bit laborious compared to just pureeing it, but this is how you get the juicy chunks that make this sauce special. After you've done this you'll have a raggedy mass of tomato pulp and shreds, the foundation for your sauce. Drain off the additional tomato juice that has burst out of the plum tomatoes (you don't want a wet and watery sauce) until you're left with mainly tomato pulp and shreds and just a little bit of juice. Add the garlic, olive oil, and 3/4 of the basil, reserving the rest for garnish. Voila! You now have enough sauce for at least five good-sized pizzas, probably more.
Fire It Up
Regardless of what dough or pre-made crust you use, you'll want to get those nice wood-oven style crispy edges. This calls for an oven temp of at least 450 degrees and preferably a nice hot surface. Pizza stones are everywhere now, and they're fine, but even better are unglazed quarry tiles, which you can get at any hardware store. If you give them a good soapy scrubbing first, they're perfectly safe as a cooking surface. Line your oven rack with these and they'll act like one big pizza stone and you won't have to worry about fitting the pizza to the size of your round stone. If the inside of your oven is on the small side, you may need to cut some half tiles to get the right amount of coverage, but once you've got these things they'll last forever. And they're dirt cheap anyway.
Which Cheese?
That's really up to you. I like some nice fresh mozzarella slices for this sauce, finished with a sprinkle of Parmesan and basil for a classic Pizza Margherita. But shredded mozzarella is fine if that's your preference. Be sure not to overwhelm your pie with toppings because that's a recipe for messy disasters. Other than that, let your creativity rule. Happy Baking, and I'll see you tomorrow with another mass-market option. If there are any particular ones you'd like to see reviewed, let us know.
CLICK HERE TO LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, SO YOU NEVER MISS A SINGLE REVIEW!
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