Pizza

Pizza

who doesn't like it?!

If you say Italy, you are thinking about sun, wine, romans, pasta and ... pizza! Everybody loves pizza! Everywhere you go in Italy you'll find it. From rich and cheesy pizzas in the north to the flavored, vegetable pizzas in the south. You can eat them hot... or cold. Take 'm at a traditional pizzeria or take some "pizza al tagglio"; giant rectangle backed pizzas sold hot or cold in square slices by the weight.

Italy has some great pizzerias. Here are some addresses in Italy which I remember:

Pizzeria La Fabbrica - Viale passubio 2, Milano

Trattoria La Fontanina - Via Stocchetti 56, Besozzo

Pizzeria Pantera Rosa - Piazzale del Verano 84, Roma

- Have you been in Italy and remember a really nice pizzeria? Comment it below! -

Who doesn't love pizza? And what better than make it yourself! I love making my own pizzas because you can choose your toppings and it's fun to make!

This pizza dough recipe I got in Italy from Maria, and it always gives you the perfect pizza crust!

Tomate sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves 
• 1 can of tomatoes
• 1tsp fresh oregano or other mediterranean herbs
• salt & pepper
• 2tbs olive oil

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil, fry the onion and garlic. Add the tomatoes, and the herbs. Let it simmer without a lid on low to medium heat for about 20 minutes until you have a thick sauce. Season with salt en pepper. Mix and let it cool before use.

Pizza dough

Ingredients: (for 7-10 pizzas, depending on how big you make them)

• 1kg white flour (you can always mix whit flour with  rye flour)
• 700 ml tepid water
• 25gr fresh yeast (or 10gr dry yeast)
• 1 tbs salt
• 3 tbs olive oil

Preparation:

For this recipe I use a Kitchenaid, but you can follow the same steps if you mix your ingredients by hand. If you use fresh yeast you should dissolve it in the tepid water, if you have dry yeast you add it together with the flour & salt into your bowl. 

Add the flour & salt to the mixing bowl and mix on low speed with the dough hook. Slowly add the water. After 8 minutes add the 3 table spoons of oil and mix for another 10 minutes.

Take the dough from the mixing bowl and roll it into a homogeneous ball. Put the dough in a bowl and let it rise for about 20 minutes. Knead it a little and divide into small portions (each portion will become a single base). Put your dough balls on a tray, cover them with a tepid wet cloth and leave them to rise for another 2 hours. Pre-heat you oven as hot as possible (my oven can go up to 350°C)

Try rolling out the dough with your hands instead of using a rolling pin. If you want to have even more fun, try spinning your base in the air like a real pizzaiolo!

Top with tomato sauce, cheese (for the best result use grated mozzarella) and all the toppings you want!

What toppings to use? Try black olives, parma or cooked ham, canned artichokes, mushrooms, chorizo, blue cheese, pineapple, etc...

As a finishing touch you can top with rocket salad, fresh cherry tomatoes, parma ham, ... after baking the pizza, just before serving.

Buon Apetito!

 April 30, 2013