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[Mad_Ernie]

NPR had a story on best pizza recipes.  You can find it at this link:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111886870&sc=emaf

[petef]

NPR had a story on best pizza recipes.  You can find it at this link:

Nice try NPR, but it's not so meaningful to get one man's opinion and to just say
what's the "best pizza" recipe. To be more meaningful, they really needed target
a specific style of pizza and then get at least 5 to 10 people doing the judging.
What is terrific to one person may be dreadful to another, but if 8 out of 10
people agreed, that would be more meaningful.

---pete---

[Bob1]

Hey guys,
I was going through my old files and I came across some old pictures from last summer.  I tried the NPR recipe because I never put shrimp on a pizza, and I thought, what the heck.  I never really used fresh Cilantro before and found it a bit much.  I would recommend trying the recipe and to experiment with garlic and spinach, or something down that road.  I had some left over Cilantro paste so I froze it.  I pull out a couple of tsp every now and then to coat cooked shrimp.  I squeeze and dry the shrimp then toss with the cilantro paste, I also marinate fresh garlic in olive oil at the same time.  After a few hours I add the garlic oil, toss and eat.  It's very good.

Bob1

[Puzzolento]

If you can't say you make your own favorite pizza in the world, you still have work to do. That's how I see it.

[Bob1]

Puzzolento.,
I am not sure if you are talking to me or about the NPR recipe.  I tried someone's post to see how it was, and did not care for it, but I find it a good base for future experiments in regards to the toppings.  I tried it quite a while ago and just came across it.  In retrospect it served to add to the ongoing learning experience.  I can't see not trying it because someone says it is the best. 


Thanks,

Bob1

[Essen1]

Bob,

I occasionally make a NY-style pie with spinach, ham and lots of garlic. And made a Pizza Frutti di Mare for my old man recently, with clams, smoked oysters, mini shrimp, tuna, calamari, red onion and fresh garlic. He inhaled it 

[Bob1]

Mike,
That sounds good.  I have admired your work for quite a while.  I had never used seafood before and it was interesting to see how to make it work.  I assume you put your seafood on about half way?  It would be great if you could post the toppings part of the spinach pie.

Thanks,

Bob

[Essen1]

Mike,
That sounds good.  I have admired your work for quite a while.  I had never used seafood before and it was interesting to see how to make it work.  I assume you put your seafood on about half way?  It would be great if you could post the toppings part of the spinach pie.

Thanks,

Bob

Bob,

Thanks for the nice words. 

I put the seafood toppings on from the start. But I don't overload the pie with them.

The toppings for the spinach pie are tomato sauce, cheese, spinach, ham and fresh garlic. In that order.

I have a pic, albeit it's not the best one:

[Bob1]

Mike,

Thanks, Looks good! I'll give it a shot.

Bob

[Bill/SFNM]

I have a pic, albeit it's not the best one:

I think it is a beautiful photo.

[Puzzolento]

I'm saying the best recipe possible is the one that makes you happy. The perfect pie, according to your own tastes. Anything else is not the best.

I now make Sicilian pizza that is absolutely perfect by my own standards, so as far as I'm concerned, I've made it. But I wouldn't tell someone else I had "the best" pizza recipe.

After all, some people actually like Papa John's.

[Bob1]

Puzzolento,
Do you have the formula posted?  I'm always looking to try something new.

Thanks,

Bob

[norma427]

I have a pic, albeit it's not the best one:

Mike,

Your picture looks great!  I have admired your pizza making skills! 

Thanks for the pic,

Norma

[petef]

I think it is a beautiful photo.

Hey Bill, I have to agree with you, that is one of the most beautiful pizza pics ever from an artistic/creative point of view. It brings to mind the idea that we could have a pizza pic photo contest or monthly challenge
here on pizzamaking.com.

See reply#5 for another "beautiful" pizza pic..
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,9539.0.html

---pete---

[Puzzolento]

I don't know if it's fancy enough to require me to go into detail. The main things that were difficult were getting the cooking method and the proportions right.

For a 9 x 12 pie, I use two cups of flour and no oil in the dough. I think any good dough recipe will work. Mine is just flour and water containing activated yeast. I add a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper to the flour. I oil the outside of the dough and let it rise in a 2-quart Pyrex dish until it comes over the top (edit: it will only come over the top if you use 4 cups, for a 12 x 18 pie; sorry). I punch it down and spread it in a very cheap, thin, seasoned pan that is well-oiled. My pan is 18" long, so I only use half of it. Works better than an expensive, heavy pan.

I get great results with all-purpose or bread flour. I know that sounds impossible, but it's true. I use a Cuisinart because I'm lazy.

I make sure I put lots of finger indentations in the dough while I'm stretching it. Tossing it actually works better than holding it down and pushing, even though the ultimate shape is rectangular. Once I have it close to the final size, I turn it so the indentations are on the bottom, and I pull it out to fit the 9 x 12 space. I leave the outer half-inch slightly higher than the rest of the dough. Let it poof up for a while, and don't let the top dry. Make sure it's oily.

I have a couple of sauces I like, but here's one for people who don't feel like driving to get gallon cans of commercial products. My only complaint about these tomatoes is that, as they come from the can, they don't give you a strong flavor.

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces (weight) Cento GENUINE San Marzano tomatoes, puree omitted, crushed in a food processor
1 teaspoon McCormick (anything but Badia) dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2-4 teaspoons light olive oil
1 teaspoon cheap garlic powder

Seems like the better your cheese is, the less you need vinegar.

Apply sauce to within 1/2" of edge of pie. Same with cheese, only try to put more cheese toward the outside, because it will drift inward as it melts. Sprinkle with oregano. Salt, if desired.

Forgot: for this size pie, I use 12-14 ounces (weight) of Costco mozzarella. I know people will laugh, but I absolutely love this cheese. It tastes exactly like the cheese on the New York style pizzas I ate when I was young. I don't even bother shredding it. I get the pre-shredded stuff. Sometimes I cut it 50/50 with provolone.

I preheat my cheap electric oven to 550°, and I put a stone on the top rack. I give it plenty of time, so the stone is hot.

Bake the pie on the bottom rack, exposed to the heat. Give it around nine minutes. Rotate it about six minutes in, if uneven heating is a concern. At nine minutes, pry up one corner and check the crust. It should be just starting to brown.

Pop the pie out and put it on the stone. Give it a minute or so to crisp up. At two minutes, it will probably be too dark.

That's it. This is the kind of Sicilian I've had in Manhattan and in the better Miami pizzerias I used to frequent. It's not gourmet pizza. I don't know anything about that. I deliberately use cheap oil, garlic, and oregano, because that's what they use in the places I'm imitating.

It may not make everyone happy. I'm sure hardcore pizza nuts will find much about it they want to change, but this will give you a fantastic Sicilian pizza, one hour after you take the first step.

I have a couple of photos I can put up. This pie was left on the stone maybe thirty seconds too long. It was wonderful, but two minutes was a little too much. I don't like browned cheese, so this is about right for my tastes. I might be able to make the crust a little crunchier in a hotter oven, but I can't complain with what I'm getting now. Nothing in my area compares to this.

Forgot to add: the crust isn't as dark as it looks in the photos. It's slightly darker than I intended, because of the time error, but it looks much darker here.

[Bob1]

Thanks for the post, it looks good to me.  I have never added pepper to the flour.  I am looking forward to trying it.

Thanks,

Bob

[Puzzolento]

I got the pepper idea long ago, from The Talisman Italian Cookbook. Oddly, it makes the dough taste a little like cherries.

Also, one hour may be a little optimistic. An hour and a half is more reasonable.

[Essen1]

I think it is a beautiful photo.

Thanks, Bill.

I know you have a penchant for good food pics as is evident by the pics you post. 

And thanks to all the other members' nice comments.

[Bill/SFNM]

It brings to mind the idea that we could have a pizza pic photo contest or monthly challenge here on pizzamaking.com.
ng.com/forum/index.php/topic,9539.0.html

---pete---

The 128K limitation on attachment size really puts a damper on image quality. Many shots that look great on my computer screen look terrible after uploading due to  downsizing and compression. I'll see what Steve thinks. 

[petef]

The 128K limitation on attachment size really puts a damper on image quality. Many shots that look great on my computer screen look terrible after uploading due to  downsizing and compression. I'll see what Steve thinks. 

Ok, sounds good!
What I'm thinking is a monthly challenge of the the "most beautiful" pizza photo.
Which is not necessarily the best pizza, but  rather the most beautiful pizza picture
from a creative point of view. That could be real interesting.

---pete---