Pizza ... That’s Amore
Cook up a few delicious twists on a classic favorite.
Let’s just assume that pizza could be our national dish since the United States is the largest pizza market in the world, racking up $46.24 billion out of $145 billion in total worldwide sales in 2020.
What makes it so appealing? In my opinion, it’s because pizza is an affordable comfort food that’s perfect for eating at any time.
I grew up with pizza makers; my mom and grandmothers were kneading pizza dough when I was knee high to the wooden table they made it on. Flour, yeast, water, a pinch of salt, and poof! Left to its own devices, the dough ballooned into a light airy mass. Fashioned into fluffy balls that seemed to grow before my eyes, the dough was covered with a blanket and left to sleep, as they said, until it was time. “Time” meant allowing the dough to rise slowly until little pockets of air bubbles started to appear on the surface. That was the signal to punch it down and knead it before forming rounds to fit the well-used and well-seasoned pizza pans.
The toppings for pizza ran the gamut of what was in the refrigerator or garden at the time—mushrooms, tomatoes, bits of cheese, artichokes and sausage. There was always peperoni pizza, which as I grew older, I realized did not exist in Italy. Nope! Order a “peperoni pizza” in Italy— especially in Naples, the home of pizza—and what will arrive is a pizza topped with peppers, as that’s what “peperoni” means in Italian.
The classic Neapolitan pizza is the Margherita, topped with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves, but we live here, so taking license with the toppings is OK.
In my grandmothers’ day, pizza was meant to be made a certain way, but we all have tinkered with how to elevate and create something new out of a plain disk of dough. I am sure grandmothers would shake their heads at dessert pizza, topped with sweetened ricotta cheese, nuts and chocolate. Mamma mia! They might also wag their fingers at a Nutella pizza for kids topped with sliced bananas. How ever pizza is made worldwide, it will always be a beloved food, and, as the song says, “that’s amore.” NHH
Fig and Prosciutto Pizza MAKES 1 PIZZA
No time to make pizza dough? There are many good, commercially prepared options. Either make this pizza using the recipe for “Pizza Dough” on page 34 or buy a 1-pound commercially prepared dough. Either way, this pizza with fresh figs and prosciutto is a winner.
1 medium-size red onion, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing on dough and pan, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3-4 fresh figs, stems removed and figs sliced into ¼-inch-thick slices
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Pizza Dough (prepared or purchased)
¼ pound Swiss cheese, grated
4 slices prosciutto di Parma, coarsely chopped
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a small saucepan, cook the onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until very soft. Add the vinegar and continue cooking until the onions are glazed looking. Cool for 5 minutes.
2. In a bowl, gently toss the figs with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; add salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Roll out the Pizza Dough into a rectangle, about 12 inches by 13 inches, and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Place the parchment paper on a 12 ½-inch-by-16-inch baking sheet or similar-size baking pan.
4. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil. Spread the onions over the dough, then add the figs.
5. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until the dough begins to puff up.
6. Sprinkle the cheese and prosciutto over the figs, and bake until the pizza is nicely browned and the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven.
7. Cut into squares to serve.
Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito
Pizza Dough
11/2 cups warm (110ºF) water, preferably filtered
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
3–4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1. Pour the water into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the yeast, and whirl to blend. Let stand 10 minutes until chalky and bubbles begin to appear.
2. Add 21/2 cups of the flour and the salt. Whirl to combine, and form a ball of dough that moves away from the sides of the bowl and is not tacky to the touch. Add additional flour if the dough is very wet, but adding too much flour will result in a dry, hard texture. The dough should be soft but not gooey.
3. Grease a large bowl with the olive oil, and coat the dough in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size.
Note: The dough can be made a day ahead, and after the rising step, punched down and placed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until needed.
Pizzette Fritte (Little Fried Pizzas) MAKES 16
I dare you to eat just one of these addictive, little fried-dough pizzas covered in cinnamon sugar, reminiscent of fried dough found at any outdoor food festival or carnival. Just remember, they are best as soon as they are prepared.
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon Pizza Dough (see recipe above)
3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
1. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl, and transfer to a large paper bag. Set aside.
2. Punch down the prepared Pizza Dough and divide it into 16 pieces. Form each into an oval shape, about 3 inches long and 1 inch thick.
3. Place the pieces on towel-lined baking sheets. 4. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fryer or heavy-duty, large, deep pan. Working in batches, fry the dough pieces until they puff up and are golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon, and drain them on paper towels.
5. Place the fried dough in the bag with the cinnamon and sugar, and shake well to coat.
Serve warm.
Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito
Nutella & Banana Pizza
A typical Italian school “snack,” this pizza’s topping is simply a jar of Nutella—a hazelnut and chocolate spread that was made famous in the Piedmont region of Italy and is enjoyed worldwide. The dough is “blind baked” (meaning baked without any toppings); the Nutella is spread on once the dough is cooked.
11/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
11/2 cups warm water (110ºF), divided
33/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for surfaces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling pans
2 cups Nutella
2–3 large bananas sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup warm water. Allow the yeast to proof until it is foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the remaining 1 cup warm water, combining it well with the yeast. Add 3 cups of the flour and the salt. Mix the dough with your hands or use a mixer with a dough hook, adding the remaining flour as needed to make a dough that holds together.
3. Place the dough on a floured surface, and knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough is soft and not sticky. Grease a bowl with the olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl, and turn the dough a few times to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for 2 hours in a warm place.
4. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Punch down the dough, and knead it for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface.
5. Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll out each half into a 12-inch diameter. Place the rounds on lightly oiled, 13-inch pizza pans. Turn in the edges of the dough about 1/2 inch to form a rim. You can stretch the dough to fit an even-larger pan if you wish.
6. Blind bake the pizzas until they puff up and are golden brown. Transfer them to a cooling rack. While the pizzas are still warm, spread the Nutella over the top of each, and arrange the banana slices on top of the Nutella.
7. Cut into wedges to serve.
Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito
Cauliflower Pizza MAKES 1 PIZZA
You won’t feel guilty having more than one slice of this delicious and unusual cauliflower pizza.
3 10-ounce bags frozen, riced cauliflower (approximately 6 cups)
2 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Asiago cheese
¾ cup dry breadcrumbs
Olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese Fresh basil leaves
1. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Spread the riced cauliflower on to a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, and then cool. Place the cauliflower in bowl, and add the eggs, cheese and breadcrumbs. Mix well. The mixture should clump together. If it doesn’t, add a little water.
2. With your hands, spread the mixture in to a 12-inch to 14-inch diameter on a large piece of parchment paper. Place the parchment paper on a round pizza pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes.
3. Top the pizza with the tomatoes and cheese, and bake for 15 minutes longer. Just before removing the pizza from the oven, top the pizza with the basil.
4. Cool slightly and cut into wedges.
Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito
By Mary Ann Esposito | Photography by John W. Hession
