everybody loves pizza

Probably the world's most popular food, the pizza takes on a proprietary characteristic to everyone who partakes. No matter how distant we may be from Napoli (pizza's hometown), we all have our favorite take on crust, toppings, and tomato sauce. And somehow, we all truly believe, deep down, that we have found the holy grail of pizzas, right in our own hometown. Whether it's a humble joint in a strip mall in Kalamazoo or the real deal in New Haven, we all believe we've found the best. 

I am no exception to this rule. I truly believe that I make the best pizza, hands down. Really - it's magical. Anyone who's had it will attest to this. Now, sometimes my results vary - the crust burns, or the dough gets too chewy from the humidity. Or my experimental potato pizza is adorned with not-quite-cooked potatoes. Or, in the final, harrowing step of removing the pizza from the stone in the oven, the super-thin dough develops a fissure, and the whole operation begins to quickly melt to the surface. But, generally, the final results are excellent. Even if they are in pieces.

To illustrate this example: about a month ago, I decided at the last minute to make pizza, so I mixed together the yeast, water, & oil to the usual proportions and got ready to add the flour. Only then did I discover that I had about 1/2 the flour I needed - so I guesstimated the underage, threw out half of the yeast water, and started mixing the dough. Of course, the ratio of water to flour was still to high, and I ended up with a sticky mess of a dough. Oh well, I thought, and put it in the bowl to rise anyway. One hour later the dough had barely risen, and the process of flattening it out was akin to shaping peanut butter into a ball with your bare hands - it just wasn't happening.

So I called Rick for an emergency pizza solution, and he picked one up from a local pizzeria on the way home from work. My mess of a pizza came off the stone right about the same time, so we had the opportunity to taste test... and much to my surprise, mine had more amplitude in all directions - crispy, salty, sweet, juicy, acidic. The failure was a triumph, after all.

Last night I had much more success - a solid arsenal of ingredients, some excellent topping options, and the right head-space to construct. I've made plenty of variations on this pizza theme over the last 10 years or so, but this particular blend of toppings packed a lot of punch. And, befitting of winter-time, the recipe is not dependent on farm-fresh ingredients. Roma tomatoes and the chosen herbs are generally available year-round, and the sausage and olives are cured and readily available. 

So (drumroll)... behold, the recipe for the best pizza of all time!! (results may vary due to affects of humidity, quality of ingredients, air temperature, dough-handler hand-temperature, hotness of oven, and individual taste buds). Enjoy!

for dough: (adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison)

1-pkg active dry yeast (about 2 tsp)

3/4 c. warm water

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

cornmeal (to keep dough from sticking - picture them as tiny ball-bearings)

for topping:

3 large roma tomatoes, sliced crosswise into 1/4" slices

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp olive oil

1 small cured chorizo sausage, thinly sliced

10 nicoise olives, pitted

5 picholine or green olives, pitted

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tbsp grated parmesan reggiano

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
dash of crush red pepper flakes
kosher salt to taste

Equipment:

rimless cookie sheet

pizza stone

wooden cutting board with a handle (pizza board)

1. To make dough, pour water into a mixing bowl, stir in the yeast, and set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add the olive oil and salt, and beat in the whole wheat flour followed by enough white flour to form a shaggy dough. Turn it out onto the counter and kneed until smooth, adding more flour as needed to keep it from sticking. For a crisp, light crust, pizza dough should be on the moist side, which means it will be slightly tacky.

2. Put dough into an oiled bowl, turn it once to coat, then cover with a towel and set aside to rise until doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter, shape in to a ball, cover with a towel, and let rise for another 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Salt the tomatoes: layer three paper towels onto a counter or cutting board and lay the sliced tomatoes on the towels. Sprinkle with 1 tsp kosher salt and let sit for 30 minutes, while the dough is rising. 

4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sprinkle about 1 tbsp cornmeal on the cookie sheet where you will be rolling the pizza. Flatten the dough into a disk, and begin spreading it out over the cookie sheet. Use a rolling pin to shape a large pizza about 16" x 14", and push up or fold the sides to make a rim.

5. Add the toppings: brush 1 tbsp olive oil over the dough. Blot the top of the tomatoes dry with a paper towel, and arrange them on the pizza. Add the chorizo slices, olives, and cover with mozzarella and then parmesan cheese. Sprinkle herbs on top, and season with salt & red pepper flakes.

6. Bake the pizza first on the cookie sheet for 7 minutes. Carefully loosen the pizza from the sheet, and transfer to the stone. Bake for another 7 minutes, but check after 6 minutes: lift the edge of the pizza with a wide spatula - if the whole pizza lifts up, it's done. If the pizza bends in the middle, keep it in another minute, but make sure it doesn't burn!

7. Remove pizza from the oven with the pizza board. Cut slices directly on the board, distribute and eat! The first piece is usually in my mouth 45 seconds after leaving the oven!