You know, this slice of New York Pizza looked so good that I almost put it in as the size of the entire page, just to tantalize you! lol
Now, we could say it’s a NY Pizza because a New Yorker (me) made it …. and not only did I take decades ‘perfecting’ this recipe but we can say it’s a NY Slice because last year when I went back to NY I pumped people’s brains, to get some additional tips. Some people say it’s the water in NY that makes it good. Have you ever had NY water? I don’t even want to drink that stuff let alone cook with it! lol
This is the week I am starting Metabolic Balance. (Well, maybe not this week. Maybe next). I’m doing it for 3 months to balance what’s inside, make me healthier. But I’m not starting it till the end of the week, beginning of next, when all my cooking for clients is done. I’m cranking out 2 weeks worth of food, so that I won’t have to cook during the ‘fasting’ part, or the very strict first two weeks part.
Just a song before I go
A lesson to be learned
Traveling twice the speed of light
It’s easy to get burned….
And that’s what I feel like ………just before I go I have to get some good pizza in! lol
WHAT’S THE RECIPE OR THE HINTS TO HELP US MAKE PIZZA, CHEF?
I don’t find you to be very sympathetic today. All right! Ok. Here are my tips to make great pizza.
- Find your favorite pizza and then for $3 buy a ball of dough to take home. I like Bonjiornos on Stevens in Solana Beach. (Now you know what you should pay per ball).
- Pick Marzano Tomatoes canned and sauce from the grocery store.
- Buy the smallest hard mozzarella you can find.
- Buy sharp white cheddar.
- Start by taking your refrigerated dough out and let it stand on the counter for a half hour or more. Press it out from the middle to the outer edges.
- Slap it between your hands to break up the gluten and let it stretch.
- You’ve seen how they do it? Use your knuckles then go round and round stretching the pizza out.
- Throw it in the air.
- No, you don’t have to throw it in the air.
- Put it down on a board, or a flat clean surface and roll it out.
- Now you can take a large plate and your pizza cutter and cut around the plate to make a perfectly round pie.
- That’s not what I do. I don’t like perfect. Keep reading…..
- I spray the pizza pan – use one that is netting, so that air comes through the bottom.
Ok. So now you know about the dough, how to stretch it out the way everyone else does, the ingredients and get the general idea. Here comes the really good Chef Tips for ya:
- Instead of making it ‘perfect’, spray the pan with oil, and place the rolled out dough down, so it hangs over the sides.
- Place the sauce in the middle and take the bottom of a soup ladel and starting in the middle go round and round till your reach the edge of the crust.
- Dot a handful of the diced or chopped tomatoes.
- Spinkle very little shredded white cheddar. It’s a sprinkling not a soaking! You should be able to see the sauce.
- Sprinkle some shredded mozzarella also making sure you can see the sauce.
- You ‘get’ that less is more and you want to see the sauce right? lol
- And now, sprinkle mozzarella around the edge of the pan where the crust is.
- Pull your edges out and stuff the crust with the extra mozzarella you placed there in and roll it up 2-3 times, until the entire dough sits on the pan all the way around.
- Now for the final ingredient? A sprinkling of Chili Powder.
Amazing. It took decades of experimenting to find that the flavor of chili powder really makes the difference.
Into the hottest oven you can find, until it’s bubbly and brown, and you’ve got pizza!
THANKS CHEF!
No worries…. except for the fact that the next time I get to make pizza is three, count ’em THREE months! lol
A healthier and happier me, I hope!
Happy Eating,
Chef Marian