Joy of New York-Style Pizza, Guide to Making Your Own
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New York pizza slices (WikiMedia Commons)
While New York has just about every type of food you could ever imagine on just about any block, there is no food more “New York” than a pizza pie.
The first United States pizza place was established in New York’s Little Italy in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi, an immigrant from Naples and was priced at 5 cents (a fortune at that time).
I am so glad that the 1900s brought New York style pizza, because pizza is one of my favorite foods. I can’t imagine not enjoying it on a regular basis. I love how many different ways you can dress a pizza to fit your mood - the possibilities are limitless!
Eater has a great list of the New York City's 25 Most Iconic Pizzerias from this year’s pizza week.
Don’t live in New York or want to make your own? Keep on reading.
Mediterranean pizza: olives, garlic, spinach, feta, sundried tomatoes, red onions & mozzarella.
My favorite way to make pizza is to make everything from scratch! Let’s start with the dough – I base my dough off of Jamie Oliver’s version.
INGREDIENTS:
4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (set aside ¼ to use to roll dough out)
1 teaspoon sea salt
Dash of sugar
2 packets of dry yeast
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 ¾ cups lukewarm water
Making your dough:
Start by adding the yeast and sugar to the lukewarm water, checking to make sure it proofs.
Next, mix the flour and salt and create a mound on the counter leaving a well in the center.
Once the yeast has activated pour the yeast-water mixture into well and begin to mix the flour into the water in a slow, circular motion. Once the consistency is supple put aside your fork and use your hands to finish mixing the dough.
Once you have the dough made, set it aside to let it rise for about 45 minutes.
pizza dough
Now it’s time to create your pizzas!
Divide the dough into balls – size will depend on if you are making personal-sized pizzas or a large one.
Dust your work surface with the flour you set aside earlier and being to roll the dough out into a rough circle (note: I can never seem to make the perfect circle and unless my mother helps me I usually have oval pizza, but nonetheless it tastes great). Let them rise again.
pizza pie
Now here’s the fun part: you can either cook your pizza on the grill or in the oven. Not sure what toppings to use?
Tomato sauce or pesto with fresh basil, mozzarella cheese & parmigiano reggiano (meatballs or pepperonis are excellent additions)
Broccoli florets, ricotta cheese and parmigiano reggiano
BBQ sauce, colby jack cheese, red onions & grilled chicken.
Basically anything you like can go on your pie – veggies, meats, cheeses, etc.
Martha Stewart has a wonderful, simple recipe for homemade tomato sauce.
Finally, time to bake your pizza so you can enjoy it
If you’re using the oven preheat it to 450 degrees. Pull out your rolled dough onto a pizza stone, spread your sauce and dress it up with your favorite cheese and toppings. Cook for 7-10 minutes, until it is golden and crispy.
If you want to use the grill (my favorite) be sure the grates are free of any debris and heat to high. Oil the grates and lower the heat to medium. Brush one side of your dough with olive oil and flop onto the grill – close the lid and cook until it is lightly brown (2-3 minutes), then oil the raw side and flip your pie over. Here comes the fun part – it’s now ready for you to top it with sauce, cheese and other toppings. Close the lid, let cook until the bottom is golden and crispy and the cheese has melted and voilà, you’ve got the perfect pizza pie!
BUON APPETITO
Nothing beats a slice of New York Sicilian ZA!