So I like pizza.
I had a lot of serious experiences concerning pizza when I was growing up. I think I've learned from them, though, and know that they must have made me stronger.
I remember coming home from the airport late one night with my family - I must have been between seven and ten. We were getting pretty close, and then BAM - there's this brand new pizzeria on right on the highway, begging us to stop.
We did. La Capanina has been one of my staple influences ever since.
The other main influence on my style has been La Parmigiana. Among other things, I strongly recommend their Sicilian style pies, which they make infrequently.
Anyway.
A few tips:
1. Grills are good. Use charcoal. I've been doing it in
this cast-iron skillet recently; I form the dough in the skillet and throw the whole thing in the Weber for a minute. Once the skillet is getting hot I usually slide the pie onto the grill directly for just one minute (flipping it as I do so), and then return it to the skillet, top it, slide the skillet off the hot part of the grill, and cover for 5-10 min.
2. (Courtesy L.E. Wright) Grating mozzerella is a pain. To make it a little easier, throw the ungrated cheese in the freezer for a little while (longer is better but you'd probably rather not let it freeze) before grating. It'll be a lot less tacky and will keep its shape while you shred it.
3. Make your own sauce. This should be a given, as should:
4. Make your own dough. I've been using a recipe out of
the Bread Bible recently, but I usually make a double or quadruple batch and use roughly 1/3 whole wheat flour. It takes a little while, but it's great. That said, if I lived anywhere near a Trader Joe's, I'd probably be using their pre-made dough instead.
5. Do it with a friend. My style has been influenced by many people, especially
P.A.R. Zellers, who has long been a black box of ideas and varyingly divine/satanic inspirations.
.spencer
