Let's talk about pizza

DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
edited March 2014 in Strut Central
Pizza is, as we all know, a major god in the pantheon of food. I've been making a couple of pizzas every weekend for months now, with no end in sight. However, I'm coming to the end of a four-week binge on pepperoni, and need some fresh inspiration. I think I'm going to go with a couple of spinach and ricotta pies this weekend, but that's only a short-term solution. What's your jam, and what would you like to try if you could have anything?

KNOWLEDGE ME, SOULTRUST.
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  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    I highly recommend jerk chicken pizza from East Side Pies in Austin.

  • ppadilhappadilha 2,233 Posts
    down here where I live places serve chicken heart and strogonoff pizza.

    Not saying you should do it.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Our pizza stones have changed our lives.

    Heat makes good pizzas.

    Spinach ricotta will be good no doubt.
    You could make the base a spinach pesto and put feta, onions, artichokes... on top.

  • lately i've been making all of my pizzas with white sauce [b├®chamel] as a base instead of tomato sauce. great results and definitely the perfect thing for when you need a change of pace. i should also mention that i ONLY mess with thin crust.

    bacon + asparagus + white cheddar with white sauce base is a killer

    bocconcini + tomatos + basil + tomato base

    shrimp + prosciutto + asparagus + white sauce

  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,896 Posts
    For me, it's always in the sauce. I can go so many ways with toppings, but if the sauce ain't great. Not bothering with it.




  • FrankFrank 2,370 Posts
    Wild mushrooms with (real) smoked bacon and chives:
    Render bacon with chopped onion in some butter, add mushrooms, minced garlic and a bit of white wine. Braise for 10 - 15 minutes and add chives before spreading it all onto your pizza dough. No cheese. Serve with a side of sour cream and fresh chopped parsley.

  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    I've already got some red sauce made, but I do get down with a white sauce and pesto from time to time. I've also been known to caramelize a few pounds of onions and use that as a base with prosciutto, granny smith apple, mozzarella/gorgonzola/herbed goat cheese on top. That is seriously good. I made a pumpkin sage sauce about six weeks ago and did that with mozzarella, herbed goat cheese, and bacon. That was excellent as well. I've even rocked a roasted red pepper and basil sauce as a base, which I also recommend.

    God I love pizza.

  • skelskel You can't cheat karma 5,033 Posts
    In Malta recently I partook of the food of the gods: full English breakfast pizza.

    I shit you not.

  • dukeofdelridgedukeofdelridge urgent.monkey.mice 2,453 Posts
    I had a seafood pizza a couple years ago that blew my mind. Mediterranean style little full octopuses on it holy shit! Via Tribunali in Seattle leading the Napoli pizza wave.

  • How are you doing your dough?

    A sourdough starter can make for a nice change of pace, and if you're baking fairly often it's not that hard and very worthwhile to keep one around on the counter or in the fridge.

    DB_Cooper said:
    ...granny smith apple, mozzarella/gorgonzola/herbed goat cheese on top. That is seriously good...

    I like a sweet pizza that's olive oil brushed crust, pre-carmelized pear slices, and goat cheese without the herbs. Maybe some honey over the top. Honey-wise, a place I like does a spicy honey drizzled over a nice cured pork product. Pepperoni or whatever.

  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    anchovie and capers

    figs are good in certain combinations too. with walnuts and parmesan scales, for example

  • Neapolitan "style" pizza is the shit.

    The wife and I are serial Margherita tester-outers.

    I also love when a place puts a little cornmeal on the bottom.

    I could eat pizza for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. In fact, last week I did just that!

    b/w

    4 Year Graduate makes some serious delicious pizzas

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Corn meal keeps the pie from sticking to the stone.
    Plus it adds a little texture.

  • ppadilhappadilha 2,233 Posts
    I like zucchini with grated parmesan/garlic on top.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    ppadilha said:
    I like zucchini with grated parmesan/garlic on top.

    I was going to say that's a late summer pizza, but I guess it is late summer where you are.

    For real though, when we do pizza we either buy what's fresh and appealing or clean out the fridge.
    Pizza is always good.

  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,896 Posts
    TheKindCromang said:
    Neapolitan "style" pizza is the shit.

    Hells yeah. Fresh mozzarella and a lil soupy in the middle... I'm damn hungry right now.

  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    I just want to say that chicken on pizza is heresy.

    Most memorable pizza I ever had was at some backstreet dive in Naples. Chunks of Buffo, chunks of tomato, basil and dressed with olive oil. Served with a $1 bottle of wine poured out of a giant barrel.

  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    correct

  • FrankFrank 2,370 Posts
    DOR said:
    Fresh mozzarella

    You know that the stuff made from processed cows milk that's being sold as "mozzarella" in the US has more in common with silicone rubber than with mozzarella, right? If it's not made from water buffalo milk it's not real mozzarella.

  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    DOR said:
    For me, it's always in the sauce. I can go so many ways with toppings, but if the sauce ain't great. Not bothering with it.

    Yup. I'm not a fan of a loaded pizza either. Definitely a fan of less-is-more pizza - let that thing breathe!

    Suace-free is righteous as well:

    Brush the dough with garlic olive oil, cover with thin tomato or eggplant slices and in the oven - grate with Parmesan and top with fresh arugula before serving.

    Tapenade base and in the oven - once out, top with Italian tuna, drizzle with
    olive oil and lemon juice, chopped parsley.

    Brush with olive oil, garlic, anchovy paste mixture, top with rapini and artichoke hearts and into the oven

  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,471 Posts
    LaserWolf said:
    Our pizza stones have changed our lives.

    I kinda chuckled when my wife put one on our wedding registry. But somebody bought it for us, and we started using it, and man, do I love that thing.

    b/w

    California pizza is lousy. Don't believe anybody who says otherwise.

  • marumaru 1,450 Posts
    Me and my family make pizzas at home nearly every week. We live close to a pizza place called the cheeseboard which makes amazing vegetarian pizzas and we often try to replicate them with pretty good results. They change their pizza every day. You can check them out here: http://cheeseboardcollective.coop/pizza

    One of my favorite things is to put fresh arugula and shaved Parmesan tossed with lemon vinaigrette on top of the cooked pizza. Usually I do a mushroom trio pizza when I do this but prosciutto is also a good combo. Kale, chard with lemon zest on top is also good. You can add some sausage if you need meat.

    So many delicious options.

  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,896 Posts
    Frank said:
    DOR said:
    Fresh mozzarella

    You know that the stuff made from processed cows milk that's being sold as "mozzarella" in the US has more in common with silicone rubber than with mozzarella, right? If it's not made from water buffalo milk it's not real mozzarella.

    No worries. My city has a really prominent Italian population which doesn't let things pass half assed. Even the giant chain supermarket in my hood takes their cheese pretty serious. Everything from their Mozzarella di Bufala to the cheaper Fior di latte.

    Even our chain Italian restaurants import their tomatoes from the Campania region and their flour is Caputo 00.

    And I wouldn't put too much into Fior di latte (Cow's milk). That shit is used all over Italy as well. It's not just a North American thing.

    But yes. Any place worth it will use buffalo milk.

  • sneakypsneakyp 202 Posts
    - Speck is awesome on pizza

    - So is thinly sliced fresh hot chili peppers

    - Pizza stone is necessary for making at home

    - Frank Pepe's in New Haven makes great pizza. The white clam is good, but the sausage and oven roasted red pepper sets the bar.

  • FrankFrank 2,370 Posts
    DOR said:
    Frank said:
    DOR said:
    Fresh mozzarella

    You know that the stuff made from processed cows milk that's being sold as "mozzarella" in the US has more in common with silicone rubber than with mozzarella, right? If it's not made from water buffalo milk it's not real mozzarella.

    No worries. My city has a really prominent Italian population which doesn't let things pass half assed. Even the giant chain supermarket in my hood takes their cheese pretty serious. Everything from their Mozzarella di Bufala to the cheaper Fior di latte.

    Even our chain Italian restaurants import their tomatoes from the Campania region and their flour is Caputo 00.

    And I wouldn't put too much into Fior di latte (Cow's milk). That shit is used all over Italy as well. It's not just a North American thing.

    But yes. Any place worth it will use buffalo milk.

    Cow's milk mozzarella can be ok on a sandwich but on pizza it's kindof nasty. And yes, a lot of the mozzarella sold in Italy and most of what's sold in the rest of Europe is cow's milk as well. In Guinea there was a crazy French lady who made camembert out of milk powder... ehhh...

  • i worked at a pizza place for years... I would get so bored with all the stuff we would make there so I would make my own pies and jazz them up. I highly recommend prosciutto, cream cheese and peperoncini peppers, it sounds weird but it great. My personal favorite though is a garlic oil base with mozz cheese, tomatoes, feta, basil, red onions, chicken marinated in red wine vin. and if you're daring toss some bacon on that shit.
    Damn i'm hungry now.

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Damn, you guys fancy. I make one every week, it's a great vehicle to get vegetables in the mouth of the youngster. I keep it kinda orthodox tho...

    Spinach w red onions + feta
    sausage (crumbled, not sliced) and olives (kalamata)
    Spinach, onions + prosciutto (did this last two weeks)
    I've tried mushrooms with good effect, kale less so.
    With a real simple basic margherita if you don't have fresh basil, I've used parsley to good effect.

    One time I used (organic, no additives) shredded mozz instead of the fresh handspan stuff I normally get and it melted real weird, lots of oil and stuff. And this was the healthy brand. So I don't use pre-shredded if I can help it.

    I use store-bought dough (cause ain't nobody got time for that) but good local stuff, I find the key is to get it all the way to room temp, pull and pull and pull again, roll flat and bunch at the edge, then a good amount of salt, pepper, olive oil, crushed garlic, and Parmesan direct on the crust and let it sit awhile before dressing it. Bomb

    Pizza stone is crucial. I use cornmeal and parchment paper too. No sticking issues

  • NabozoNabozo 48 Posts
    - Arugula and parma ham (with parmesan)
    - 4 seasons (4 sides: artichoke, ham, pepperoni, ham)
    - vegetariana (eggplant, zucchini, pepperoni, garlic, whatever)
    - margherita (good mozzarella, maybe fresh tomato and basil)
    - onion, black olives, mozzarella
    - sausage, chili
    - gorgonzola, mushroom, capers, anything
    - this essentially goes on forever

  • ElectrodeElectrode Los Angeles 3,080 Posts
    The stone is a must. Even though I'm an Italophile, I haven't eaten much pizza lately with the exception of a local Big Mama's & Papas (I read that the place got a lot of product placement during the recent Oscars, which means it's creme de la creme, I guess) a couple of years ago while witnessing a team eating competition. One of those guys made Guinness, supposedly.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Do yall home ovens get above 500?
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