Saturday, December 26, 2009

Chef Frank Miller goes to DiFara Pizza in Brooklyn

From Slice.

DiFara Pizza has gotten rave reviews over the years from  Pizza Therapy

Here is what Adam said:
"The sauce, the crust, the toppings: ... Dom Demarco" uses "the freshest and finest ingredients. He imports mozzarella di buffala from his hometown in Italy, makes a bright sauce daily from a mixture of fresh and canned San Marzano tomatoes, and balances ratios of crust, cheese, and sauce perfectly."
You can read more , here.

Chef Frank Miller recently went to DiFara's and offers the following account. At one point during the filming a pizza is taken out of the oven barehnaded. No oven mits. No pot holders. No nothing!




Here's what Maalock had to say:
"The only pizza parlor left in Brooklyn where one man does all the cooking, plus he is been doing it for over forty years!..."

pizza on earth.

albert grande
Pizza Therapy



Ed Levine published one of the most amazing books on pizza ever. You can read more about DiFara and Dom Demarco here:


Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Mama Grande's Stuffed Sole from pizzatherapy.com

This is one of many signature dishes served by Mama Grande during our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. (The Feast of the Seven Fishes).

 The first course was always Aglio e Olio, followed by many other types of seafood. There were always several types of bacala (dried, salted, codfish), as well as clams, shrimp, calamari (squid) and eel.


This was my favorite!

Mama Grande's Stuffed Sole

Ingredients
  • 8 fillets of sole (flounder)
  • 1 Cup of crab meat or baby shrimp or clams
  • 6 Tablespoons of butter
  • 1/4 Cup white wine
  • 1 Cup of bread crumbs
  • 1 Lightly beaten egg
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 Cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 Cup green pepper
  • 1/4 Cup chopped celery
  • 2 Tablespoons of parsley
  • Paprika
  • Salt and Pepper
Directions

  1. For stuffing: in skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter, add onion, green pepper, and celery.
  2. Cook until vegetables are translucent.
  3. Add wine. Cook for 1 minute.
  4. Add crabmeat (or clams or shrimp).
  5. Add bread crumbs, egg, parsley, salt and pepper.
  6. Place 4 fillets in buttered baking dish (skin side down).
  7. Spoon stuffing onto fish.
  8. Cover with 4 remaining fillets.
  9. Melt remaining butter, add lemon juice and pour over fillets.
  10. Sprinkle with paprika.
  11. Bake 10 minutes in 450º oven
This dish was one of several fish dishes that we enjoyed. Lucky we lived in New England. There was always an abundance of fresh seafood.

May you have a blessed and safe Christmas and Happy Holiday.

Pizza On Earth, Good Will to All!

albert grande
Pizza Therapy will show you the Best Pizza in the World


For some great seafood recipes, check out:


Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Aglio ed Olio: A Christmas Pasta

Every Christmas Eve, as we grew up, there was a huge meal of various seafood. This was a tradition was known in some households as the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Because we lived in New England, near the coast, fresh seafood was abundant.

Wilipedia explains: "The "Feast of the Seven Fishes" is said to have come from Southern Italy, but today is a completely Italian-American celebration.
A dinner on Christmas Eve is celebrated with meals of fish and seafood, but there may be seven, eight, or even nine specific fishes that are considered traditional.

 The most famous dish Southern Italians are known for is Baccalà (salted cod fish). Reasons for celebrating with such a simple fish as Baccalà is attributed to the greatly impoverished regions of Southern Italy.

 Fried Smelts, calamari, and other types of seafood have been incorporated into the Christmas Eve dinner over the years, and sensationalized with the American version of "The Seven Fishes.""

Our meals in New England consisted of several calamari dishes, smelts, and of course the dried cod known as Baccalà. Thrown in were clams and shrimp, as well as other local seafood, like fillet of sole (flunder).

I can still smell these fishes frying and being baked by my mom.

The following pasta dish was always a favorite. We never could pronounce it correctly, but we still love it!



Aglio ed Olio (Garlic and Oil)
Ingredients
  • 3-4 Tablespoons of olive oil
  • 3-4 Cloves of garlic
  • 1-2 Cans of anchovies in oil
  • 1 lb. of your favorite pasta
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Directions

  1. Put olive oil in sauté pan over medium-low heat.


  2. Add minced garlic.


  3. Slowly cook garlic. (Be careful not to burn the garlic, as it will turn bitter. )


  4. Add anchovies and crumble with a fork. Set aside.


  5. Cook pasta in about 4 quarts of water. Add a dash of salt, pepper, and oil.
    (The oil seems to keep the pasta from sticking.)



  6. After the pasta is cooked, reserve about 11/2 cups of the pasta water. The pasta water is your liquid for the sauce. Drain pasta.


  7. Put the pasta water back in the sauce pan with the garlic, olive oil and anchovies. Reheat the mixture. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you.


  8. Toss the completed mixture with the pasta. Reserve a small amount for additional sauce.





Pizza on Earth, Good Will to All!


albert grande

You can find some great olive oil, here:



Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Artisan Breads Every Day: A Review

I am extremely please to tell you that Peter Reinhart's new book Artisan Breads Every Day is incredible for any bread baker or pizza maker.

Peter starts by giving basic bread baking advice. Use top quality ingredients he explains. Employ unbleached rather than bleached flour. Use only as much yeast as needed to get the job done. Mix the dough as long as needed. Make sure you use higher hydration (water) levels for the the dough.

These are just the basics, he states. Peter then goes into a further discussion of bread baking. He talks about the difference between a wet poolish or sponge for your pre-ferment. The secret is that an overnight cold ferment will get the job done.

Reading this book was like having Peter looking over my shoulder as I went through the recipes. He speaks to you in such a way, bread making becomes simple.

Each page shares valuable bread baking information. As you devour this book, you can understand why he is regarded as not only a great baker but a word class instructor. He is patient with his students. And students like me, need a patient teacher.

He shares all of his tips and tricks that he has generated over years of baking bread.

The book has many full color photographs that give you instructions and illustrate the entire procedure. Each process and recipe is clearly defined. I was quite astounded by the rich pictures of bread and dough. Actually the photographs motivated me to start trying out some of these recipes right away.


The stretch and fold method of preparing dough was one that I have had some difficulty with. You will discover this method clearly defined. The color photos will guide you through every single step.

An interesting part of this book is the section about wild yeasts and starters. He shares a number of discoveries about how to start this process. He also dispels many of the myths associated with the use of these type of yeasts.

He doesn't hold back for the pizza lover. There are several great pizza crust recipes including one for a sour dough pizza recipe. As usual Reinhart delivers recipes you will not find anywhere else.

The recipes contained in Artisan Breads Every Day are in a word simply delightful. Reinhart's range of recipes cover the baking spectrum from bagels, to cheese breads, to cinnamon buns, to coffee cake as well rustic breads and the best biscuits ever.

My advice? Order this book now. And be generous. Give a copy or two to your own friends and loved ones. They will thank you for it. You may even get a fresh loaf of bread or a pizza delivered to you! It really is that good.
Here is the link. Click on it now:



Bread All Over Your Kitchen,

Albert Grande
Pizza Therapy will teach you to make pizza

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

The Pakistani Pizza Business

Ali writes:

Dear Albert,

Hi, I read your newsletter very keenly and I've even tried your famous dough recipe. It was good let me tell you.

I have made a Pizza takeaway in Lahore, Pakistan. I would be delighted to know your expert opinion on how to run it successfully.

We have no takeaways here. I'll wait for you valuable suggestions.

Best Regards,

Ali

My Response:

Hello Ali.

Thank you very much for your very kind words! We really can claim our Pizza and Dough Recipe is World Famous!!!

(Side Bar: You can find our pizza dough recipe, at this link:
The Pizza Therapy Pizza Dough Recipe)

We have created a resource that offers advice for starting and running a successful pizza business. I have created a web resource where you can find valuable information that will assist you in creating, and maintaining a successful pizza business.

We know you will do well, Ali!

Here is the link:

Learn How to Start a Pizza Business from Pizza Therapy

Please let us know if this has been helpful for you. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

We can't wait to try your fantastic pizza!

As a matter of fact, I just wrote a new report about getting in the pizza business. Here is the link:

The Pizza Business Papers: What You Need to Know to Start a Pizza Business.

Please let me know what you think.


Learn About the Pizza Business at Pizza Therapy
Albert and Kamalei Grande Discuss the Pizza Business


pizza all over Pakistan,

albert

P.S. You can get a free copy of my pizza dough recipe, at this link.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Tomato Recipes from Science in the Kitchen

tomatoes from Pizza Therapy

From the secret volume of "Science in the Kitchen", here are a number of tomato recipes.
This book was first published in 1893.

SCIENCE IN THE KITCHEN
A Scientific Treatise on Food Substances and Their Dietetic Properties,together with a Practical Explanation of the Principles of Healthful Cookery, and a Large Number of Original, Palatable, and Wholesome Recipes by Mrs. E. E. Kellogg, A.M.

I have used tomatoes for everything from salads, pasta sauce and topping for pizza. Mrs. Kellogg shares her own unique spin on uses for the tomato.

TOMATO

DESCRIPTION.--The tomato, or "love apple," as it was called in the early part of the century, is a native of South America and Mexico. It was formerly regarded as poisonous, and though often planted and prized as a curiosity in the flower garden, it has only within the last half century come to be considered as a wholesome article of diet.

Botanically, it is allied to the potato. It is an acid fruit, largely composed of water, and hence of low nutritive value; but it is justly esteemed as a relish, and is very serviceable to the cook in the preparation of soups and various mixed dishes.

PREPARATION AND COOKING.--Tomatoes to be served in an uncooked state should be perfectly ripe and fresh. The medium-sized, smooth ones are the best. To peel, pour scalding water over them; let them remain for half a minute, plunge into cold water, allow them to cool, when the skins can be easily rubbed off.

Tomatoes should always be cooked in porcelain or granite ware; iron makes them look dark, and being slightly acid in character, they are not wholesome cooked in tin vessels.
Tomatoes require cooking a long time; one hour is needed, and two are better.


RECIPES

BAKED TOMATOES.--Fill a pudding dish two thirds full of stewed tomatoes; season with salt, and sprinkle grated crumbs of good whole-wheat or Graham bread over it until the top looks dry. Brown in the oven, and serve with a cream dressing.

BAKED TOMATOES NO. 2. Wash and wipe a quantity of smooth,even-sized tomatoes; remove the stems with a sharp-pointed knife. Arrange on an earthen pudding or pie dish, and bake whole in a moderate oven. Serve with cream.

SCALLOPED TOMATOES.--Take a pint of stewed tomatoes, which have been rubbed through a colander, thicken with one and one fourth cups of lightly picked crumbs of Graham or whole-wheat bread, or a sufficient quantity to make it quite thick, add salt if desired, and a half cup of sweet cream, mix well, and bake for twenty minutes.

Or, fill a pudding dish with alternate layers of peeled and sliced tomatoes and breadcrumbs, letting the topmost layer be of tomatoes. Cover, and bake in a moderate oven for an hour or longer, according to depth. Uncover, and brown for ten or fifteen minutes.

STEWED CORN AND TOMATOES.--Boil dried or fresh corn until perfectly tender, add to each cup of corn two cups of stewed, strained tomatoes,either canned or freshly cooked. Salt to taste, boil together for five or ten minutes, and serve plain or with a little cream added.


TOMATO GRAVY.--Heat to boiling one pint of strained stewed tomatoes, either canned or fresh, and thicken with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little water; add salt and when thickened, if desired, a half cup of hot cream. Boil together for a minute or two and serve at once.

TOMATO SALAD.--Select perfectly ripe tomatoes, and peel at least an hour before using. Slice, and place on ice or in a cool place. Serve plain or with lemon juice or sugar as preferred.

TOMATO SALAD NO. 2.--Use one half small yellow tomatoes and one half red. Slice evenly and lay in the dish in alternate layers. Powder lightly with sugar, and turn over them a cupful of orange juice to a pint of tomato, or if preferred, the juice of lemons may be used instead. Set on ice and cool before serving.

BROILED TOMATOES.--Choose perfectly ripened but firm tomatoes of equal size. Place them on a wire broiler, and broil over glowing coals,from three to eight minutes, according to size, then turn and cook on the other side. Broil the stem end first. Serve hot with salt to season,and a little cream.

TOMATO PUDDING.--Fill an earthen pudding dish with alternate layers of stale bread and fresh tomatoes, peeled, sliced, and sprinkled lightly with sugar. Cover the dish and bake.

STEWED TOMATOES.--Peel and slice the tomatoes. Put them into a double boiler, without the addition of water, and stew for an hour or longer. When done, serve plain with a little sugar added, or season with salt and a tablespoonful of rather thick sweet cream to each pint of tomatoes.

If the tomatoes are thin and very juicy, they may be thickened with a little flour rubbed smooth in a little cold water. They are much better, however, to stew a longer time until the water they contain insufficiently evaporated to make them of the desired consistency. The stew may also be thickened, if desired, by the addition of bread crumbs,rice, or macaroni.

TOMATO WITH OKRA.--Wash the okra, cut off the stem and nibs, and slice thin. For a quart of sliced okra, peel and slice three large tomatoes. Stew the tomatoes for half an hour, then add the okra, and simmer together for half an hour longer. Season with salt and a little cream.

Science in the Kitchen from Pizza Therapy

Tomatoes forever,

albert grande
Pizza Therapy

What You Think Becomes Reality


Friday, November 20, 2009

Jeff's Turkey Pizza Recipe

Jeff writes:

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving today to you and all your readers,
friends looking forward to making a delicious turkey gourmet pizza
here goes:


Jeff's Turkey Pizza Recipe

Ingredients

  1. perfect dough, 2 hrs room temp rested after 24 hrs in fridge, soft and ready to roll out , large 16"
  2. full bodied red tomato pizza sauce,
  3. oregano and basil flavored
  4. a little garlic olive oil on dough before sauce
  5. mozzarella cheese
  6. oven roasted turkey
  7. roasted red peppers,
  8. zucchini,
  9. eggplant
  10. onion
  11. feta cheese last on top ,


    Note: Beautiful color combination

    Directions:


  1. 4 min at 600 degrees,
  2. spin for another 4 times
    rotating to get best hot
    spots in commercial Bakers Pride oven
  3. finished at 10 minutes
    making sure bottom is toasty brown indicating cooked
    work of art
  4. cut into 10
    all for me :):):)
    and of coarse
  5. a big glass of red (wine)

luv ya

all have a safe holiday

Thanks Jeff.

Turkey Pizza all over Canada
and the USA
,

albert

And if you are cooking turkey,
here is a great resource: