Pizza Blog from pizzatherapy.com

The Fender Stratocaster Pizza Peel I recently got an email from Ron, who told me about an unusual peel he made... Ron wrote : I too am somewhat of a pizza fanatic. I use an 18" Weber kettle grill with a 16" Old Stone Oven stone and fire it with a 185,000 BTU Cajuncooker. I also made a pizza peel fashioned to look like a Fender Stratocaster guitar. { Albert's Side Bar : Musicians who have played a Fender Stratocaster include: Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Mark Knopfler, Dick Dale, Prince...} Now I have seen some unusual pizza devices, but a peel in the shape of a Fender Stratocaster guitar was a new one on me. (To see what an actual Stratocaster looks like, peek here .) I immediately had to see it! This pizza peel makes you want to Rock and Roll! As soon as I saw The Stratocaster Pizza Peel, I knew I had some questions for Ron. Albert : Are you a wood worker? Ron : I used to work construction and woodworking has always been one my fiel...

Anthony Bourdain is my hero. He travels around the world, eating the best food each country has to offer. He then comments on all he has eaten. What kind of job is that? Well it's a job that is really not a job. Until I get one of those gigs, I guess I'll keep my day job. and I'll continue to watch, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations . Here he is in Venice, Italy. Check out the specatcular seafood! I love each and everyone of his shows. He is a character who is simply amazing...and believe me: Bourdain is quite a character. pizza on earth, albert grande Wannabe-food-critic

Fank Pepe in front of the famous Coal fired Oven Pepe's Pizza in New Haven has incredible pizza. Located on Wooster Street Pepe's is right down the street from Sally's Aipzza . Visit with Michael Stern of Roadfood as he goes to his favorite pizzeria: Pepe's Pizzeria Napolentana: New Haven residents are fanatics about their pizza. Don't even get in an argument about which pizza is better: Pepe's or Sally's. Here are some of the comments I have recieved about Pepe's: Chris explains:" Pepe's uses the freshest sauce and toppings to accent a perfect crispy dough. The restaurant itself is a great place to enjoy amazing pizza with friends or family. The best in the world." Jack Shalack remembers: "The crust is out of this world, I love the crispiness of it, and yet its not greasy like most other places. From the plain cheese to the clam sauce, its all amazing! I've been out on the west coast for13 yrs, just suffering, and I am going ba...

Tony G. knows pizza. He is an incredible pizza resource. I have been fortunate to speak with Tony on a number of occasions. He is a nine time World Pizza Champion . Tony won the Triple Crown of Pizza . In Italy no less! Tony is not one to sit back. He is always pushing the envelope of pizza. If you love pizza, you will love Tony Gemignani . Tony Gemignani presents his award winning pizza to the judges in Italy He was gracious enough to speak with me for my Legends of Pizza series. You can listen to another interview I did with Tony right now... Listen as he explains: How he had to make his dough in his hotel room during the Italian pizza competition. One of the judges was the Pope's personal pizza maker How he made it into the Guinness Book of World Records His latest project: the first ever Certified Pizza School in the U.S. His take on the New Haven Pizza (Wooster Street): Yes, he went to Modern, Pepe's and Sally's. Respectfully submitted, Albert Grande pizzaman-in-train...

A Portobello and Buffalo Mozzarella Pizza from Pizza Therapy Pizza is a universal food. Originally confined to Italian neighborhoods, pizza has now become mainstream. Travel anywhere in the world and you will be able to find some type of pizza. As noted bread baker Peter Reinhart explained to me: “Pizza is the perfect flavor delivery system.” Pizza is the ultimate comfort food. With a little practice, you can easily make your own delicious home made pizza. Here are four reasons why you should make your own pizza. 1) Making pizza is easy. With the basic tools found in any kitchen, you will be able to make pizza dough. All pizza dough follows the same basic pattern. Mix flour with yeast, water and salt. Some pizza dough recipes call for oil, however this may be omitted. (I use olive oil in my recipe, but this is a matter of preference.) There are many wonderful pizza dough recipes available to you. You need to find one that you like and will satisfy your own taste. 2) Making pizza is...

From my freinds over at foodbuzz.com , this is a very cool video on how to dice an onion. The video was submitted by Cook Local . I was taught this technique by Chef Peter when we co-taught several cooking classes. He made a point of showing me how easy it was to dice an onion. As with all things you learn, unless you use it, you loose it. I lost this one, but now I have a video record of the technique, so I will get some reminders. You should try this method. It will save you time and energy. pizza on earth, Albert Grande http;//pizzatherapy.com http;//pastatherapy.com

This dish was one of my dad's specialties. Pulling off the leaves of artichokes and dragging them between your teeth was fun! Eating the stuffing was wonderful. The absolute best taste was the "heart". (Life is like eating an artichoke...) Ingredients 4 artichokes 1/2 Cup of Seasoned Italian Breadcrumbs (You can easily make your own by toasting bread, cursh bread, and add seasonings) 12-15 chopped olives (1 can) 12-15 chopped mushrooms (fresh taste better but use canned mushrooms if you must) 2-3 cloves of finely chopped garlic 1-2 Tablespoons of finely chopped Italian parsley olive oil salt and pepper to taste Directions Bang artichokes on counter (leaves down) to loosen leaves. Rinse in cold water. Remove stems. Peel and put aside. Remove and discard small tough leaves from bottom. Use scissors to remove sharp tip from each leave. Chop stems and chop mushrooms. Sautee in olive oil until stems are tender and mushrooms have given up their water. In a bowl combine brea...

If you ever thought about building a pizza oven in your backyard this video is for you. You will discover step by step the entire process. You will see how the pizza oven is built brick by brick. It really is poetry in motion. The owner explains the oven was built with help of his grandfather, Ronnie Swan, in 3days. He was able to get some assistance from local artisans who shared the workload. This oven is used quite a bit to make pizza on a regular basis. If you are interested in seeing the pizza oven in person you can go to: 17 westmoreland street, glasgow. You can find the website at this address: www.southsidestudios.org I wonder if they know Master Pizziolo, Domenico Crolla ? Here is a very useful resource for learning more about cooking with an outdoor oven. A wood fired oven is the way to discover pizza perfection: pizza on earth, and in your back yard, Albert Grande Learn to Make Pizza Discover How to Make Pasta Learn About The Legends of Pizza

Christmas came a little early for me, this year, in the form of a brand new KitchenAide . Oh yeah. I was first introduced to the KitchenAide by Chef Peter when we co-taught a cooking class, a couple of years ago. One of his first recommendations was to make it our main kitchen appliance. We used it mix dough for pizza and pasta. We were able to make cookies and cakes. We even used one of the attachments to make sausage. This did it all, except clean itself. Over the years, I've made lots of pizza dough. I make the dough by hand, because I like the feel of mixing my own pizza dough. When you have a limited amount of time to teach a class, however, you need to save some steps. When I used the Kitchenaide to make dough, the whole process went much faster. After a short while, I became convinced. Chef Peter, was right. It became our most valued appliance. The students loved using it. It was easy to operate, and easy to clean. We really noticed a difference when we used it to make pa...

I found this video very helpful for anyone learning to work with pizza dough. Note that the pizzaiolo is very gentle but firm with his dough. You really need to get a feel for the dough as you work it. I like the trick he uss to fix a hole in the dough. I think he makes some wonderful points. But most importantly he works the dough as he stretches and shapes it. Right on. If you want to make pizza, you need to learn as much as possible. This is a great pizza resource from my friends Tony Gemignani and Diane Morgan: pizza on earth, good will to all! albert grande Pizza Therapy Legends of Pizza And now in Beta Testing, A Pizza Community: My Pizza Face Dot Com

This is one of the best pizza tossing videos I have ever seen. I appreciate this pizzaiolo. He shares his love and passion for making pizza. He makes his art of tossing pizza a show. What I find most unusual, this guy is tossing his pizza in the back room. He really should be in the front to the house. Plus he sings as he tosses. What a show! Feel the joy... To make great pizza you absolutely need a pizza stone. I recommend this one without reservation. pizza on earth, good will to all, albert grande Make Pizza Be Happy Discover The Lengends of Pizza

Over the years I have gotten many emails from pizza lovers. I wanted to share the latest from Curtis, who has just completed his first pizza book... Dear Albert: Peter Reinhart suggested that I reach out to you. Your site is quite impressive! I mean to spend some time looking through it in detail. I have found a few pizza web sites but had not come across yours. You show a strong passion for pizza and for helping others enjoy making pizza. I share a similar passion and desire. I would like to ask a favor of you. I began making Chicago-style pizza soon after I got married (now 20 years ago). My wife and I received a Chicago-style pizza set as a wedding shower gift. The kit had a deep-dish pizza pan, pizza cutter, pan lifter, and a pizza cookbook specializing in Chicago-style pizza. One day I asked my wife if she was ever going to make pizza; she said, "You go ahead." So, I did. I used the kit tomake pizza quite frequently. After a while, I was able to duplicate an...

Here is a Turkey Pizza Recipe, sent from my friend Jeff from Canada, I wanted to share. Jeff writes: Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you and all your readers. Here's to all my friends looking forward to making a delicious turkey gourmet pizza. Here goes: Ingredients perfect dough, Find a dough recipe here. 2 hrs room temp rested after 24 hrs in fridge, soft and ready to roll out , large 16" full bodied red tomato pizza sauce, ( Albert's side bar: You can use stewed tomatoes, use fresh tomatoes or try this basic red sauce .) oregano and basil flavored a little garlic olive oil on dough before sauce mozzarella cheese oven roasted turkey roasted red peppers, zucchini, eggplant onion, feta cheese last on top , Note: Beautiful color combination Directions: 4 min at 600 degrees, spun for another 4 times rotating to get best hot spots in commercial Bakers Pride oven finished at 10 minutes making sure bottom is toasty brown indicating cooked work of art cut into 10 all for me :...

I recently reviewed my favorite Pizza Movies of all time. You can watch the review here. One of the films I mention is Mystic Pizza . Mystic Pizza was somewhat of a cult movie in that it launched the career of Julia Roberts , who had a leading role in the film. Also featured was Anabeth Gish, and Lili Taylor. The film is less of a pizza movie and more of a coming of age movie analyzing the cultural and female struggles of three high school friends who work at a pizza place. While pizza is featured in the movie, pizza is more of a backdrop for the relationship story. It really is an innocent movie. And I did enjoy it... Although, I give Mystic Pizza , an honorable mention, I may have to re-think my position after uncovering an article published in The Day Newspaper (New London, Connecticut) on Sunday October, 19, 2008. The story written by Kenton Robinson , was an eye opener. Mystic , itself has a piece of my heart because I grew up and went to high school in Southeastern Connecticut...

I had invited some friends over recently to make pizza. As usual, it was great. I asked one of my friends to peel some garlic. I was a little surprised, that they really had no idea about how to peel garlic. I showed them how I peel garlic and they thanked me. So, in case you didn't know, this video is for you: Discover an incredible garlic resource, right here: Remeber, garlic is also a great way to ward off vampires. Garlic on Earth, albert Pizza Therapy Pasta Therapy Albert's Inertnet Marketing Blog

Our own, Tony Gemignani made pizza history recently, at the International Pizza Makers Challenge - 2 Mari Trofeo Internationale Pizza Per Tutti 2008 . He accomplished what no other pizzaiolo has ever done: he won first place in three categories at the International Pizza Competition. He became the winner of the Triple Crown of Pizza . Tony who was featured in Legends of Pizza Volume 2 , proved once again he is a World Pizza Champion . Tony G. showcases a prized pizza in Italy. I had the honor of taking him to lunch in Honolulu, a couple of years ago. I'm thinking: maybe Tony would enjoy some sushi, or Dim Sum or perhaps Korean food. I was ready to suggest we go grab a Hawaiian Plate lunch. "What do you want to eat?" I asked. "Pizza" he replied. "I want to eat pizza". And that's exactly what we had for lunch. We went to Antonio's New York Style Pizza , in Kahala. And there was not much left over. Tony recently discussed his win: "This was...

My earlier video showed How to Make Pizza Dough . As you can see it is fairly simple to make pizza dough. As, I explain the hardest part is the clean up. You will find making pizza dough gets easier with each time you make it. Consider this video How to Make Pizza, as Part 2. I build a pizza from scratch and show you my personal method of making pizza. Once you create pizza, your life will never be the same. Make Pizza Be Happy! You can watch a step by step easy method of How to Make Pizza dough Here. This video is sponsored by pizzatherapy.com Also you may want to watch this video where I discuss Pizza Ingredients to Make Dough . This vidoe is sponosered by Legends of Pizza. Enjoy. Pizza On earth, Albert The Pizza Therapy Pizza Book

My Dad was a great guy. He had a huge heart and loved to make people laugh. He was a trickster and a prankster. He also taught me about pizza. He was Pizza Therapy. As a matter of fact Pizza Therpay was created in his honor. One of his favorite pastimes was giving away wine to his friends and workmates. But as this story explains, there is more than meets the eye. Enjoy: pizza on earth, good will to all! Thanks Dad, albert

As you know, I'm a pizzaman. I love making pizza, I love eating pizza and I love talking about pizza... (Here is my website: Pizza Therapy ). This is one of my favorite pizza tales I have ever experienced. Best of all, this extraordinary pizza conversation, had a Hawaii twist. I happened to be at a Workshop recently and during lunch my favorite topic, pizza, just happened to come up. Janet , who grew up in Hawaii, in a Japanese-American household, shared the following: "One night, many years ago, my Dad and Mom decided to take us kids out for pizza. As soon as my Dad tasted the pizza, he said: "This is not real pizza...Now when I was in Italy during the Second World War, that was real pizza..." (Albert's side bar; So here goes: a pizza tale, with-in a pizza tale...) Her father, who had never been out of Hawaii , was stationed in a small Italian town during World War II. They were camped on a farmer's fields for several weeks. He decided to go for a walk to ...

Discovering what pizza fans favorite pizza is, has always been exciting and controversial. Let's face it: everyone has their own strong opinion when it comes to pizza. And that's the way I like it! In scientific polls I have conducted in the past, pepperoni has always come out on top. Sausage, mushrooms and cheese have always taken a back seat. Anchovies are the least favorite of all pizza toppings. I've always allowed people the option of at least six choices. If you have other pizza toppings that you feel should be added, please feel free to comment. If enough pizza fans feel strongly about it, we can always modify the poll. I want to encourage you to do your civic duty and vote. Let the pepperoni slices, fall where they may. I've always liked anchovies, but to be truthful they are an acquired taste. Please take a second to vote and I encourage you to post a comment. Vote in the sidebar on the right below the Food Buzz banner. You can also take part in a global pizza...