Pizza Blog from pizzatherapy.com

Betty writes: Mr. Grande, Sorry, I haven't made a pizza yet. I need to purchase a pizza peel. Can I substitute something else to use for the peel, until I purchase one? I'll definitely be trying one of your pizza recipes soon. I have never ate a pizza with stewed tomatoes as the sauce. Thank you, Betty My Response: Hi Betty, you certainly do not need a peel to make god pizza. I used a cookie sheet, and then a regular pizza pan, for years before I got a pizza peel. My pizza's all turned out great. If you do not have a peel, you could do what my friend Espo did. I do not recommend this, but he claims it worked. He used a piece of thick cardboard to slide the pizza on and off the stone. Please, don't do what Espo did! I say use a cookie sheet or pizza pan. It will work fine. Then when you want, get a peel. Though a peel is not essential to make good pizza. Please let me know how you make out. Betty you can find a great peel below: I own o...

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 an...

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 For stuffing: in skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter, add onion, green pepper, and celery. Cook until vegetables are translucent. Add wine. Cook for 1 minute. Add crabmeat (or clams or shrimp). Add bread crumbs, egg, parsley, salt and pepper. Place 4 fillets i...

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."" Ou...

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 clas...

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 helpfu...

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, a...

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 perfect dough , 2 hrs room temp rested after 24 hrs in fridge, soft and ready to roll out , large 16" full bodied red tomato pizza 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, spin 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 :):):) and of coarse 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:

Peter Reinhart just released a new book called Artisan Breads Every Day As with all of Reinhart's books this one promises to show the novice baker how to create a wide varitey of wonderful breads. Peter has the ability to teach the bread making skills needed to make your own incredible masterpieces. I was extremely pleased to discover that he has made several companion videos available. You can feel his passion and joy as he takes you through the process. He is a guru of bread making. As a baker, teacher and life-long learner, he continues to take bread making to a higher level. This first video explains how to prepare your oven for breadmaking. I own several of Peter's books. They are my bible's of bread and pizza making. I love Peter's teaching style. You can claim your copy of Artisan Bread's Everyday,right here: pizza in your kitchen, albert

The holiday's are right around the corner. Now is the time to start shopping for the Pizza Lover on your list. Don't wait until the last minute... In no particular order, here are some of the items on our list for ultimate pizza fans. If you are looking for a stocking stuffer, I think this 2 gig pizza jump drive is perfect. It has plenty of room for pizza pics and recipes. Here is another great idea: pizza erasers . These are so inexpensive that you can buy dozens of these to give away as gifts. I love my pizza eraser! How about saying "I love you" with a slice of pepperoni? Here is a 14 K pepperoni slice . "This 14k Enameled Pepperoni Pizza Slice Pendant is made with expert craftsmanship and can be worn everyday for a lifetime." As you know, pepperoni never goes out of style. It is always fashionable. Finally, I think a wonderful bottle of top shelf olive oil is in order. There is nothing quite like oil (EVOO). This Gold Labeled Raineri Olive Oil is un...

The following video takes the art of pizza to the next level. The film touches on a number of elelments. You will discover, road rage, pizza frustration, and elements of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War". All this is set behind a very funky soundtrack. flying pizza slices on earth, albert

From our good friend Bean at The Pizza Therapy Forum I make the dough in my bread machine and add 2 t. olive oil. The second time I made it I added cumin and chopped jalapenos to the dough & it turned out awesome! The leftover black beans make a great ‘sauce’ for the pizza mixed with seasonings. I have used this for a chicken fajita and taco pizza. Black Bean Pizza Dough 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (I used 2 t.) 2 cups bread flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup lukewarm water 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 1/4 cup pureed black beans (if use canned beans, rinse and drain first) Combine and knead all ingredients (I use my bread machine). Let rise 50-60 minutes. Roll dough on a cornmeal-covered counter. Place dough in pizza pan. For a thin, crispy crust, place toppings on dough and bake immediately. For a thicker, chewier crust, allow dough to rise 15-30 minutes before adding toppings. Place pizza on the bottom rack of oven (Preheated to 500 degrees) 5-10 minutes. Thanks, Bean. Pi...

The following video was shot recently on the North Shore of Oahu. The North Shore boasts some of the best surfing in Hawaii and the world. Now, the North Shore has some of the best pizza in Hawaii (and the world). Let me explain. My friend Paul created the most wonderful wood fired pizza oven and of course, I had to try it. And I did. Again and again... The oven heats up to an astounding temperature, allowing the pizzas to cook quickly. I love eating pizza and making pizza. I love promoting pizza. You can discover how to make pizza at Pizza Therapy Here's the video: Enjoy. You can also check out The Pizza Therapy Pizza Book. You can learn a simple step by step method to make your own pizza. Your friends will praise you. You kids will love you. Make Pizza, Be Happy! Here is the link: The Pizza Therapy Pizza Book Pizza on Earth, Good Will to All! albert

Jan reports from San Francisco: Hi Albert, Thanks for sharing your story and the Anthony Mangieri video. It's great to see a master at work and now we have another reason to return to San Francisco. On a recent visit to the city my wife and I had the pleasure of dining at Tony’s (Gemignani) Pizza Napoletana. It was first on my list of things to do and I was not disappointed - truly amazing pizza and service. I could have died right there. Here is a picture of our pizzas and meatballs in an incredible tomato sauce. And then there is the International School of Pizza - imagine going to school to make pizza! If I were only 21 again . . . Pizza&Love, Jan And here is a picture of these incredible pizzas created by Tony G.: Thanks so much, Jan. Now you really gave me a reason to go to San Francisco... As if I need a reason. Pizza on the West Coast, albert I love the following book on pizza by Tony and Diane Morgan . I have a copy and it is amazing. As a mat...

Naturally Risen is a film by Michael Evans . It's a film honoring, Anthony Mangieri and his pizzeria, Una Pizza Napoletana, When I interviewed Peter Reinhart and Chris Bianco , for Legends of Pizza, Volume 1 , they both praised Anthony for his pizza making and his dedication to the art of pizza. As Evans explains: "Naturally Risen, is a short film documenting the rhythm of the process of noted pizzaiola Anthony Mangieri. Anthony owned and operated Una Pizza Napoletana in the East Village of New York City from 2004 until 2009. The film takes a decided non-verbal, intimate approach, in the tradition of a surf video – allowing Mangieri's disciplined movements to speak for themself. Legendary skateboarder and musician Tommy Guerrero, provides the score." You can watch Naturally Risen , here: NATURALLY RISEN from michael evans on Vimeo . Anthony Mangieri is simply an incredible pizzaiolo. Michel Evans is an incredible filmaker. Without a doubt this is the most amazi...

The real story of Pizza Therapy is all about my Dad. When we were teenagers, he would stop at an Italian bakery on his way home from work and purchase pizza dough. He would then create the most amazing pizzas I ever tasted. His pizzas were more abuot making pizza from the heart. He is the inspiration of Pizza Therapy .... So when you visit Pizza Therapy , you are honoring my Dad... Here is the story: Thanks, Dad. And thank you for all of your support. Pizza on Earth, Good Will to All, albert grande Pizza Therapy

You have to love St. Louis, Missouri. After all they fry their ravioli. Fried Ravioli is one of the signature dishes of this town. The pizza has its own spin as well. Forget the mozzarella and parmesan. In St. Louis, you will discover the secret of pizza is the provel cheese . What is provel? Provel is a cheese mixture made of provolone, swiss and cheedar cheese. Provel is the heart of many of the pizzas in St. Louis. It has a creamy texture with a very unique taste. You can learn more about provel cheese at this link at Wikipedia . Here some of the best pizzerias in St. Louis : Cusaneli's : "The cheese, (Provolone) and the paper thin crust." Imo's: "the best pizza...the paper thin crust, the yummy cheese, the real bacon toppings. I miss it so much that it's the first stop when I fly "home" to St. Louis ." Portas Pizza: "...Great crust, great sauce and great ingredients" Racanelli's Pizza: "The sauce, the crust.. and watc...

This interview originally appeared in Pizza News from pizzatherapy.com : I was fortunate enough to get James of fornobravo.com to take a few minutes out of his work day for an interview. James shared how he got his start making pizza: using a pizza stone. Albert : Hi James you are the owner of fornobravo.com . Can you tell me a little bit about your company and products? James: Hi Albert. Thanks for having me on Pizza News . I love your site -- which is how we met. Forno Bravo specializes in wood-fired pizza ovens, brick oven accessories and pizza ingredients. We have a range of pizza oven types and sizes for the home owner, including pizza oven kits, real brick ovens, and fully assembled ovens. Typically, residential pizza ovens are between 31" and 43" -- large enough to cook multiple pizza at a time, but still easy to manage and fast to heat up. Our ovens, tools and pizza ingredients are all made in Italy -- and they let the American pizza chef make world-class pizza a...

Shane Kost is the mastermind behind Chicago Food Planet Chicago Food Tours. He walks around Chicago neighborhoods with you. He tells you the history, the architecture, but mostly it's about the food. He features two incredible food tours: The Near North Food Tasting and The Buck Town Wicker Park Food Tour. And yes both include a stop at a pizzeria. This is not the pizza you would expect. This is tasting pizza that you may not have ever experienced. This is Chcago Food Planet Pizza! Shane has the inside track. He gives you the real scoop on Chicago food. (including pizza...) Watch his amazing video: As a side note, I did an incredible interview with Shane. And then disaster struck. I would love to blame someone, but I must assume all responsibility...I accidently deleted the audio. Blast it! Hopefully Shane will give me another chance to do another interview. Until then. Make sure you check out: Chicago Food Planet Food Tours pizza all over Chicago, albert Pizza Therapy

From my friend Gary Bimonte of Pepe's : How long do you keep food before you toss it? Many times I have searched for the expiration date on a bottle of ketchup or mayonnaise. What has happened is that the date is impossible to find or it is smudged. In our kitchen we live by the moto: When in doubt toss it out... I want to share a valuable resource that answers the age old question how long is your food safe to eat... It's called StillTasty . All of the information is referenced. All the information seems current. For example, how long should you keep eggs? Answer: 3-5 weeks. (they will keep up to a year, frozen...) Should you put tomatoes in the fridge? Answer: Store them a room temperature until they are ripe. Who new? Check out StillTasty . It's a great resource... BTW: Keep that pizza you bought from the store for 3-4 days. Unless you freeze it, and then the pizza will be good for 1-2 months. food safety on earth, albert grande And in an emergency you may need to read t...

The following video was part of The Pizza Therapy East Coast Pizza Tour 2009. The news that Pepe's would be opening another location in South Eastern Connecticut created quite a buzz. Pizza fans were excited. This was the talk of the town as the local newspaper and radio stations added to the excitement. When would Pepe' s open? Would they have a coal fired oven? And the ultimate question was: would this Pepe's be as good as the pizza in New Haven ? We visited the day after they opened at Mohegan Sun Casino . We were hesitant to go on opening day for obvious reasons. This Pepe's location looks very similar to the location in New Haven . There was wonderful ambiance. The coal fired oven is there. The booths are there. They even serve Foxon soda. But how was the pizza? The pizza was great. We will definitely go back...as a matter of fact we ended going back two days later... The Pizza at Mohegan Sun was Incredible Here are some other Pepe...

I recently got a copy of a great video tutorial on how to make pizza created by Bev Collins . It's called "Secret's Inside the Pizzeria". It was a simple guide with easy to understand tips about making pizza. I decided to call up Bev and see if I could pull any more pizza secrets out of her. I recorded the entire call. It was a great pizza conversation. We covered a lot of information. She is an interesting pizzaiolo. First she never had pizza until she was 16. Here first pizza was out of a pizza kit. (Think Apian Way and Chef Boy Ardee...) But somehow she persisted. She studied, she learned. She was tenacious. She didn't give up. Now she makes pizza like a master. Some of the things we discussed were: pizza tools you need the best type of flour to use her take on other pizza ingredients the fact that you can have great ingredients but still not make great pizza It's all about all in the technique. Excellent step by step directions to make dough Some inside...

The Daily Reviewer recently nominated this bolg as being one of the Top Pizza Blogs . Hey thanks. Here is a list of the best of the best who made the cut: Slice America's Favorite Pizza Weblog. Adam Kuban's pizza vision. Intelligent, interesting and fun, with an attitude. Pizza Blog About How To Eat Order Italian Pizza Online : After you order your pizza online and before the pizza delivery man delivers a fresh pie to your door...spend some time relaxing and reading our pizza blog. Great concept. Fantastic blog! Passion-4-Pizza Blog: Lillian and Cary share their unique passion for pizza. Excellent resource. Pure pizza passion and insight. worstpizza.com : Dedicated to finding the best pizza places, by sorting through the worst. Opinionated but fair pizza reviews. Great information. The Pizza Blog: Everything you wanted to know about pizza, but were afraid to ask. Very informative. I Dream of Pizza: A New York City Pizza Blog : A blog dedicated to everything and anything ab...

About 2 years ago, I made pizza in my kitchen. I decided to film the process. It was simple, basic and not a lot of bravado. Just me making pizza dough. Something I've done hundreds of times. I then posted it on YouTube and kind of forgot about it. Honestly, if you told me I would have more than a thousand views for my pizza dough video, I would have said you were wacky. Sure people love pizza. People love to eat pizza. They eat it by the truckload. But never in my wildest dreams would I have thought, there would be very many pizza fans interested in making pizza. Well the stats speak for themselves. First a thousand. Then ten tousand. Then tens of thousands. At the end of one year, I had 50,000 views. I was shocked and amazed. That's a lot of pizza fans. During the next year, I got an additional 150,000 views. That's a total of 200,000 views. (Alright almost 200,000...) I'm speechless. I'm flabbergasted. I'm shocked. I'm in total disbelief. Can that many p...

John Arena and Sam Facchini co-owners of Metro Pizza There is only one pizzeria, that can claim the the title as The Best Pizza in Las Vegas and that is Metro Pizza . Metro has been on the radar of Pizza Therapy for a number of years. And with good reason. They make their pizza with heart and excellence. You can read the review at this page . (Scroll down to Nevada Pizza.) The Metro team loves pizza. They live pizza. They are passionate about pizza. John Arena and his cousin Sam Facchini founded Metro in 1980. They have not looked back since. The true love for the art form of pizza shines through with John and Sam's mission statement about Metro. "We believe that a true Pizzeria should be a gathering place for family and friends to relax, share great food and enjoy each other's company. We have visited hundreds of Pizzerias across the country, learning and gathering recipes to bring our guests a taste of home, wherever home might be." John in a...

Albert at Pepe's on Wooster Street Hey we knew it all the time. Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven , Connecticut, makes some of the best pizza on the planet. It's always nice to get global recognition, however. An article written by, Killian Fox from the Observer lists the 50 Best Things to Eat in the World . Right there at Number 31, is Pepe's! Here is what he said: "You could generate enough heat to fuel a brick oven with the argument over which country bakes the world's best pizza: Italy, where the concept originated, or America, where it was globalised. Neapolitan purists will make pilgrimages to hotspots such as La Sorrentina, outside Naples, whose chef has won the prestigious Naples Pizza Championship, but we contend that the upstart Yanks do it better. The best American pizza can be found, not in New York as is commonly assumed, but in New Haven, Connecticut , where the Pepe family has been spinning dough since 1925. Their white clam pie h...

I came accross an out of print gem to share with you. The following is from Science in the Kitchen by Mrs. E. E. Kellogg. While not about pizza, it certainly is a treasure of food information. There are some interesting discussions about all kinds of food. In the following, various fruits are discussed. There is also some great information about the olive. Apples were introduced into the United States by the early settlers, and the first trees were planted on an island in Boston Harbor, which still retains the name of Apple Island. The wild crab tree is the parent of most of the cultivated varieties. THE PEAR .--The origin of the pear, like that of the apple, is shrouded in obscurity, though Egypt, Greece, and Palestine dispute for the honor of having given birth to the tree which bears this prince of fruits. Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher of the fourth century, speaks of the pear in terms of highest praise; and Galen, the father of medical science, mentions the pear in his writin...

A basic Italian dish with countless variations. This dish was always served at our house during the Big Four Holidays: Thanksgiving , Christmas , New Years and Easter ! This recipe comes from Auntie Esther Yacavone , ( Auntie Jenny's sister). Ingredients 1 lb. lasagna noodles cooked as directed on package. 1 lb. loose hamburger cooked or cooked meatballs , crumpled 2 lbs. ricotta cheese 1 lb. mozzarella cheese grated cheese, either Parmesan or Romano (or both) tomato sauce salt, pepper and spices to taste (basil, oregano) Directions In bottom of lasagna pan put some sauce Start layering. First noodles, then the meat and then the cheeses. Keep layering until everything is used. Leave top layer with just sauce and grated cheese. Bake 350º or until center is hot and 'cheeses have melted. Tips: You crumble 2 hard boiled eggs in the layers. (That is what my mom does). Replace the hamburger with seafood: shrimp, crab, clams, or lobster for a wonderful taste! Thanks, Auntie Esther an...