Pizza Blog from pizzatherapy.com

Alain's Pizza from pizzatherapy.com I love getting positive emails from pizza fanatics describing their pizza adventures. That is what Pizza Therapy is all about. Make pizza, eat pizza, be pizza The following email from Alain, was particularly touching and humbling: Albert, what can I say your the best! The dough was so easy to make. The taste, I must say, was great.  I did 2 batches one with oil and one without and found that the one without oil was softer and nicer. My wife is Italian and she usually made Pizza for the family. Three years ago she suffered a brain stem stroke, and we relocated to India for treatment. Yesterday was the first time we had Pizza after so long, and we baked and sang your praise all day as your Dough tasted like my wife's. My kids loved it. We had a couple of Indian Doctors come over and tasted the pizza and they thought it was fantastic and told me that I should open a Pizza shop. In all Albert we had the best pizza day and you broug...

I’ve got some news for you. When you go on A Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour you don’t just get a Slice, you get the whole pie … You experience Brooklyn from the inside out. And I do mean experience. I’m proposing that they re-name this tour. Let me explain; Sure we ate pizza. But we got so much more. There was history, stories, clips of movies filmed in Brooklyn, and even a little romance. At one point we rubbed shoulders with a Brooklyn Wedding . (I’m not kidding). Our guide, Paula was simply amazing. Her energy level and spirit added to our entire experience. She is from Brooklyn and is half Italian and half Jewish. What a combination! She gave insights to the cultural melting pot that makes up all of the different neighborhoods. Who could ask for more? And she fit right in with the whole spirit of the tour. She was able to give inside information about all of the hot spots in Brooklyn. Her knowledge was extensive. Her passion for the borough of Brooklyn was unmatched. Wh...

This report comes from our correspondent Rob, in Seattle. Rob is currently on assignment searching out incredible pizza. He shares the following review about Tutta Bella exclusively for Pizza Therapy: Rob reports: "We had an awesome pie in a place we've been hearing about, Tutta Bella . It's right around the corner from Walter's place, which I've got for the summer. Wood fired, the read-out said 759 degrees F. They use double zero "OO" flour. The crust is light as a feather and quickly attains a fluffy crispness in no time. Hand shaped, of course, and beautifully burned, the dough is mouthwatering when fire roasted and married with fresh juicy spices and toppings. All the toppings we had were fresh and tasty. We started with the namesake "Tutta Bella", it seemed right. Above a bright and saucy pomodoro, were spread melting platters of fresh mozzarella. Dashed with juicy bits of Italian sausage, roasted fresh mushrooms, and roaste...

Sally's Bacon Pizza from pizzatherapy.com So, what’s the big secret of Sally’s Apizza ? Simple: great pizza. If you want to have excellent pizza you need to search it out. And that is exactly what we discovered during our latest visit to Sally’s Apizza on Wooster Street in New Haven, Connecticut. An inside trick is to get there early. Sally’s opens at 5:00 P.M. (They are closed on Monday’s). We got there at 4:30. There were only two parties in front of us so we knew we would make the first seating. Another trick is to know what you want before your waiter or waitress comes. Make sure you decide what you want. The pizzas at Sally’s come out as they are ordered. Each pizza is lovingly constructed by hand, and that takes time. So the quicker you get your order in the quicker your pizza will come out. A visit to Sally’s is like stepping back in time. You will find the interior to be exactly as it was in the 50’s. Sure there are numerous plaques and diversions on the wall...

Shhh. Listen: It's me, Albert Grande, The Pizza Promoter . I try to keep a low profile. Sure sometimes I tend be a little loud. And I have gotten carried away occasionally...but that is my personality. I can't help it. I'm Italian. I guess its a genetic thing. Most of the time, I just try to remain anonymous. Now don't get me wrong, I love eating pizza. I love writing about pizza and I love making pizza. But most of all, I love talking about pizza. Hey, don't get me started.  For most of my pizza adventures, I quietly enjoy my pizza. Anonymously. The other night while eating pizza with some friends I got a tap on the shoulder.... "Are you that Pizza Therapy  ( http://pizzatherapy.com/ )  guy?" "Well, yeah", I answered sheepishly. "I have to tell you... you changed the way I look at pizza." "Are you kidding me? I changed your pizza perceptions?   Pizza Therapy , changed the way you look at pizza? I asked. "Absolu...

Learn to Make Pizza at: http://pizzatherapy.com/ Let’s face it, when you go to Pepe’s you expect a quality pizza. You know your pizza will contain top quality ingredients. You expect the pizza to be cooked in a coal fired oven. You know you are in a for a positive pizza experience. So when 11 members of the official Pizza Therapy Taste Testers descended on Pepe’s we were expecting nothing less than a high quality pizza experience. And Pepe’s did not disappoint us. Because of the diversity of the group (both ethnically and ethically) we decide on three different pizzas. For the seafood lovers (hey, everybody in the group was a seafood fan), we ordered the original clam pizza. This was Frank Pepe’s signature pie. Hey, Frank Pepe invented the clam pizza. you can see the whole story right here. (BTW, you can also listen to more pizza interviews at this link) . The standard clam is not made with “mootz” (mozzarella), just a sprinkling of Parmesan. The pizza just oozes with cl...

"Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today..." OK I'm not leaving today for The City, but soon. (We'll be there in June...) And one of the Big things on our agenda is to go on The Brooklyn Pizza Tour . Honestly I can't wait. I'm looking forward to spending some quality pizza time with Tony Miura, the genius behind the tour. As a matter of fact, our friend, Adam Kuban , over at Slice , reminded us that Tony was featured on the Today Show . This is not the first time I have bought a ticket for The Brooklyn Pizza Tour . But it will be the first time I get to go. Let me explain. We had tickets to go last summer, but  Pizza Therapy  got banned from Brooklyn by Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan.  True story, you can read about it here. I just got an email from Tony and he assured me all things are go for our tour date,. We're locked, loaded and ready! Here's a video of the tour: Honestly, I can't wait to try Neapolitan-style pizz...

Our friend in Glasgow is at it again.... Watch   Domenico Crolla  on an episode of The Hour Show. Chef Domenico Crolla shows a step by step method for creating his incredible tasting Spaghetti Alla Carbonara. What I found most interesting in this video is the simple step by step instructions he provides. He takes you by the hand so that you will be able to re-create this amazing dish in your own kitchen. I think the important point he makes is worth repeating. For quality, elegent dishes, you must use quality ingredients. For example note that Chef Dominico only uses Extra Virgin olive oil. Also, instead of bacon he uses Italian pancetta. pancetta is "a type of dry cured meat, similar to bacon. It is pork belly that has been salt cured and spiced." He does explain though,you can also use other meats if you wish, as well as using no meat at all. He insists that you should not use bacon due to all of the additives. I love this recipe and I look forward to s...

Our friend Gail recently won the Ultimate Recipe Showdown on the Food Network. Her prize? $25,000 in cash, plus a $5,000 bonus in other prizes. I knew I had to interview her and get all of the inside secrets of how she did it. I was able to record an exclusive interview for Pizza Therapy . She explains: •How she came up with the recipe •What she did to enter the contest •What she asked Flo Consiglio, wife of Sal Consiglio •Her secret ingredient that she took from Sally's Apizza on Wooster Street in New Haven, Connecticut •Why this helps her make award winning pizza •What goes on behind the scenes at the Food Network •What she will do with her $25,000 •Her other $5,000 bonus prizes as part of her winnings •Inside pizza tricks and tips •Her secret hobby and passions •Why you should enter your own recipe You can listen or download the entire interview at this link: The $25,000 Pizza Recipe Interveiw with Gail. pizza all over the planet, albert Legend...

Checking Out Pizza with Chicago Pizza Tours Chicago Pizza Tours Will Take Care of it for You! Chicago’s Hottest New Pizza Tour Allows Participants to See Chicago One Slice at a Time! Chicago, IL, May 21, 2010 -- The Windy City. Wrigley Field. The Bears. The Magnificent Mile. Chicago has its share of icons, but one of its most famous attractions – delicious world-famous pizza – is receiving special attention with the launch of Chicago Pizza Tours, LLC. The brainchild of Chicagoland native Jon Porter, the concept for Chicago Pizza Tours began with a gourmet foods walking tour his wife participated in with coworkers. While the group sampled a number of items from the city’s various neighborhoods there was one specialty missing from the list: pizza. Porter quickly got the ball rolling, surveying dozens of friends, family and even strangers to identify their favorite pizza venues.  “I felt it was important to get a wide array of feedback in order to provide a good variety o...

Say it Ain't So... Recent news out of Naples allege that some pizzerias in that city are using coffin wood to fuel their pizza ovens. This was reported in Il Giornale, a local Italian daily. Police have been investigating reports that some of the smaller pizzerias may have used stolen coffin wood to keep their wood fired ovens going. In recent years there has been a rash of grave robbers in the city of Naples. According to reports last year 50,000 flower pots were stolen. As a pizza maker, I am in utter shock and disbelief. All of the pizzas made in Naples that are DOC certified are made to exact specifications.  For more information check out this resource: Associazione Verace Pizza Neapolitan .   Another pizza organization is:  Verace Pizza Napoletana Americas The idea that pizza made under such stringent conditions would get woods from coffins to me is outrageous. I find it hard to believe that anyone would willingly violate the trust placed in these...

Pizza Vending Machines Come and Go...But the Pie-O-Matic will live forever... Marty sent me the following article from the New York Times about Pizza Vending Machines in Italy. "Is Europe bringing back the automat? Claudio Torghele hopes so. Over the last decade, Mr. Torghele, 56, an entrepreneur in this northern Italian city who first made money selling pasta in California, has developed a vending machine that cooks pizza. The machine does not just slip a frozen pizza into a microwave. It actually whips up flour, water, tomato sauce and fresh ingredients to produce a piping hot pizza in about three minutes..." The article goes on to explain how through various testing different devices the developers of Let's Pizza  were able to create a viable machine that will actually make pizzas... You can read the entire article here . According to the Let's Pizza Website : Let's Pizza is the only machine able to create pizza by kneading it on the spot and add...

Noted pizzaiolo Dick Cami shares the following pizza tale, exclusively for The Pizza Therapy Pizza Blog : Hiya Albert...here's a story that happened to me when there were only about four or five pizzeria's in the Bronx...that's going way back: White Pie We opened the Daiquiri Palace about twenty two years ago in Palma, Majorca and my partner's son Gil Davis runs it now as a seasonal business, besides daiquiri’s we serve fresh made pizza’s on the beach. I'm a transplanted New Yorker that moved to Miami in '59 and I've been in the nightclub and restaurant business all my life, I now live Portland, Oregon My grandfather was a chef who came over from Faenza, Italy to work at the Ritz Hotel in New York City in the early 1900’s and when he retired he still kept his hand in the business by making sauces for local restaurants in the upper Bronx and he also made a lot of specialties for Mercurio's market in Mount Vernon, an Italian specialty store. A...

How about this for a crazy idea. Fry some hot Italian sausage, drain it. Make some dough, put on a little tomato sauce and then put the sausage on the pizza. Put the pan in an oven and cook. Then add some perfectly good, fresh eggs to the mix. Gently add the eggs to the top of the pizza and cook. Hmmm . Believe it or not...it works! You can watch Chef John as he goes step by step through the entire process. This pizza looks simply incredible. This could my new personal favorite breakfast pizza. Or anytime pizza. Watch, learn and get hungry for a pizza. Now that's a pizza! Simply amazing! Thanks Chef John. You can discover more of Chef John's Recipes at his Blog . Chef John is also known as The Denver Food Guy. He also features a whole library of step by step videos at his YouTube Channel called Food Wishes. pizza and sausage on earth, albert grande The Pizza Promoter at Legends of Pizza This looks like the kind of pizza pan used by Chef John:

In honor of Earth Day , let's spread some pizza re-cycling awareness...What follows is the answer to recycling pizza boxes. Introducing the reusable pizza box. My thanks to William Betz , who unraveled the mystery of re-using pizza boxes... Here's what Bill told me: Americans consume 3 billion, yes, 3 BILLION with a B, cardboard pizza boxes every year...in the 2 minutes you've spent reading this message...12,000 have been used...and they are NOT recyclable as they are contaminated w/ grease and foodstuffs... My response: Three Billion Bill? What can be done about the pizza box problem? Reusable Pizza Boxes explained Bill... Bill pointed me to Mombo's pizza in Santa Rosa, California as a prime example. He said they are using reusable pizza boxes. And this concept has been very successful for the business, their customers and the planet. Chris Smith a Press Democrat Columnist, wrote the following: " Mombo's has introduced the first Re-usable p...

This dish was often served when we would visit Auntie Anna. Whenever we would eat at her house there would be many different types of Italian food. Lots of food. And you were always expected to eat it. All of it. If you didn't eat, you were in trouble. She always served this dish as an appetizer. It was always the first thing on the table. She would serve this dish with a loaf of Italian bread. She explains: "I thought you might like my Famous Sausage and Pepper Special! This recipe can be made into a casserole and baked also." Ingredients 1 lb. of Italian sausage 2 medium potatoes, thickly sliced 1 large red or green pepper, cut in strips 1 can of mushrooms onion to taste pinch of salt and pepper corn oil or olive oil Directions Sprinkle or spray olive oil on to surface of frying pan. (I use corn oil) Sauté sausage very slowly. When sausage is half cooked, add potatoes, salt and pepper. When potatoes are semi-cooked add peppers, mushrooms and oni...

                             Steve Lieber is an incredible pizziolo. He is a member of the World Pizza Champions . He has an incredible story to tell. In the following interview he tells his pizza story. He explains how he got into the pizza business. He learned how to make pizza. He worked in a number of restaurants and decided he wanted to become a master pizziolo. According to his bio: Over the years, Lieber established himself working in high volume restaurants that posed many challenges and soon found great success…A self-described “pizza fanatic,” Steve regularly travels the globe to attend conventions and further his knowledge of the industry to perfect techniques and capitalize on the latest in pizza trends. In the following interview, he explains how he: •learned to make pizza •how his passion for pizza led him to try to ...

Rebecca Woodland is an unusual person. She loves to cook and she loves sharing her food with others. But that is not what makes Rebecca unusual. Rebecca Woodland is a survivor. She battled cancer and won. With victory in hand she decided to share her favorite recipes with her new cookbook, The Blond Vegetarian.. She discovered that a big part of her recovery was proper eating. Her cookbook is more than just a collection of recipes. Rebecca puts her heart and soul into her cooking. She dicovered a secret: make the foods that you are supposed to eat taste really good. All of her recipes (over 200) can be made with local ingredients including local vegetables, fruits and herbs. Most of the recipes are vey low in cholesterol and very low fat. The recipes contained are easy to prepare, delicious as well as beautiful. The tastes appeal to children as well as those who may not be fans of vegetarian cooking. You can see my interview, here: You can claim your own copy of Rebe...

This pizza was the result of having the right kind of ingredients. It truly just made itself. Simple, yet oh so tasty! You can ramp up the taste, if you use buffalo mozzarella. If not available, any whole milk or regular mozzarella will do. Ingredients: Dough for 1 pizza (Dough recipe will make 2 regular sized pizzas or 4 thin Neapolitan pizzas) 4-6 oz. of buffalo mozzarella (whole milk mozzarella is fine) 2-3 cloves of garlic minced 2-4 oz . of parmesan cheese 1 16 oz. can of stewed tomatoes or pizza sauce (One can is enough for 2 pizzas) 4-6 slices of cappicolla (thinly sliced Italian ham) ¼ cup fresh basil or more (if available) olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste Directions: Roll out dough to desired size. Drizzle olive oil on dough. Spread evenly. Drain and crush tomatoes with a fork and then spread evenly on pizza Mince garlic and spread on tomatoes or sauce Slice mozzarella and spread over dough Spread the parmesan on the pizza Cover pizza with th...

I never doubted it for a second! Our own Gail J. Churinetz, a long time member of the Pizza Therapy Ohana  won the The Ultimate Recipe Challenge on The Food Network . A huge congratulations goes out to Gail and her family. Gail has been a dedicated foodie and pizza fanatic for many years. As a matter of fact I still have a bunch of her recipes on a CD she made for me a number of years ago. As an aside, Gail is such a pizza purist, she has all of the water she uses for he pizzas, imported straight from New Haven ! And as I understand it, The Water for her award winning pizza, came right from the tap at Sally's Apizza on Wooster Street . The award winning pizza: a Crawfish and Andouille Sausage Pizza . Gail's recipe was up against some very stiff competition. In the end, her recipe won over the judges. While, I do not have permission to share her pizza recipe, you can get copy of the recipe at this link . Also, here is the link for Gail's Award Winni...

An Original: The B, S and T (Bacon, Spinach and Tomato Pizza!) I am always trying to come up with new tastes for my guests. This was a recipe that evolved out of having some friends bring different ingredients for pizza. The result was a real crowd pleaser and a wonderful marriage of different tastes. Ingredients: • Dough for 1 pizza • 1/4 to 1/2 lb. of bacon, cooked • 1 cup of fresh spinach, washed and drained • 1/2 to one whole tomato thinly sliced • 4-6 oz. of mozzarella cheese • 2-4 oz. of parmesan or provolone cheese • 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced • basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste • olive oil Directions: 1. Wash and rinse spinach. Drain and set aside. 2. Cook bacon, and drain on paper towel. 3. Roll out dough to desired size. 4. Drizzle olive oil on dough. Spread evenly. 5. Spread remaining minced garlic on dough. 6. Evenly spread spinach on dough. Add desired spices. Reserve a pinch or two. 7. Sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan chees...

It's always great to be a winner. It's better when you recognize the winner before anyone else does. And that is the case, here. I 'm very proud to announce our own Gail Churinetz , a winner of the Pizza Therapy Recipe Contest , is now being featured on The Food Network . Gail has been a long time supporter of Pizza Therapy , and she is like a member of the family. Gail writes: Hello Albert.... Just wanted to keep you posted regarding my Pizza making.....I am the one that won your competition several years back...I am going to be on Food Network "Ultimate Recipe Showdown", airing March 14th , I made the finals and my recipe..... "Crawfish & Andouille Sausage Pizza"....thought you would love to watch this video. ( Albert's side bar: You can see Gail as she engages with host, Guy Fieri, at this link. ) I can't tell you who won the competition, but if possible, try not to miss the show.... Hope all is well with you and keep up the...

I love people who celebrate pizza. They are the one's who spread the truth about pizza. They are the true lovers of pizza. And Theresa and Drew are those kind of people. They love making pizzza. They love eating pizza. And they love showing others how to make pizza. How cool is that? That is the essence of pizza. Pizza brings people together. When you make pizza, you make magic happen. Eating pizza is an event that should be celebrated with others. Making pizza is a good time. Here is a video of Theresa and Drew's finished product. You can visit their blog to discover other how to videos, recipes, commentaries and mores. Here is the link: Italian Cooking with Theresa and Drew So go visit. Learn, discover and celebrate. Tell them that Pizza Therapy sent you. They might even offer you a slice.... pizza on earth, albert grande The Pizza Promoter The Pizza Forum What You Think Becomes Reality And if you want to make pizza you do need the right tools....

This recipe is an original from the Pizzameister: Coye Jones . Our friend Bean shares the following about this recipe: Bean writes: This was a hit and will be made again and again. The olive mix needed a couple more T. of olive oil and I used the entire mixed on the pizza (didn’t mix in the tomato, but put it on top instead). I also added hot pepper rings. Muffuletta Pizza by Coye Jones (Used with permission) Ingredients: 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped 1/3 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped 1/4 cup black olives, chopped 1/4 cup pepperoncini, chopped 1/4 cup cocktail onions, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 Roma tomato, chopped 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp. dry Italian salad dressing mix 2 oz. Prosciutto or thin-sliced deli ham 2 oz. Genoa or hard salami, thin sliced 4 oz. shredded provolone 2 oz. shredded mozzarella 1 13" uncooked dough crust Preparation: Mix first 9 ingredients for marinated olive salad and chill overnight. (Prepare...

I always get excited when I’m trying out a new product for the first time. I’ve usually done my homework. I know how the product works and what to expect. Over the years, I’ve reviewed dozens of pizza related products. I eagerly anticipated using the The Grilled Pizza Stone by Red Sky Grilling Products. According to the website: “By taking advantage of your grill’s high heat and ability to control natural wood smoke, in combination with the Grilled Pizza Stone’s unique shape and material, anyone is able to make great-tasting, wood-smoked, thin-crust pizzas at home.” I had done all of my prep work for the pizza. I had invited select friends and family to the pizza party. As a matter of fact (true story), I had a lawyer and a doctor doing all of my prep work, as well as helping with the clean up. They worked for less than minimum wage. They were “paid” with slices of pizza. I used a commercial gas grill and I pre-heated the stone to the highest possible temperature for almo...

Using A Pizza Stone If you are going to make great pizza you need the right tools. Most of the tools for making pizza will be found in any kitchen. There are a few tools that you will need if you want to make exceptional home made pizza. Mixing bowls, measuring spoons and a pizza pan or cookie sheet are essential. But if you want to take your pizza making to an expert level, you need a pizza stone. With a pizza stone you will be able to make gourmet pizza. A pizza stone , (also known as a baking stone), and a pizza peel are essential to make great pizza. The best pizza is made in a stone or brick oven. A pizza stone attempts to recreate a brick oven in your home. The notion behind this is that the pizza stone will absorb the heat in an oven. A pizza stone will cook your pizza quickly and evenly. One of the most important trick to using a pizza stone is to per-heat your stone for an hour or more. The biggest mistake made by home pizza chefs is not allowing the stone to heat u...