Pizza Blog from pizzatherapy.com

The last time I saw Tony Gemignani , he was totally surrounded by admirers and well wishers. Surrounded. He draws a crowd wherever he goes. He is personable and pleasant. He is also charismatic. He oozes charisma. Pizza charisma. My theory is that people want to be near him, because they think some of his pizza making magic will rub off on them. And there may be some truth to that. I was able to spend a couple of moments with him recently at the Pizza Convention in Las Vegas. He mentioned to me he had something very big in the works. "I have a new restaurant opening up in about 30 days in Greenwich Village ". He added: "I haven't told to many people about it". "What's the name?" I asked. "I can't tell you," he said with a smile. Well I can tell you: it's called: 900 º, and is located at, 29 7th Ave South. Phone: (212) 989 9880 And let me tell you this: the pizza is fantastic! Incredible! The crust is superb. ...

Suzanne writes: Hi Albert, I have a pizza stone but I need to get a peel. I am a bit leary of them though as I don't know if I will be coordinated enough to get the pizza on to the stone without sending it flying in to the depths of my oven!  Also, can I put the stone on my grill? will it damage it or should i buy a stone for the grill and one for the oven? I would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks and Pizza on Earth. . . My response: Great suzzane. Learning to use a peel is like anything else..it takes practice. I make my dough on the counter. After I stretch it out, I make sure it has enough flour or cornmeal underneath it.. It needs to be able to slide so I can put the peel under the dough. Then I put my toppings on the dough. I sprinkle a little corn meal or flour on the peel so it will slide underneath the pizza. You need to use a quick jerking motion to get the pizza on the peel. It's kind of like " Newton's Law of Pizza  " an object a...

Roberto Caporuscio is a master at making pizza. He learned from the best pizza makers in Naples. His Pizzeria in New York, Keste , makes some of the best pizza on the planet. Watching him make pizza is like watching a symphony. He knows his pizza and he knows his dough. In the following video you will see how he gently scrapes the dough from the pizza box and puts it on the counter. He forms it with his hands and then slaps the dough between his hands to turn the dough into a pizza shape. You can see the masterful way the dough is handled. Gently yet deliberately. There is magic in those hands. Roberto is simply an amazing pizzaiolo. You can visit: Keste 271 Bleeker Street New York Keste website Thank you so much, Roberto. You truly are a Legend of Pizza.

The Little Chef, Kamalei , reveals all of her secrets for making pizza. One of the World's Youngest Pizza Masters , she has been making pizza since before she could talk. As a matter of fact she has been playing with dough and flour since her sandbox days. Her technique is New World Pizza Cusine including a Post-Punk Tween Tinged influence. This is pizza for the new millenium. She has developed her own unique style of pizza creation that has not been duplicated anywhere. While her creativity has blossomed she has also matured over the years. In the following video she is explains how she creates mini-pizzas. There are subtle nuances in her original style of pizza making. The Little Chef has become an integral and vital part of the Pizza Therapy family . As she explained in the video, she learned about pizza from her dad! Her favorite Pizza Resource? The Pizza Therapy Pizza Book. Here are some other great pizza ideas: 500 Pizzas & Flatbreads: The Only Pizz...

Robert writes: "I've just returned from Italy after a month of glorious gastronomical indulgence.  Our first evening there, in Napoli, we had pizza at Brandi's, a Margherita of course. When the beautiful pies were brought to our table, my wife and I toasted you, "Salute, Albert." We then each devoured our own pie; what an experience. There is nothing even close to a true Neapolitan pizza. Since hooking up with you I've only eaten pizzas from wood fired ovens and as good as they are they do not compare to Brandi's. Even other pizzas in other parts of Italy did not come close. Some people said it was the water, others say it's the wheat but whatever it is, Brandi's is a pizza every true believer should have before passing on to the big pizzeria in the sky.  Pizza on earth. ciao," Thanks for your review, Robert, Here is a video about Pizzeria Brandi: From the Pizzeria Brandi Website: The Ancient Pizzeria Brandi In 1780 ...

Rick, Director of The Pizza Therapy Western Region Alliance , reveals an incredible pizza made in his hometown of Boulder Colorado ... He reports: "So, I wanted to try this pie again before I emailed you. The name: Pizzeria da Lupo . Website: Pizzeria da Lupo . Address: 2525 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder,Colorado. I was hoping to speak with Rob, who I mentioned to you the other day, but he was not working. I thought he was an owner, I guess not. The place was really busy last night and I did not see an owner there. Impressive since they've been open just a couple of months. I had a business card of yours and a print out of a couple pages of Pizza Therapy   to pass on to Rob. I'm going to see him on Wednesday as he works then. THE PIE - Fabulous! I compare it to Pepe's because for me, it is the best! And they have a Pepe's pizza box mounted on the wall. Wood fired oven. The pie dough / crust is exceptional and much like the Pepe's , though different....

Metro Pizza in Las Vegas has turned the pizza world upside down with their own version of sliders. Called meatball sliders, these would be fairly easy to re-create in your own kitchen. The trick is to use a good meatball recipe, fresh dough and provolone cheese. For the bread part of the sliders they are using their own fresh baked garlic knots. Sam shows you how to make them, and why they are so popular: You can check out Metro pizza in Las Vegas at various locations. Here is their website: Metro Pizza . Meatball sliders from Metro Pizza. Here is a review of Metro at the Best Pizza in the West from Pizza Therapy . Metro Pizza 1395 East Tropicana Avenue Las Vegas, Nevada Tropicana & Maryland Parkway Phone: (702) 736-1955 pizza all over Las Vegas, albert grande the Pizza Promoter  Here's more Las Vegas fun:

mussels Mussels A' La Grande from Pizza Therapy My brother Steve and I went "clamming" a while ago in a our secret spot located in Connecticut . We were mostly interested in "cherry stones", a small clam eaten raw with lemon and cocktail sauce. We decided to also get some mussels, which were in abundance. I brought them home and my mom had a great idea. She created this dish while attempting to recreate an appetizer which she had sampled. Make sure you only use fresh sea food. This dish would work with any shellfish such as clams or oysters .  (Hey, thanks mom!) Ingredients 3-4 lbs. of fresh mussels 2 Tablespoons of butter Bay leaf 2 cloves of crushed garlic 1/4 Cup Olive Oil 1/4 Cup of Bread Crumbs 1/4 Cup of Parmesan Cheese 1 Tablespoon of Fresh Parsley 2 Tablespoons of Butter Directions Scrub and wash mussels well. Pull off the "beard" from each mussel. Steam 3 to 4 lbs. of mussels in ½ cup of white wine, small onion, bay leaf unt...

John Arena is an amazing pizziolo. He grew up with pizza. He's been making pizza for most of his life. In 1980, after seeing an ad in an Italian newspaper, he and his cousin, Sam, sold everything they owned and moved to Las Vegas. At first things were tough. These New York City transplants struggled to create outstanding pizza in a town, that did not know anything about pizza. They called their pizzeria Metro Pizza and now have several locations around Las Vegas. He and Sam's pizza skills are extraordinary. Metro Pizza is now regarded as having The Best Pizza in Las Vegas . He loves sharing his pizza passion by showing others how to make pizza. He is also known as The Pizza Professor. He teaches the only college certified pizza class in the country. He calls his class Pizza 101 and you can read the course proposal at this link . I was recently honored to attend a private class at one of his Metro locations. The Pizza class was fun, informative and filling. (It was f...

Wayne writes: I have been making good progress on the pizza. I found a premium mozzarella, but I quite often buy their regular mozzarella. I found that the premium mozzarella cheese was a better texture than the regular, and I thought it tasted better too. I got some of the hard white wheat flour here at a local flour mill, and it was a high gluten spring wheat flour from the West. Although the flavour was rather bland, the texture was perfect. I am thinking about experimenting with 20% all purpose flour, and 80%hard white wheat, and very the ratio until I get the right texture and flavour., If you have any suggestions regarding the flour, and cheese, I would appreciate hearing your suggestions. Last Thursday, and Friday I ate a 12 inch round pizza that I was happy with the crust texture, but crust flavour was not quite as good as expected. But, hey, it was some progress which I am thankful for. My toppings are not my main concern, as I will continue to use fresh ingredien...

There are a few tools that you will need if you want to make exceptional homemade pizza. A great dough recipe, mixing bowls, measuring spoons and a pizza pan or cookie sheet are essential. If you want to take your pizza making to an expert level, you need a pizza stone. With this cooking tool you will be able to cook like a gourmet. The best pizza in the world is made in a stone or brick oven. A baking stone attempts to recreate a brick oven in your home. The notion behind this is that the stone will absorb the heat in an oven and then transfer that heat to your pizza. This will cook your pizza quickly and evenly. A pizza stone is an essential tool for anyone who wants to make great pizza. You can certainly make good pizza with a cookie sheet or a pizza pan. But a cooking stone (also known as a baking stone) will allow you to make fantastic homemade pizza that tastes like it came from a pizzeria. Use an   Old Stone Oven 4467 14-Inch by 16-Inch Baking Stone You will also w...

Enzo Coccio recently interviewed by Albert Grande at the Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. Enzo is a pizza master who is very willing to share his pizza secrets. From Enzo's Website: "Pizzeria, synonymous with home, place of the soul. Where Enzo finds himself. Where he lives there and its history. Where to apply ancient techniques and traditions. Where food of "Campania Felix" have their seals with their flavors, aromas and colors. Where employees are familiar. Where the pizza shop becomes of ideas and experimentation. Where love for their work is identified with the pleasure of cooking for others. Where guests are accommodated at friends house and share the beauty of being together and eat. Where the food is prepared becomes the tool that allows us to know each other a bit and get to know 'more, day after day. Identity, Unity, Pleasure. The News: This is the "Where" Enzo Coccia .. Via Caravaggio 53/55 80126 Naples Tel +39 081 7142155 Pizzaar...