Posts

Cappicolla and Buffalo Mozzarella Pizza

Image
Cappicolla and Buffalo Mozzarella Pizza (Cappicolla and Mozzarella di Buffala) This pizza was the result of having the right kind of ingredients. It truly just made itself. Simple, yet oh so tasty! The texture of this pizza is superb 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 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 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. Mince garlic and spread on dough. Slice mozzarella and spread over dough Spread the parmesan on the pizza Cover pizza with the cappicolla Bake at 500+ F degrees for 8 to 10 minutes (preferably on a preheated Pizza Stone . Stone should be preheated for 1 hou...

Anthony Mangieri: "This guy...makes the best pizza in the country..."

Image
Without a doubt there are some incredible pizza makers who are totally dedicated to their craft. One of the most dedicated is Anthony Mangieri. Anthony Magieri is an amazing and legendary pizzaiolo. No question about that fact. He makes pizza because he has a love of making pizza. He has passion. He is a pizzaiolo's pizzaiolo. Chris Bianco , one of the most celebrated pizzaiolos in the country had this to say about Anthony : "I think Anthony does a great job...he is someone who is incredibly dedicated...I respect him immensely...he is doing something really important as far as a pizzaiolo... He really understands technique and old methods...." Chris Bianco in an interview for Albert Grande's Legends of Pizza Series ® Here's what Jeff Ruby and Penny Pollack Authors of Everybody Loves Pizza said: "Anthony W. Mangieri makes... pizzas:—and when the dough runs out, he’s done for the night. This guy is serious, he’s focused, and he makes the best pizza in the ...

Clams & Linguini (Pasta)

Image
Discover the gentle taste of clams married with pasta... Without a doubt, fresh clams are the best! Use every bit of clam juice for a fantastic taste! My dad's biggest adventure was going after mushrooms! But the mushroom season is short. You can go clamming almost anytime... Espo, my brothers and I love to go clamming! There is nothing in the world that compares to the taste of a fresh, raw "cherry stones" plucked out of the ocean! The smaller "cherry stones" are eaten raw, right out of the shell. (Add some lemon and cocktail sauce, and you are in heaven!) The bigger clams (quahogs) are used for making clam fritters, baked stuffed clams or my favorite: Clams and Liguini Ingredients 1 lb. of cooked linguini (or your favorite pasta) 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil 2-3 cloves of garlic minced (or more) 10-12 fresh shucked, clams (quahogs), or 1-2 cans of canned minced clams and "juice" (the liquid from the can). 1/2 Cup of white wine 1 Tablespoon fresh bas...

St. Valentine's Pizza Sets New World Record

Image
The San Valentino Pizza has a gold leaf border. World famous pizzaiolo, Chef Domenico Crolla has broken his own world record of creating the world's most expensive pizza. His latest creation The San Valentino pizza , which contained gold leaf, edible pearls, Russian Beluga Caviar and other priceless ingredients, recently sold on ebay UK for 2,505 British Pounds. (Approximately $3,633.) Chef Domenico Crolla displays his San Valentino's Pizza Chef Crolla in an exclusive email with The Pizza Blog explains: "After my record in ’06 with PizzaRoyale007 selling on Ebay for a record £2,150.00 Love proved stronger than the credit crunch with my San Valentino pizza selling for a new record of £2,505.00. It was sold on Ebay.co.uk with proceeds going to OXFAM ." Our warmest congratulations to Chef Crolla for another incredible pizza. A close up of the San Valentino Pizza Thank you so much for sharing, Chef Domenico. Here is the location of the Chef's restaurnant: Bella Nap...

Portobellos: The King of Mushrooms

Image
Portobello Mushrooms are in my opinion one of the most versatile of all mushrooms. They are actually mature cremini mushrooms. They are allowed to grow large before they are harvested. These mushrooms can be used in sandwiches, soups, on pizza, on burgers and of course in pasta dishes. You can view a video of how to prepare and cook the king of mushrooms, here. Albert Grande's Portobello Video When you purchase these mushrooms look for a firm, fresh looking texture. Avoid those that contain soft spots, as this will affect the taste. To clean, avoid immersing in water. Rather rub gently using a cloth or paper towel. To prepare, slice thinly and sauté in olive oil. These mushrooms, because of their meaty texture, will hold their shape with consistency. Add to any pasta dish for a unique flavor. They are a great compliment for any dish. One of the best ways to serve Portobello mushrooms is to cook them on a grill. To prepare marinate in Italian Salad dressing for one to two hours. Yo...

Ingredients You Need to Make Pizza Dough

In the follwoing video, I discuss the ingredients you need to make pizza dough. These are simple ingredients found in any supermarket. You'll need flour, salt, water and yeast. I also use the optional ingredients of sugar and olive oil. The last two ingredients are totally optional. As a matter of fact, recently, I started to eliminate the sugar from my dough recipe. Here's everything you need to know to make pizza: You can watch me make dough with easy step by step instructions. Learn how to make Pizza dough, here . If you sign up for my newsletter Pizza News, I'll give youy a copy of my World Famous Dough Recipe. Go to this link . Check out one of the greatest pizza magazines ever created: I want to wish you the absolute best in all of your pizza adventures. pizza on the planet, Albert Grande Pizzailo-in-training Make Pizza, Be Happy...

American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza by Peter Reinhart

Image
Peter Reinhart, James Beard Award winner. The following is a review of Peter Reinhart's book: American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza . "Peter Reinhart starts his incredible pizza adventures in Italy and journeys across America in search of pizza perfection. To borrow a phrase from Bill Graham: “This book is not the best at what it does; it is the only book that does what it does!” Not only do we go on a quest to discover incredible pizzas, but we learn how to make them.! The first section of American Pie is the quest for pizza perfection. The subtitle should be “my search for the perfect “pizzaiolo” (pizza master), as Peter meets with a host of pizzaiolos who share ideas and philosophy about pizza. According to this book, there is more to pizza, than just throwing together flour, yeast oil, tomato sauce, cheese along with other toppings! The fact of the matter is that you must bake part of your heart into each pizza, to reach brilliance! (Albert's sidebar: "I ...

The Wolrd's Most Expensive St. Valentine's Pizza

Image
My friend, Chef Domenico Crolla has done it again. Chef Crolla has already created the World's Most Expensive Pizza . (Read the story in Pizza News March 2008 , See #4) But Chef Domenico is not one to dwell on past accomplishments. (He was recently recognized as having the best pizza in the U.K.!) He is always moving forward into new areas. The Scottish Master Pizzaiolo is making pizza history by creating a St. Valentine's Pizza (San Valentino) Not any St. Valentine's pizza. This pizza is encrusted with gold leaf, edible pearls, Russian Beluga Caviar and much more. The truly amazing thing about this pizza is that he is doing it for charity. All proceeds from this pizza will go to support Oxfam G.B. . The San Valentino Pizza (St. Valentine's) pizza is being autioned on ebay U.K . Chef Domenico explains: "The pizza will be created and served at Domenico’s multi award-winning Glasgow-based restaurant, Bella Napoli , on 14th February. However, being a true romantic...

Egg Plant Parmesan Pizza

Image
This recipe comes from Bean ,a very active member of our Pizza and Pasta Forum . (Of course, she gave me permission to share it.) And I will say this: it tastes as good as it looks. Here is the recipe: This was excellent! I used eggplants from my garden, made a red wine pizza sauce and a old pizza dough recipe. Topped it with red jalapenos and purple basil from my AreoGarden. This is very filling, I could only eat one piece. This is going to be a new favorite here. Eggplant Parmesan Pizza 2 thin eggplants, peeled and sliced thin 2 egg whites, lightly beaten with 2 T. olive oil 1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs 1 recipe for homemade dough (your choice) 1 cup pasta sauce 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated *Olive oil & garlic powder mixed for brushing the pizza dough before baking (if desired). Preheat oven to 375º. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Dip eggplant slices into egg white/olive oil mixture, then breadcrumbs. Place on prep...

Fender Stratocaster Pizza Peel....

Image
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 in Venice Eating Seafood Risotto...

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

The Secret to Pepe's Pizzeria Napolentana, Wooster Street, New Haven, Connecticut

Image
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...