Pizza Blog from pizzatherapy.com

For this leg of The Pizza Therapy East Coast Pizza Tour 2009 we headed to New York to sample some of the World's Best Pizza . We hopped a train and headed to Spring Street to hook up with Scott Wiener, host of Scott's Pizza Tours . What can you say about a kid from New Jersey who has a passion for all things pizza, and in particular New York pizza? You gotta love the guy. He has the heart of pizza. He has energy. He tells great stories. He has done his homework. He even has a pizza pen. Scott truly loves sharing all he knows about pizza. I immediately connected with him. How could I help it. He is my pizza brother from a different mother. The tour began at the exact spot where pizza started in America. The home of the original location of Lombardi's pizza . ( Albert's Side Bar: For more information on the history of Pizza, please check out Legends of Pizza, Volume 3, The Lost Interviews of Evelyn Sloman Parts 1 and 2, here .) We started our trek, by heading to an Ita...

pizzetta pizza: it's all about the crust. Louie and Mark Esposito had raved long and hard about a pizzeria in Mystic, Connecticut. They were so persistent about how good the pizza was, I listed pizzetta on the Best Pizza in Connecticut page . Here is what Louie said about the pizza: "thin crispy crunchy and the combination of toppings are mouth watering delectable. The first bite literally stopped me in my tracks. Truly the guy makes an exceptional pie.." Mark echoed his words by explaining: " Chris Owens certainly is on a noble mission and makes an equally noble pie. Chris makes a thin crispy crust that holds up very well with all the fresh and natural toppings. Pizzetta Pizza is a cut above, another star in the constellation of great pizza pies." As part of The Pizza Therapy East Coast Pizza Tour 2009 , I stopped by and ordered a pizza. The Espositos were not exaggerating. The pie was thin, crispy, and excellent. I was most impressed with the simplicity o...

A slice of Pepe's clam pizza What can I say about Pepe's ? Pepe's pizza is like returning to an old friend you haven't seen in a while. You've both been through some new adventures but you still maintain that connection. The spiritual bond remains. And so it is with the pizza. Pepe's Pizzeria Napolitana was the third stop on the Pizza Therapy East Coast Pizza Tour 2009. We knew what we wanted before we arrived. We were all dreaming about clam pizza. We talked about the clam pizza in the car on the way down. And not just a casual mention. It was the main topic of conversation. Pepe's is the home of clam pizza. Frank Pepe invented the clam pizza. You just hope against hope, that they are able to have clams on the day you arrive. They usually do, however, clam pizza is so popular, they sometimes, run out. Pepe's Pizzeria is all about the pizza and tradition. Pepe's continues to carry on the legacy of Frank Pepe by serving incredible world class pi...

Pizza Therapy is Shut Out of The Brooklyn Pizza Tour I know what your thinking. Why would Bruce Willis ever mess with Pizza Therapy ? I mean the guy is from New Jersey, right? He probably loves pizza. And he would never have any reason to bother with Pizza Therapy . He is after all a mega star. Yeah, that's what I thought, too. But read on. This is a true story. Let me explain... As you may know, I was schedule for the The Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour . I had reserved my tickets way in advance. I paid on line. I had printed up my e-ticket. I carried it all the way from Hawaii. (You can read all about it here .) As a matter of fact, the Brooklyn Pizza Tour was going to be the highlight of The Pizza Therapy East Coast Pizza Tour 2009 . Emphasis is on the word was... I just got a call from Tony Miua , the host and creator of the Brooklyn Pizza Tour . "Albert", he said "we're going to have to cancel the tour for the day you are booked." ...

This is the second episode of The Pizza Therapy East Coast Pizza Tour, 2009. For this part of the tour, I went to apizzo , located in Pawcatuck, Connecticut. OK let's set the record straight. First: the official name is actually apizzo Pizzeria Napoletana. Second: while apizzo is located in Pawcatuck, Connecticut , you can cross the streeet and be in Westerly, Rhode Island . With that said, our party arrived, expecting a fairly good pizza. Pawcatuck , is after all, the home of noted pizzaiolo, Jon F. . If Jon F. says a pizza is good, its good. What struck me immediately, was the ambiance of the place. Stefan Ambrosch the co-owner, and operator, explained to us, that the restaurant was completely designed with his own personal vision of what a great pizzeria should be. Next, I was amazed at the ornate wood fired pizza oven. Imported from Italy, it is, very attractive, yet functional. The entire restaurant was re-designed around the oven, once it had been installed. Discover a ta...

A mushroom Pizza from Recovery Room, New London Connecticut New London, Connecticut is known for being a safe harbor. The place is steeped in sailing tradition. You can find a wide range of incredible seafood at the World Famous, Captain Scott's and other clam shacks. But, New London also is the home of great pizza. One of the best kept pizza secrets is served at the Recovery Room . Located on 445 Ocean Avenue, the Recovery Room is right down the street from Lawrence and Memorial Hospital. The pizza is thin Neapolitan, with a crispy, yet light crust. We opted for the basic mushroom and a pepperoni. The pizzas were memorable. I have long been a fan of the Recovery Room and whenever, I'm in town, it is one of my first stops. The crust has just the right amount of char. The pizza almost tastes as if it came out of a brick oven. The Recovery Room Crust The toppings are fresh with just the right combination of spices. The taste is consistently good. The Recovery Room has a number...

Jb-a sent the follwoing pizza recipe... DAD’S PIZZA DOUGH GOOD FOR ONE 12-13” PIZZA 1. Prepare the YEAST BLOOM - 1 package -yeast - 1 teaspoon sugar - ¼ cup 105 deg RO water - Allow to develop a froth-foam 2. PLACE THE LIQUID INGREDIENTS BELOW IN BREADMAKER ON “DOUGH” SETTING - 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil - ¾ cup 105 degree water - Add the above yeast bloom 3. NOW ADD THE DRY INGREDIENTS: - 2 ½ cups bread flour - 2 TBS grated parmesan cheese - 1 tsp garlic powder - 1 tsp salt 4. START THE MACHINE ON THE DOUGH CYCLE IT SHOULD TAKE APPROXIMAGEL- 1 HR/20 MIN NO-COOK NEW YORK STYLE PIZZA SAUCE INGREDIENTS - 1-14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with juice - 1-6 oz can of tomato paste - 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil - 2 tsp dried basil - 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano - 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar - 1 teaspoon diced minced garlic - 3/4 teaspoon salt (or 1 1/2 t. kosher salt) - 1/8 tsp baking soda DIRECTIONS 1. In a bowl, combine the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, olive oil, basil, oreg...

Let me make this clear: I usually don't eat frozen pizza. The operational word here is "usually". However, there are exceptions to every rule. Let me explain: Last week I received the following email: Hi Albert, I work on behalf of DiGiorno and wanted to tell you about our two new products – DiGiorno Flatbread Melts , microwavable sandwiches that are DiGiorno’s first foray beyond frozen pizza... Also, DiGiorno Crispy Flatbread Pizzas feature an extra-thin, crisp crust and topping combinations so unique – they serve up truly one-of-a-kind pizzas that you can’t get from delivery! If you’re interested, we’d be happy to send you a cold ship mailer containing both products to arrive at your home or office Thank you! Kate Kirkpatrick Of course I agreed to give these a try. The products were sent via Fed Ex in two extremely large boxes. The boxes contained styrofoam coolers, packed in dry ice. One contained two flatbread melts, the other contained a flatbread pizza. Yeah, they...

"Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today. I want to be part of it, New York, New York..." Ok so, I'm not leaving today, but I am leaving soon. I'm heading to the East Coast for a Pizza Tour . I'll be having some "abeets" at my favorite New Haven places: Pepe's, Sally's and Modern . I'm also going to New York to sample some of the best pizza on the planet. (OK, if you listen to Adam Kuban and Ed Levine of Slice , New York has the Best Pizza in the World !) All I can say is that I'll have to judge for myself. I've already made reservations for The Brooklyn Pizza Tour . Tony Miua is the tour guide and I had the opprtunity to interview him. Albert: Can you tell me how you came up with idea for the Brooklyn Pizza Tour? Had you thought about it for a long time? Was it a secret dream? Tony: I've been an avid traveler over the years and whenever I went abroad I would always meet locals who were nice enoug...

Does water make a difference when you make pizza? Some say absolutely. Others insist that water does not make any difference at all.. Some contend that they need to import their water from New York in order to make great pizza. Water is to some, the secret ingredient. I have recieved numerous emails about this topic. Some are very fanatic about New Haven water. One friend, who left Connecticut and moved to North Carolina. insists that New Haven water is so special, she asks all of her visitors to bring gallons to her. In Hawaii, Anthony Romano , noted pizzaiolo, of Antonio's insists that the water be treated to make his pizza taste special. This issue has been debated and discussed. There are numerous opinions. Who is right? Enter the Food Network's Food Detectives. They assembled a panel of New York pizza professionals to settle the matter once and for all. This episode features Tony Muia, owner/operator of " A Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour" , comedian Mario Cantone, ...

I've always had a soft spot for Gilligan's Island. I enjoyed the show. Now out of no-where comes Dawn Wells , the Mary Ann of the show, with her own You Tube video. Dawn Wells, aka Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island, demonstrates a unique way to peel an Idaho potato...without the use of a potato peeler! You've come a long way baby.. Well now Dawn is in Idaho and she shows you how to peel an Idaho Potato. Dawn Wells Potato Peeling Video: And let's hear it for the biggest Potato Head of all time: Mr. Potato Head... And you can watch Gilligan's Island, here: Potatoes on Earth, Easily peeling potatoes, Albert Grande Legends of Pizza

An Appeal for a Peel: Al Writes: Could you please tell me exactly what a 'peel' is? I've never heard this term before. Thanks for the newsletter! Our Response: A peel also known as a pizza paddle is is a flat tool with a handle. You use the peel to put the pizza onto a pizza stone (or brick oven) and to take it out. You can build your pizza right on a pizza peel, dusted liberally with corn meal. You can see a wooden peel here: Peels can be made of wood as well as metal. I have both kinds. Both work well. here is a metal pizza peel: You really only need a peel if you are using a pizza stone.Until I gave him a peel, my friend Espo used a piece of cardboard to move his pizza on and off his pizza stone. It worked, but that is another story! I hope this answers your question... Pizza on Earth, albert Pizza Therapy P.S. Here is one more peel for you: