Pizza. C'mon, any red-blooded American could bloviate on this topic. From Atlantic to Pacific, just about anyone can point you to their favorite spot for pizza - whether you're just stopping in for a slice or calling in a delivery.
They can also describe the perfect pie in great detail from crust to topping. For me, it's in the basics. A good pizza should still be good when stripped down to just it's crust, sauce, and cheese. That's why the margherita is my favorite incarnation of the dish.
Yeah, I love a loaded pizza, even a deep dish from time to time. But in terms of taste, I prefer quality to quantity. In fact, I test a pizza joint's merits based on how their margherita tastes. My friend Sue from church makes pizza on a regular basis. If you stand blindfolded in her kitchen on a Friday afternoon, you'd swear you were in a local pizzeria. She'll even tell you it's fun and easy to do.
Plus, it's a great springboard for your creativity. So start here and see how often you call for delivery after that.
The Dough
The frozen dough found in the freezer aisle of the grocery store makes a great pizza. But if you want to work from scratch, here's what I used.
1 package of active dry yeast
1 t. sugar
1 c. warm water
1 T. kosher salt (or 1 1/2 t. table salt)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 c. all purpose flour
cornmeal
Mix the first 3 ingredients together and allow them to sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. In a food processor or mixing bowl, add the salt and olive oil to the mixture and stir. Mix in 2 cups of flour and blend well, adding more flour until a slightly sticky ball of dough can be formed.
Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface, kneading a few times. Form into a ball, and place it into a lightly-oiled bowl. Cover with a towel and allow it to rise in a warm spot for about an hour.
Whether or not you have a pizza stone, preheat your oven or grill as hot as it can get. Divide your risen dough into 3 pieces and roll out to the desired thickness. Toss a light layer of cornmeal on your stone to prevent sticking and heat the first side. When it is slightly browned, flip and add sauce and toppings.
Sauce and Toppings
canned whole Italian tomatoes, strained
garlic cloves, finely chopped
kosher salt to taste
fresh mozzarella cheese
fresh whole basil leaves, rinsed (easily grown at home)
I kept this one as basic as possible. You can add other classic flavors like oregano, thyme, basil, etc., but this is the stripped-down version you start from. Personally, I think it's better not to overload this recipe with too many flavors; it's meant to be simple.
The amounts vary depending on how much sauce you think you need. Another advantage to the simplicity of this sauce is that you can make more on the fly. Puree your tomatoes and garlic. Add salt in small increments until it's just right. If you require a thicker consistency, simmer the mixture in a small saucepan before adding the salt.
After the first side of the crust is lightly browned, add the sauce and generous chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese, and drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top. If you use the oven, switch to broil to heat the toppings once the bottom is brown. If you use the grill, move the pizza to the top rack until the cheese is melted.
Remove from heat and add fresh whole basil leaves. After a few minutes of rest time, divide and conquer!
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