Barney loooves good pizza!

   So the summer is nearly over and school has started for those who participate. I have lost count of how many pizzas I have made and eaten over the last couple of months, but that isn't what is important.  Perfecting my technique and making improvements along the way is what I am looking for and I  continually change things a bit at a time.
   The first summer that I had friends over for my first pizza trial were so impressed that they told me not to change a thing. I was flattered that they thought that highly of the pizza I was making back then. That has been 2 years now and I can't believe how much it has evolved. Then, I was following word for word the teachings of Beverly Collins whose DVD, Secrets of the Pizzeria , I had purchased online. The dough, the sauce and the techniques I  did again and again to educate myself and get it right. Those were some good pizzas but as with everything, it has evolved. I have treated myself to many other pizzas along the way. From world champion pizza maker Tony Gemignani's pizzas to our local Pizza Guys and many more in between. All were of  different styles, approaches, techniques, flavors and textures. I have liked them all. Peter Reinhart, a world class bread/pizza expert says there are only two types of pizza. Pizza that is good and pizza that is very good. He is right: everybody puts their personal signature on each pizza they create.
    I'm not sure what my signature is just yet. I used to hate it when discussing art with somebody who was unfamiliar with Fine Art would say, "I don't know much about art but I know what I like." For me that statement didn't go deep enough. One could say that about pizza as well though but I, personally want to know what it is about pizza that I like. Is it the dough with all it's variables in thickness, texture, flavors, consistency? Is it the sauces that range from extremely simple 5 ingredient recipes to overly complex sauces with multiple layers of texture and taste? Is it the type, brand, blend, meltability (if that's a word) of cheeses that make pizza so interesting, fun, inviting, memorable and mouth watering? Is it the combination of toppings and quality of ingredients? Yes, yes and yes! I still don't know of anybody who doesn't like pizza, but it reminds me of an old Andy of Mayberry scene that was on that show many decades ago. Aunt Bee had just cooked an 'out of this world' dinner for Barney and Thelma Lou with Andy and Opie there at the table. After getting up from the dinner table Andy and Barney walked out onto Andy's front porch and sat down in the porch swing and said, "Boy, that was some goooood food." Then he asked Barney, "Do you like good food?" Barney immediately admitted, " Oh, I loooove good food. Nothing like stating the obvious, but that's how I would have to answer about pizza.

Their Favorite Uncle

    Elk Grove is nice place to live but I wouldn't want to visit here.  What I mean by that is this: nice communities, parks, scenery, people, and even a few dog-friendly parks. If it had a nick-name it would be called Franchise City. Burger King, McDonalds, Taco Bell and Starbucks, Chili's and Outback are the common sites in this town. The lack of places to go for a family visiting is limited. We actually have a winery in the city limits to take adults to, but when nieces visit from out of town we are limited.  After touring our nieces through the beautiful Nugget grocery store with metal sculptures and huge murals we ended up at the best yogurt shop in town called Tops Yogurt. I know it's the best because they have more than a hundred toppings for their huge selection of frozen yogurts. Fourteen is the minimum number of frozen yogurts available plus each of their 4 stores has a hand painted mural done by yours truly, me! The owner, Ray, prides himself in having the most productive yogurt shop in all of Northern California. I like to think that it's my murals that draw them in, but in reality it's the choices the customer has. The murals are a city-like-scapes of cartoon people centered around the Tops Yogurt shops and the areas around town that are identifiable to the community. My nieces say that Tops is better than any yogurt shop they know of in the East Bay Area.

   After a bustling day of walking Presley at the park, coffee at Starbucks, a trip to Nugget and maybe a yarn shop for the girls yarn projects, and finally a tour of Tops Yogurt to get a frozen one and a chat we end up at home. The big event at Uncle Vince's house will be making pizza.  They are going to get one of Uncle Vince's home made pizzas.  I always have a couple of dough balls in the fridge so when the time is right we can pull one out to warm up and start chopping up some veggies, turn on the oven & all while they unravel the mistakes in Aunt Sheri's knitting projects.

    Some day when they are older they will be telling their kids what a great aunt and uncle they had. They will say, "They used to take us all over Elk Grove trying to show us a good time. They took us to grocery stores and dog parks but the best part was we always ended up back at the house where Uncle Vince made us the best pizza we ever had."
    Maybe Elk Grove isn't the most exciting place to visit but we like living here and the nieces keep coming back every summer. By the obvious thumbs up I would have to say it's either the pizza or maybe it's their favorite uncle.

Pizza in D Minor

        I don't know if what I did is the proper thing to say at a moment when it appeared to me, the intention was to try and intimidate me. It was years ago when Sheri and I had been invited over to a potential clients home for dinner and maybe a drink along the way. I think some people want to meet you to see who they will be doing business with and I suppose, to see if I look like Bigfoot or Charles Manson and can they trust me to paint in their house while they are off to work. That's fair. This was going to be something of a test and I was ready. It wasn't a dress up evening but we dressed casual/nice. Pass or fail?  The couple had ordered pizza to be delivered and possibly were testing me. Should I have sprung to pay for the pizza when it arrived? Remember, they invited us. I didn't buy. Pass or fail? I had a glass of white wine with them before dinner and Sheri did not. Pass or fail? I let the hostess serve up the pizza and sat down to be waited on. Pass or fail? We waited until they dug in with both hands to start eating with our hands.  Pass or fail? Suddenly she jumped up out of her chair and said, "I forgot to put some music on." I knew now, that this had to be a test! Watching someone squirm at your choice of music can be insightful. Intimidation can produce interesting results. She re-entered the dining area and I heard the first few bars and said, "Oh, that's Beethoven's Pastoral 6th Symphony in D minor." while wiping cheese from my face. They stared at me in disbelief. There was silence and a very awkward moment waiting to be pounced on. I quickly had to cover the silence by asking them a question. I blurted out, "Did you buy your copy at Safeway for 99¢?" That's all it took and we all broke out in laughter and the moment was saved. What I hadn't volunteered was, I owned one Classical Music album at the time that I bought at Safeway for 99¢. It was Beethoven's Pastoral 6th Symphony in D minor. The "let's see if we can intimidate him" routine didn't work so they opted for Plan B.  Plan B was,  let's see if they can carry a conversation and have a nice evening. That worked and I got the job.

    It's funny how some people have to test you. I have been on jobs where there were literally stacks of $50 bills sitting on their bureau. Others where they are so paranoid that we might steal their underwear that they keep a very close eye on you the whole time. Other times I make sure I mention a Bachelors Degree ( for what it's worth!) in there or sometimes Catholic School relaxes them and for others it's making them laugh that eases them. They test us too. Offering us beer on the job is a way to find out how disciplined I can be. They will offer us coffee in the morning or even sodas and cookies, sandwiches and snack mix. What's wrong with that? There's always a price to pay...almost always. Some people are just good souls and wish to share. Others have ulterior motives. It's hard to say no to someone while munching on their cookies and sipping their soda when they ask if I wouldn't mind painting their patio furniture since I have the sprayer all set up and ready to go. I have gotten better at reading them though. What might look like an easy task can be exasperating if it doesn't turn out to their approval. How much is this costing me? Much more than a soda and a couple of stale cookies. What I have learned to say is that I can give you 15 minutes of free labor but after that I have to charge you. Suddenly their request gets withdrawn and I'm out of the hot seat.
    I still listen to that album from time to time although it's on a CD now but I always laugh at myself for saying that back then. I think it made us equal for a moment and put us on level ground. The fact that pizza was being served was a perfect choice too. Pizza doesn't intimidate or offend but just makes the moment that much better.

Another Breakfast Pizza

    My pants aren't fitting like they used to.  Sheri says I've added an extra inch or so to my waistline. This can't be! I've weighed the same plus 5 pounds since high school. For those of you keeping track, that was 1971 when I graduated. She says it's too much pizza for dinner. I have to disagree, can you ever have too much pizza? Well, I told her I was going to do something about it. Cut down on the pizzas for dinner. The solution I came up with wasn't the kind of solution she was hoping for but marriage is about compromise, right? Why should I give up pizza all together? I agreed that pizza for dinner 3 times a week is a bit much even if I'm not making all the pizzas but trying pizza places whenever we go somewhere.
    This is my plan, I decided to cut down on the pizzas for dinner like she suggested and have pizza for breakfast instead. Problem solved! I told her I need to build on my breakfast pizza recipes and add to them. One of my favorite breakfasts was a Benedict Scramble sold at the long gone Perko's we used to have before being replaced by a Starbucks. The Benedict Scramble was a toasted English muffin with an scrambled egg (can be over easy as well), slice of ham and cheddar cheese and glazed over with Hollandaise sauce. This would be an excellent pizza I thought and decided to give it a try. One dough ball left in the fridge, so I pulled it out Sunday morning and gave it a shot. I Googled up a Hollandaise sauce recipe made in the blender that took 3 eggs. I used the Hollandaise sauce in place of tomato sauce, opened up a vacuum sealed package of Prosciutto and laid on a few strips. Sprinkled over it with mozzarella and provolone cheese cracked a couple of raw eggs into the center then coated it all again with a bit more hollandaise sauce. I baked it at 500º for about 10 to 11 minutes on the pizza stone and did the standard 4 cut making 8 slices.

    I don't know if this is being done already but this was awesome. Sheri's first bite into it and she says we could serve this to guests. So, unless you're spending the night you will have to take my word for it. Benedict Scramble Pizza is a major hit.

Have Pizza/Should Travel

    I have had numerous friends ask me to bring a pizza over to their house and cook it for their guests at their house. I am flattered but it really isn't all that easy. I don't have a problem with people enjoying my pizza. What I do have a problem with is making the process portable. Just short of becoming a caterer it would involve a sizable undertaking. The logistics are barely available for myself in a kitchen of my own and that I am familiar with. Next, and I think, most important, is that it doesn't end up being a pizza in a can or in this case, a box with vacuum sealed bags that remind us too much of our childhood. Remember spaghetti in a can? The kids who grew up in the 50's when food exploration and creativity headed south know what I am talking about.
    One of the things that we like to do when we travel is to taste the local vendors foods when in Europe or any large U.S. cities. I can remember the hot dog vendors in downtown Salem, Oregon named Queenies Weenies and Franks Alot. I don't know if they're still there but on a cold day and that steam is blowing down the sidewalk and you get a whiff of those hot dogs it's hard to say no. Sausages and hot dogs seem to be the easiest item to cook and sell on the street as everybody likes a good extra thick sausage steamed or broiled put on a huge french bun with all the goodies. I am no different. When in Berlin or Amsterdam, Munich, Brussels or Copenhagen the temptation is the same but to wash it down with a native beer from that country or better yet, that city is blog worthy. I can remember a time in Edinburgh, Scotland we had walked to the castle at the top of the hill and upon leaving we were getting hungry and thirsty. We asked a local Bobby where a good pub was located nearby. In an accent so heavy that I don't believe Sean Connery would have understood, we headed down the hill in the direction he had pointed. What we thought we heard was Dick and Broodie's turned out to be Deacon Brodie's.  It has become famous over the centuries for the ghosts that are suppose to inhabit it including Deacon Brodie's ghost. Not knowing which ale to order I asked the barkeeper for a smooth dark ale. She poured me a pint that I could only describe as liquid velvet pouring down my throat. This stuff was amazing. Our friends who weren't going to drink until after dinner saw my reaction and bolted for the bar to get a pint. I thought to myself that I must remember this brand as I want to drink this with every meal throughout Europe. Boy, was I naive! It turned out to be a microbrew attainable only at Deacon Brodies in Edinburgh, Scotland. This was major on the WOW factor scale. That's how I want my pizzas to taste. Similar to a micro brewery my pizzas can only travel so far.

Actual mileage may vary

    There is a family up near Auburn that has solved the problem. They show up at local fairs, sporting events and such with their pizza wagon in tow complete with a brick fired Pompeii oven in the back and set up shop to bake authentic home cooked pizza while you stand in line. I haven't yet tried it but from their website it looks like they are doing everything right. Maybe when I get a brick oven built into the back of Sheri's Prius I can start bringing the pizzas to you. So, for now, what I can tell you is to try this dough recipe from Gail. It's an award winning dough that is still my favorite. That pizza wagon isn't going to pull up in front of your house soon so get busy.

Gail's Award Winning Dough Recipe
The following recipe used is from Pizza Therapy
(http://pizzatherapy.com)
Dough Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. active yeast
• 1 3/4 cups warm (110-115F) water (microwave for 1:15 minutes)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil or flavored oil
• approximately 5 cups Bread Flour (I use high gluten flour) 

Directions

1. In a food processor or mixer with a dough hook, combine yeast, pinch of sugar and 1/4 cup water, allow yeast to proof, about 5 minutes.
2. Add salt, oil and 5 cups of flour. Cover and begin processing slowly adding remaining water. Pulse several times in food processor until dough balls together, or using the dough hook kneed about 5 ( I do mine almost 20 minutes) minutes until dough is shiny and elastic.
3. Place the dough on a floured work surface adding additional flour if too sticky.
4. Spray large bowl with oil flavored spray. Add dough and turn the dough a few times to coat with the oil.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place. Allow the dough to rise for about 1-2 hours, punch down and allow to rise again. The longer the dough is left to rise, the tangier the flavor of the crust will be.

For cooking the pizza you will need additional flour, and olive oil. This recipes makes 4 pizzas. Of course, you need a pizza & baking stone for best results.

Set oven to 500º or 550º and preheat with stone for 45 minutes to an hour. 

An Anniversary Pizza?

     I had entered the contest with Santa Margherita Wines from Italy. It looked pretty easy, make a pizza, do a video, and tell everybody how good their wine is with your particular food item. I, of course, chose a Margherita pizza to go with their Santa Margherita Wine and they would say, "How perfect is that!" and make me their official spokesman for their wine and I would travel first to L.A. meet the crew, take Sheri to Chicago and get some experience with the network, go on Oprah, then jet off to Italy and get classically trained in the art of pizza making by the Italians themselves and then make the big decision.

Do I forgo the blog, and painting murals for clients who want a Rembrandt for a garage sale price? 

Do I give up the glamour of painting houses with all the fame that comes with it and the endless parade of autograph seekers and paparazzi or do I submit to their way of life and become the overpaid, under-worked pretty face that pops up every time a bottle of Santa Margherita Wine is uncorked? I look into the camera after taking a sip and say, "Mmmmm, that's good," collect an enormous check and go hang with the beautiful people for the rest of the week until my next celebrity spot. (Hmmm, I may be the most interesting man in the world). I love that TV commercial, sorry.

Well, July 15th is the last day of repeat voting. Yes, everybody could vote as many times as they wanted to or least once each day for every computer that you own. Even still, the numbers just aren't happening and I see the flaw. It wasn't that I had chosen an incorrect pairing with their wine. It was because I wasn't the first to do so and able to post on page one of their website and collect votes from all the lookie-loos who don't click to page two and ultimately to page three where my video sits. I get it. It's a popularity contest and the guy or gal with the video on page one will probably win. It probably doesn't hurt them that they may be the president of their homeowner association and send out a weekly E-newsletter that tells them they have a violation to clear up and can be done so quickly by clicking on this little box under this video and their violation will be eliminated and forgotten about. Heck, if I had thought about it I might have come up with something clever too. Like, for every vote you give me each day it will save ten unfortunate animals threatened by the BP oil spill in our gulf. Tell your friends too that if they click here for the next 30 days something good will happen to them and if they forward this voting box to ten of their friends and ten of their friends etc. 

I suppose that is how the game is played and if I really had a chance to play and win I would have been creative to a fault. So, in retrospect, I have no regrets. I enjoyed reading all the comments from so many of you and your words of encouragement and optimism. The reason I entered it, if you remember, was because Sheri said she wanted to see Chicago. (Shhhh, I think she has already forgotten that's what she had said.) 
    I remember when our 25th anniversary was coming up and I wanted to take her to Italy if I could afford it. As it got nearer I told her it looks like maybe we should go to the Venetian in Las Vegas instead since I can't afford Italy right now. Then unexpectedly, a job cancelled and we decided maybe we'll just go to the Olive Garden and watch a Spaghetti Western at home on TV. August 17th came and I think we ended up getting pizza. It's now 10 years later and we're looking at 35 years being married. I think pizza is a good choice. I'm thinking maybe making her a pizza with the numeral 35 spelled out in pepperoni. I believe anniversary number 20 is power tools, 25 is Silver something, 30 has got to be appliances and 35 is orthopedic devices or something like that. Now if a 35th anniversary pepperoni pizza doesn't say I love you then I don't know what does. Should I make the dough into a heart shape?

    

New York Pizza Review

 Last night I served the genuine New York pizza and got my reviews from a genuine Brooklyn born and raised Jewish woman and genuine heart throb of my friend, Larry.
    First, I served up as an appetizer, one BBQ oven baked Margherita Marinara as a starter. Light and thin, not too filling and cooks before your eyes in about 2 minutes at a high temperature. Garnish it with a few fresh basil leaves and serve hot but in small portions. Next, after we devour that one, the salad is served while we wait for the main course or the pizza that put New York on the map.  Since they are first timers to my pizza I explain to them what they are about to eat. Then I moved back into the house to cook at only 475º on a pizza screen, without a stone, the NY pizza as specified by Francesco Brunaldo. Timing is always critical. So that they can see the pizza before I slide it into the oven, I like to give them a glimpse of what is about to take place. Maybe that's the showman in me but after watching enough of those food channel shows I find it of interest to see what it is supposed to look like before, as well as after it's cooked. This one will cook in about 9-10 minutes so there's time to pour another round of wine and visit a little. I'm nervous that I might blow it and not get a second chance at this. I remove it from the oven and bring it out to the patio hot and steaming with a whiff of baked bread aroma and melted cheese emanating from it. I can tell it's going to be good. My confidence level rises. You can feel it when it's right. Anxiously awaiting her expressions and evaluation I hear her say things that were off the charts. She used words like incredible, amazing, just right and, "It brings back memories of that little place in Manhattan where they served pizza by the slice and we ate their all the time." "Did it hit the mark?" I ask. One by one she dissected it. The crust was soft and chewy and doesn't taste like anything they serve in California. The sauce didn't do a lot for her, right amount and kept simple without a lot of flavors going on and almost lost under the layers of cheeses. That's OK, sauces are not supposed to dominate. For the cheeses, I used Mozzarella and Provolone then some sprinkled blend of Parmesan with Asiago and Romano. Her only suggestion their was maybe more of the hard cheese to accent it. "What's that other salty hard cheese?" she asks. "Prosecco" I say nervously, "No, that's a wine." You're right, Pecorino?""Yes, Pecorino." Like good Jewish friends they thoroughly enjoyed the NY-Italian pork sausage that went in next to the Italian salami and pepperoni. However in my own defense, I did ask ahead of time before serving them any pork products though. "So, what would be your over all evaluation? I don't want gushy I want honesty". She says, "Best pizza in California since I moved here." I ask,"when was that, 3 months ago?" (Sarcasm on my part) She said, "No, 31 years ago." Really? I'm flabbergasted.  I guess this guy Francesco Brunaldo knows what he is talking about. I am more impressed though with the pizza than I am at myself for following his instructions. I think I will keep this pie on my repertoir and she goes on my Christmas Card list. Does it matter if she is Jewish? No, I think they appreciate the thought. I think she has earned a spot at my table.

A Pizza Symphony

    I'm getting ready to test myself. I invited some friends over for pizza for Friday night. He is a long time friend, went to China with us and a favored client as well. Not only have I painted two murals for him I also built him a pond and waterfall plus a stone barbecue island for his backyard.  His heart throb is my challenge and critic. She's a Brooklyn born and raised New Yorker with a keen taste for original New York pizza. She will be my harshest critic to date. This is what I've been needing to guide me in my journey through  the realms of genuine New York pizza. I have made this pizza only twice before. The first one I studied and I shopped and re-read and I shopped a second time just to get the exact ingredients as described in the book the Ultimate Pizza Manual by Francesco Brunaldo. Slight adaptations have to be made however as specific New York or East Coast brand names don't exist in California such as Red Pack tomato puree or a certain brand name of chicken bullion. I substituted an Italian brand tomato puree and used my regular chicken bullion hoping it won't divert the authenticity too much. The first one of these genuine New York pizzas that I made was an absolute success, in my mind anyway. The second, I admit, I was distracted by the conversations in the kitchen and left out two minor steps that affected the flavor over all. This time I vow to get it right once again. I am working directly from the book that has no less than 27 steps before going into the oven! For the west coasters reading this I can only describe this pizza as something we don't get to experience in California. It would be as unique as seeing the Aurora Borealis from downtown Los Angeles. We just don't get this here. New York has a taste all their own and unique to New York. However, I am going to change that Friday night with a little luck. Today I made the dough from scratch as always and worked it for 20 minutes with the dough hook before chilling it to let it proof in the refrigerator. I also cooked up a fresh batch of sauce and chilled it as well. I bought some new mozzarella and provolone which I believe really adds a layer of richness to the cheese texture and taste. The best way to describe it would be the difference between whole milk and skim milk or at least low fat milk.
   What I am hoping for is to hear her, my New York critic, say is,"Vince, you nailed it." On the other hand when I was told that my clam and garlic pizza was already better than Tony's I felt like I lost something there. I felt like my challenge was met, I made the hurdle and now I don't have to try and improve upon it. I can remember back to when I played hardball as a kid. My goal over the years was to try and be the best player on the team.  I believe I finally did it one year but I was disappointed quickly because then I found out that all of my teammates were crappy.  I  had to support the team. As it turned out it became the last year I played baseball. So, if your goal is to find something that you have misplaced, do you continue looking for it after you have found it? I'm hoping for both a thumbs up and a word of advice or a constructive bit of criticism. But again to use another sports analogy, in football, on any given Sunday in the NFL, any given team can beat any other given team despite what the odds are. It happens every season. What I do hear in my head though are the words of Chris Bianco, one of the Legends of Pizza say, that on any given day, pizza can kick your butt. It's nice to know that one of the biggest names in pizza still has to be on his game every day in order to keep it coming out the way it should. One can't let the distractions keep you from perfecting the ultimate pizza.

    As a hobby years ago, I took vocal training or voice lessons both in group and privately. One of the things my instructor did when I would be performing for her was to create a multitude of distractions while I was singing. At first I thought it was just plain rude until I realized that the object was to concentrate no matter what was going on around me. She was slamming cabinet doors, answering her phone, rummaging through stacks of papers all while I was trying to sing a ballad or something. It was a test. I passed but I wasn't thrilled with her as an audience. She told me to expect those kinds of distractions and more when performing. It wasn't going to be like we were in church! So it is when entertaining too, I suppose. I'm performing by trying out a new number on my audience despite the interruptions, distractions, conversations, questions and expectations it still has to be a perfect symphony of crust, sauce, cheeses, and toppings all in harmony with perfect timing.

No Cheese Oil, Cheez-el

I have this habit that just comes out when I get excited at one point during the process of making a pizza. It usually happens when the pizza is already in the oven and I peek inside to see how it's doing. If the dough has risen correctly, my timing in using the dough was spot on and the crust is just starting to turn that golden brown and I start to speak in tongues! No, not like biblical tongues but maybe a more accurate assessment would be I get excited and I start speaking in a bad Italian accent. The wave of heat that escapes from the oven and blasts me in the face usually sets me off. I will close the door quickly and start telling myself out loud in this pseudo-Italian accent: "Vincenzo, you uh make uh one uh helluva peezza, you know? Everybuddys gonna like uh deez uh peeza. It's a gonna be da besta peeza you ever make uh, you know?"

Usually every sentence will end in the phrase, "you know?" Someone told me when I started to make pizzas that there is a little bit of Italian in all of us. I think they may be right. I don't actually recall if I ever have spoken in a bad Spanish accent when making tamales or a bad British when I'm making steak & ale pies. It makes me wonder why the Italian accent. I know I'm bad at it but I can't help but think of this client I had once on a paint job. It was the Ferrari family who owned this Italian deli that had hired me to paint their house. One day when we were there power washing, his brother-in-law who must've just come over from the old country brings out this twisted, gnarled grape vine of about 75 plus years that he had ideas of using it somehow as a piece of furniture. I shut off the power washer and wait for him to speak up. He says in his very hard to understand Italian accent, "Can uh you uh wash uh deeza for me. I uh try ev'ryting, you know? I uh try soaking it, I uh try a scraping it, I even try uh cheese oil.

Nothing works, you know?" I said to him, "cheese oil? You tried cheese oil?" "No cheese oil, cheez-el,  cheez-el.""Ohhhh, chisel, you tried chisel." At this point I almost have to turn the power washer back on so he doesn't hear me laughing at my own misunderstanding. I gave it a shot and cleaned up his grape vine for him and maybe even removed all the remaining cheese oil that might have been on it. Of course as soon as he left I had to stop everything and tell my crew so we would all get a good laugh out of it. Now, some 20 years later when something is stuck or difficult to remove I usually will suggest some cheese oil to remove it. I'm not certain where you get cheese oil, from cheese I suppose but what if I wanted to buy some? Would I have to go back to the Old Country to get it? Maybe I could start bottling it and marketing it. Vincenzo's original Cheese Oil. Removes everything except bark from grape vines.
    As for speaking in tongues, maybe it's because of the optimistic and uplifting sound that an Italian accent has. I remember Steve Martin said, "you can't play a sad tune on a banjo. It's just too happy of an instrument and if Richard Nixon had played a banjo then things might have turned out differently for him." I think the same applies when I start speaking in a bad Italian accent. It's an indicator that that pizza is uh gonna be uh good uh one, you know?

Pizza served at Alice's Restaurant

I'm at this mixer to promote my mural business that is put on by a Sacramento Networking group and somebody I have met before mentions pizza to me. I smile and say yes, I write a pizza blog. Oh, are you a reporter or a journalist? their friends ask.  No, I'm a muralist and I make pizzas as a hobby. What kind of pizzas do you make?  I make all kinds, Italian, New York, Rustic, California style. What about Chicago style? No, not yet, I'm not that interested in Chicago style. Have you seen any of my murals around town? I ask. No, what kind of flour do you use? I tell them I have a variety of flours depending on the type of pizza I'm making. Do you use King Arthur flour, No, I can't find it here on the West Coast. Try Nugget. That's where I go for my pizza supplies. Oh, so you make pizzas too? I've been making pizzas for years at least once a month and you? Yeah I make about 3 a week. Oh so you're serious about your pizza making they say. I guess so, but it's a hobby and I write a blog to catalog my work you might say. Do you have a card with your website address? It's not a website it's a blog. How do I get to your blog? Do you make money from this blog? No, I make money from painting murals. What line of work are you in? Murals. I paint them. Do you make Margherita pizzas too? they ask.  
    Right about now I reach into my wallet and fetch a pizza blog card. Fortunately I had printed some cards up that I still  had in my wallet for my relatives when I went to pay my respects to my uncle who recently passed over. Instead of mural cards that I gave them anyway which disappeared quickly once handed over to them, they dwelled on the blog address card. I only made them on the computer because I thought it would be easier to hand someone a card instead of trying to find something to write on. I really didn't think it would be that difficult to remember a blog address but it seems to stop people like a deer in the headlights when I tell them how to look it up or to just Google Rediscovering Pizza and it will come up. Seriously, I didn't realize that people quit listening when you have too many syllables to memorize. Heck, I still remember my friends phone numbers from grade school and if you asked me at 4:30 in the morning to recite all 16 minutes of Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie I could do it
without skipping a beat. I have done it on numerous occasions. Ask me to report on Art History and the High Renaissance and I can't remember much even though my degree was in Fine Art. I think though, todays' technology prevents us from remembering anything. We just open up our cell phones or PDA's and file it away like it was second brain. So the card idea was a good one and I will continue to keep a couple in my wallet in case I go to another mixer and try to promote my mural business again. I always hate those things anyways because nobody cares if they met an artist but if they met that guy that makes pizzas it was a good night for them. It can have it's advantages I suppose. If it hadn't been for my pizza legacy those poor people would be talking about this poor sap who tries to paint murals for a living. Instead they are driving home with a smile and saying to themselves, I wonder if there's a pizzeria around here somewhere. I'm hungry.

Spiritual Pizza

    I just attended a family function to send off one of the family to the great beyond. It's amazing how after not seeing people you know for some 20 to 30 years they have already learned that you make pizza. After the hello's and how are you's the conversation always reverts to: I hear you make pizza and tell me about your pizza making.  Now, had they been reading any part of the blog that has been available at their doorstep over the past couple of months they would know more than just that. I know some people tell me what a huge waste of time it must be to write a blog and what a huge waste of time it would be to read one. Would Emerson's or Thoreau's blog been a waste of time? Would Uncle Tom's Cabin been any less effective had it been a blog?  Either way, that's when I say that when you are on a journey the road is sometimes flat and lonely but other times it is ripe with adventure, mystery and surprises. They also won't get invited over for pizza. Ha ha! It kind of reminds me when a certain nephew use to stay with us for a couple of weeks in the summer. He would want to stop at every comic book store there was and every one that we would see. After a couple of those I had to put my foot down and ask him a simple question while holding the car keys up in the air. I would say, "Who has the power Aaron?" He would say, "You do Uncle Vince". He knew Uncle Vince had reached his quota and patience level. He, who has the pizza, has the power? I could indulge his passion, but only to a certain point. Thus it is with a blog.
    What some people see as junk, others will see as treasure. I have also extended invitations to certain people, who, after 5 times, with an excuse each time, I will not invite them anymore. I am happy to share my blog about my journey with those who are interested and my pizza with those who are hungry and talk pizza with those who want to share some knowledge and experience. However, I am not going to force it down anyone. The journey isn't pizza, that's just a vehicle to take us on a journey.

   The blog is for those who like to share and like a journey. It can be for those who like pizza as well. I am reminded of the the comment I made earlier in this series of blogs that pizza is a communal bread in a sense. It is a sharing of food and life experiences. It reminds me of the book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. That book was a book that made the reader feel that they were traveling with them on their adventure, but the reader, at certain points starts to question if it had anything do do with motorcycle maintenance, but more to do with life. Then the reader will question whether or not there was really a journey on bikes but maybe only in their minds. One of my brothers that does not and will not read this blog mentioned that it's a shame we, as a family, don't have a community type of sharing going on where we can all add our 2 cents worth to and communicate with others on a non intimate level. I just had to laugh and say to him that we do and you have chosen to not be a part of it. I, for one, have connected with numerous people whom I have never met as well as friends and relatives from the past and present. Some of these stories go out to people who can relate to my stories and have similar ones as well. That is the zen and the pizza is the art that goes into it. Feel free to leave me a comment, some feedback or whatever is on your mind. Many of the responses I have gotten so far are so enthusiastic and full of good energy and I thank you!

    Albert Grande talks about spiritual pizza. At first I thought he was talking about pizza as soul food. As this journey continues I wonder if the pizza is only the vehicle that carries the soul of friendship, knowledge, connectivity, humor, and passion, not to mention the taste that it can deliver and the satisfaction to all, once consumed. He has asked the biggies in the industry of pizza making, the Legends of Pizza, what makes your pizza so good? One of the answers came back from Chris Bianco of Pizza Bianco in Phoenix that Albert thinks maybe he ( Chris Bianco) might be the one ingredient that nobody can duplicate. I think that may very well be the answer. The pizza I make may be science but the passion I put into it is creation. The sharing of the pizza whether by word or by consumption becomes spiritual.

The Pizza Trilogy

Time to Vote: Vince vs. The World

     It's time to vote for your favorite food pairing with the Santa Margherita Chianti. We opened a bottle of it with friends this last Sunday and sipped it with two of my home baked pizzas.  If it wasn't $30 a bottle I'd have it regularly but that will not be happening soon! Many of you have already commented on the video and many more whom I don't actually know have left some great comments and compliments. To all of you I say, thank you. Now in the future if you choose to bring a bottle of wine over I won't have any objections if you were to pick up a bottle or three of the Santa Margherita Chianti and head on over. I was actually able to find it at Safeway under the Imports sign that read Italy on sale for $19.99. I could live with that!

   This contest right now is a popularity contest it appears. The category that I am in is for pairing my recipe of the Margherita pizza with their Chianti. The winner in each category goes to L.A. and will cook for them. The winners there will go to Chicago and compete. Have your kids vote if they have an email address and put it on FaceBook, Twitter and whatever else is out there. This is my campaign for better pizza and wine!  I will need all of their votes! Thank you and Pizza on Earth! Vince  Here is the link: http://www.santamargherita.us/Contest/2010/ViewEntry/54

Pizza on Earth

The pizzas I made during the week from Tony's dough and Peter's dough were virtually the same outcome as far as the crust goes. Tony's dough was very good in the rustic sense of pizza dough. I did make a couple of pizzas using his dough which were both highly successful. One of them was a New York white sauce with chicken with some tomato slices. He suggests chicken breasts but I prefer thighs as I believe they have more flavor and are less dry. Covering the precooked chicken pieces in mozzarella and slices of provolone cheese and sprinkling some thyme on them, made for a pizza worthy of royalty. The second one, I made from Tony's dough was amazingly successful also. I think I cracked the code. He has a pizza on his menu in San Francisco that is called the Clam and Garlic made on a thin crust. It doesn't appear in his book but after making his chicken pizza I didn't think we were far away from the one that he isn't telling. Each slice of pizza has it's own unshelled short neck clam on it plus others under the layers of cheese. It is worth a drive into the City just to have one of his Clam & Garlic  pizzas. However, I think I can save myself the gas money by doing it right here in my kitchen. Sorry Tony, but I guess that what this journey is all about. Yes, it's called reverse engineering! Maybe I have unlocked more than the pizza code, maybe this is primal man breaking the hunter or gatherer code. It appears that the pizza is out there but you have to hunt it down. On the other hand, if you are to gather up the right ingredients and information,  you can construct your own pizza. If Robert Oppenheimer knew for certain that splitting an atom was possible then all he had to do was reverse engineer it. But if you don't know that it is possible, then building an atomic bomb may be as easy as understanding inter-dimensional travel, string theory, the size of the universe, or the female mind. Impossible!
    Tony wasn't the first to construct a clam & garlic  pizza, but he sure knows how to do it over and over, and to do it right each time. I think maybe, that instead of trying to determine which dough and sauce make the best New York pizza, I could be attempting to replicate each of Tony's pizza recipes. It sort of sounds like a movie and a blog a while back called Julie & Julia or the Russians stealing the plans to the atomic bomb.

  I can't begin to tell you how good this clam & garlic pizza is! Not only does it taste amazing, but the presentation with the clams on top gives it that, "Oh this is going to be special" pizza. 
   Let's see Round Table, Papa Murphy, or Einstein & Oppenheimer do that!                      

New York Pizza Rocks!

 

   Round one, pizza number one and the vote goes to Francesco.  Francesco is the one who wrote the book called Making the Ultimate Pizza. I followed it to the letter and the results were amazing. I had instant memories of eating pizza in New York some 16 years ago with a bus load of school kids Sheri and I were chaperoning.  The dough is flattened out by hand after it had its second resurrection of a couple hours. It's placed on a screen and baked at only 475º for 10-12 minutes minus the pizza stone. The cheese bubbled and boiled as I watched through the oven door. Upon pulling it out, it sets for about 30 seconds then you cut it and serve.  No crunch whatsoever when I cut it and a little flimsy up front probably from leveling the dough a bit too thin. (My fault).

  In assembling it, I scooped on about 4 large spoons full of Francesco's sauce and covered it with shredded mozzarella on one half. The other half I loaded up with precooked NY sausage, a few pepperoni and some sliced red onion. Then I covered it all with sliced Provolone cheese. The Provolone helps to make a smoother and creamier cheese sensation, which it did. My first bite was cautious as I didn't want to burn my lips but there it was, the OMG factor! That was the cheese side! The dough was surprisingly light, airy, almost sweet and quite soft like bread. I would have eaten every bite but Presley was just as interested in it as I was. He gets a bite of the end crust and he knows it. The sauce was barely noticeable and certainly didn't dominate but played a perfect harmony to the lead performance of the dough.

   The next slice was the side with the goodies. People, you don't understand. If you're sitting here reading this and not looking up an authentic New York pizza place right now then there is something wrong with you! Just do it! Words can't express how perfect this combination of flavors really is. 

   My last dog, named Solvang, that passed away 2 years ago was my buddy and cookie connoisseur. He was a Golden through and through with a wicked taste for cookies. He could sniff one out of your upper pocket or chew one out of your coat left on a bed. He was very trainable because he loved cookies so much. He would stop in the hall where the coats were hung and sniff out the coat with a cookie in the pocket then bark. His very existence, we believe, was to consume cookies. You didn't tease him with cookies because he took cookies very seriously. Once a vendor at a pet store gave him a vegetarian cookie and he spit it out. We tried to feed it to him again and again it came out. It was a bit embarrassing for us but Solvang had spoken. He knew his cookies! We used to joke that he'd sell his mother for a cookie. Mom, if you are reading this, it's a darn good thing I can make this New York pizza myself and don't have to sell you for an authentic tasting New York Pizza. 

   However, we are only partially through this taste test as we have two more pizza recipes to test before the final verdict is in. As for right now, if a New Yorker walks up to you and tells you New York has the best pizza on earth, just smile and say, "So I am told." Then give him a dog cookie and say, "good boy."

New York Pizza Showdown

    We have all heard of New York style pizza. Some pizza places around every town advertise real New York style pizza. We, as west coasters don't know what that means but it sounds good. I like almost anything that says it's authentic, original or genuine. But, as we all know, what truth is there in advertising?  When an appliances advertises it has genuine plastic parts or that it was imported does that make it better? If an older car advertisement says it has the original paint, do I want that? If a restaurant that advertises all you can eat for $2.95 including loobster sound like a bargain? Yes, I said loobster as I wasn't supposed to notice that the extra "o" in lobster makes it apparent that the shell fish is made from fish parts and tainted to resemble lobster thus fooling us into thinking we got a bargain! So when a pizza  place says New York style, is it for real? Not necessarily, but when it comes to searching for the Holy Grail do I want style or genuine? I think we all agree that we want what is genuine. There is a place for fake, faux, pretend, artificial and imitation in the world but what about pizza? If we were to go shopping for a dog would we settle for something just like a dog? Probably not.
    That is where this next sojourn is about to take me. My quest, once I began to understand what advertisement means is, that it resembles a New York style but it isn't original. I think about the same thing when it comes to the world of art. Questions that I have, such as, can a man of Scandinavian descent do Native American art? Is he qualified? Take it one step further, can a Caucasian do art reflecting the plight of African Americans? Again, is he qualified or disqualified? So, my question has to be, can a pizza made in California be a New York Pizza? If I was born in Canada but raised in the U.S. am I Canadian or American? If I had a brother who might be born in Mexico, be of Scandinavian descent but raised in the U.S. be Mexican, Scandinavian or American? So, being born and raised in California, am I qualified or disqualified to make a genuine New York Pizza? I think we better call up Voltaire, Jefferson and the gang to sort that one out. Maybe none of that even matters. Maybe just good quality, authentic, and genuine east coast ingredients put together in a typical New York way makes it a New York Pizza. This could end up being another Philosophical Pizza ( see prior blog) questions that needs to be addressed or maybe just left alone.

    One of the books I bought online was called: The Ultimate Pizza Manual. The author and long time New Yorker, Francesco Brunaldo claims that the pizzerias of old are disappearing. By that he means that the methods and even some of the products are disappearing. Typical New York Pizza just isn't what it used to be he says. In a valiant effort to save the original style pizza from obscurity he has written this book to save this art form. I followed his recipe to the letter except where east coast brand names are not available here, so in several cases, I had to substitute. What I am hoping to achieve is what Francesco is seeing slipping away in New York City. I made the dough for an 18" pie. His ingredients are slightly different than what I was expecting as he includes some semolina flour with his high gluten flour. The procedure is what is typically different. Following them to exact detail can make or break it from what I have learned.

   Today, I set out to determine which, of the three books I have by experts, makes the best New York Pizza. I made one of Francesco's doughs. I made one of Tony Gemignani's New York doughs from his book called Pizza and I made one of Peter Reinhart's dough's from his book called American Pie. To take it a step further I have also made Francesco's pizza sauce and Tony's sauce for the big pizza showdown happening right here in my kitchen this week. Peter Reinhart didn't have a sauce recipe so it will be between these two. I have tasted them both and they both are excellent. Tony chills his where as Francesco brings to a boil then simmers his for a mere 15 minutes.

Now a true New York pizzaiolo won't roll his pizza with a rolling pin. He will work it by hand to stretch and toss the dough until it's of the right size, and thickness. He will build a berm like border shaped into the edges then add the sauce and mixture of cheeses. Every pizzaiolo will have his own blend but typically there will be mozzarella, provolone, romano, parmesan and asiago in there somewhere. Of course the pizza will be fire-baked either by wood or coal and when removed from the oven cut into large slices. The tip should sag just  a tad and the consumer will fold the tip up, bend the 2 back corners together and indulge. Unfortunately I won't have genuine fire, just my pretend fire gas oven but I hope that won't detract too much from the authenticity. This competition will be going on all week as I bake and rate each one. In the last photo I have 7 dough balls labeled and sealed to rise slowly in the fridge until the day of baking. I can't wait for the competition to begin!

Green beans for dinner or Pizza? Nope, Sausage Calzones?

     A friend just asked me if I ever tire of pizza. In short, I told him  "No, I love it." As a 20-something I ate pizza every night on every shift at the pizza place I worked and never tired of it. Later, I went to work for only 3 weeks at a cannery in Oregon picking the stems out of green beans on a conveyor belt. Honestly, I couldn't eat green beans again for 20 years (even if disguised). 

I had just bought a couple of pizza books online from Amazon and started reading some pizza recipes. One of them sounded like a Cornish Pasty made in pizza form. I love peasant food and started out to make that tonight along with potatoes and green peas on a pizza crust. I wasn't sure whether to seal it up or leave it open face. As I started to make it I had pulled out one of my Margherita doughs made from 00 Caputo flour. I make a batch, subdivide them into 6 doughballs and refrigerate them. Near dinner time I will pull one out to rise and warm up for  couple of hours. Part way through the conceptual stage I decide not to go Cornish, but Calzone instead. Frozen peas back into

the freezer, potatoes in the microwave become breakfast for tomorrow and hot Italian sausage from Nugget goes into the frying pan. Out of green peppers, so I substituted jalapenos after clearing the seeds and veins, add some white onion and simmer along with garlic pepper and garlic salt. Pour in some milk and reduce on a low heat until it thickens with a little corn starch. With some gourmet Volpi pepperoni I scooped up the sausage and gravy slurry and place it onto the rolled out Caputo dough, seal it with water after folding it over and crimp. I baked it at 450º for roughly 12-15 minutes basting after about 8 minutes with olive oil and let it do it's thing on the pizza stone. I had made a little Italian style salad with a fresh cut up tomato and some mozzarella di bufala, salt & pepper and a basil leaf plus a sprinkle of Parmesan. It looked healthy and colorful enough. The calzones were ready to come out of the oven. I slid them out on the pizza peel and placed them next to the salad. I had created what looked to me like a very Italian complete meal! If it hadn't been on my plates I think I wouldn't have recognized it as my cooking.  I immediately took pictures just to document this meal. The dough was light and crispy, flaky and perfect for this meal. Each bite turned into a Wow sensation. The hot Italian sausage left it's mark on the back of my throat. That's when this stuff gets exciting! I will be doing this often in the future and it's sure to become a regular on our home menu.

Here is my recipe if you want to give it a try:
Make a thin dough from this recipe and roll it out flat. Cut it with a pan lid to get the round shape as if you were making a pizza.

1 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1lb 14oz 00 Caputo flour (6 Cups)
3 Tbsp Kosher salt (yes, T. not tsp.)

Mix yeast with 2 cups cold water and mix then let stand 5 minutes.
Add flour slowly while mixing with a dough hook on low speed about 5 min.
Cover bowl with damp towel and let rise 20 min. Add salt and mix about 5-7 min.
Cut dough into about 5-6 sections, form into balls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in fridge.
When ready to use, take as many as you might need (Figure 1 dough ball makes 2 medium calzones.)
out of fridge and let rise on counter for 2 hours prior to rolling out.

1/2 lb NY style Italian bulk sausage, fried and drained and about 10-20 slices of pepperoni;

add a sprinkle of garlic salt & garlic pepper

Cut up 1/2 of a small white onion &

cut up 1/4 green pepper without seeds and add to pan and simmer.

Pour in 1/2 Cup of milk and simmer a couple of more minutes.

Add Tbsp cornstarch to 1 oz milk, mix and add to milk & sausage in pan stir until it thickens.

Turn off fire under pan.

Roll dough thin and cut into 8 to 10"circles. Add your cooked ingredients, add cheese if desired and seal edges with wet fork.
Bake for approx. 8 min. at 450º in preheated oven preferably on a preheated pizza stone .

Baste with oil or butter or egg whites then return to oven another 3-5 min. Remove when golden brown and let stand a couple of minutes. Take pictures and go ooohhhh and ahhhh. Then eat them all by yourself, why not? You did all the work. Yummmm.

Philosophical Pizza

 I have a question. What  makes a pizza a pizza? Obviously there are about as many types of pizzas as there are people. Change one thing and is it still a pizza? Change the dough and is it still a pizza? Change the sauce and is it still a pizza? Change the shape, the thickness, the density, the toppings,  the cheeses and is it still a pizza? I once asked a bartender on a cruise ship while sailing around Tahiti, what makes it a martini? This bartender was having a martini night and although we don't drink martini's we showed up because he boasted of knowing a 164 different martini recipes! Some of these recipes were so exotic using chocolate syrup, whip cream, strawberries, fruity mixers in tropical colors and on and on. So when his answer came back to me that, what makes a martini a martini is: (drum roll please) the martini glass. (End of drumroll). I was a little disappointed that he could make that claim when all he was doing was making any drink imaginable and pouring it in a standard martini glass. It reminds me of a story I had read in college by an unknown author. His book was titled The Profit by Kellogg Allbran. Now, I know you're all thinking. "Who? You mean The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran!" No, I mean The Profit. The story went like this: A crowd had gathered around the feet of the Master and they called to him. "Speak to us Master, tell us some truths." The Master replied,  "What would you like to know? A man who was a glass blower spoke out, "Master, speak to us of glass." And the Master took a deep breath and said as the crowd hushed. "Glass is an amazing thing. It is very strong  yet  very fragile. Glass is solid yet it is clear. It is malleable yet firm. It is simple yet complex. Remove only one ingredient from it and you would not have glass. If you removed the lime and replaced it with lemon, you would not have glass. If you removed the sand and replaced it with sugar, you would not have glass. If you replaced its solidness with water, you would not have glass." The master paused and a man spoke out, "What would you have Master?" And the Master winked and said to the crowd, "Lemonade. "
So should it go with pizza? If you remove one item and replace it with another, do we still have pizza? Many have suggested and done so approvingly or not, that if you change pizza from a meal to a dessert item, is it still a pizza? What makes it a pizza? If we were to put sweet dessert type toppings on it and chilled it, would it still be a pizza? This could be one of those dilemma questions that doesn't have an answer– like the tree falling in the forest.
   Well, we did it. Sheri did it actually, and with pretty good results. She didn't concoct it out of thin air but from author and master pizza maker Tony Gemignani's book called Pizza. Using similar products for the dough, but with an infusion of sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon, and baked it on the pizza stone at a lower temperature. After that it's anything goes. Marscopone cheese mixed with vanilla, sugar and ricotta, then topped with strawberries and a drizzle of fudge sauce.  
    The second pizza had  a par-baked crust and then was topped with crushed gingersnaps, caramel sauce, pecans, and peaches artfully arranged and baked again until sizzling. Tasted great! Less filling... But was it Pizza? My thought on that is the image that we all have of what a pizza should look like, smell like and taste like predetermines it in our heads what a pizza is. Just change the name from pizza to something else and suddenly it sounds like a great dessert. This may be one of those philosophical questions that people like Voltaire, Shakespeare, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Carl Jung and others could have and should have debated. People like Einstein, Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking could have really racked up some awards for solving that universal question. I say, leave it to minds greater than mine to determine. I think that's what the Master would've said.