Making pizza

That was a total surprise! A Roman friend was having a pizza party in Madrid. I used the opportunity to learn how to make pizza at his place. Also he did most of the work, I was writing notes and helping out.
Have to try it myself one day!

Pizza (Four-season) in Madrid

My first night in Madrid, yet I went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. My friends knew all the people works there, from the owner to the chef. The guy who made pizza for me is from Napoli.
I had four-season pizza: mozzarella, tomato, mushrooms, artichokes, cooked ham, olives and oil. I liked it; almost felt I was still in Italy. I suggest cutting anchovy into small piece because they are very salty.

Pizza in Rome

When I was a student in college, I ate so many pizzas from Pizza Pizza on the campus (note: there were not many choices). They are greasy with thick dry crusts. When I graduated from the school, I swore never go into pizza joint again! I thought all pizzas are like that and just the thought gave me stomachache. However the trip to Italy really changed my mind: fresh good quality ingredients, variety of choices and all backed in traditional wood-fired brick oven. Just look at all pics, make you mouth water! All freshly made, no frozen pizzas!!!


Pizza with gorgonzola cheese (veined Italian blue cheese) and apple (in Rome).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgonzola_(cheese)

I love the sweetness of the apples mixed with creamy cheese. I also like it better because the thin crust (Roman style!) The opposite of Roman style thin crust pizza will be the Chicago deep-dish pizza. Looks interesting haven’t had opportunity to try it yet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-style_pizza

Pizza with eggplant and cheese.



Condadina pizza with mozzarella, eggplant, zucchini, anchovy, mushroom and cherry tomatoes.


Pizza with black truffle and cheese. but the black truffle mushroom was not fresh.


Again Pizza (on the right ) black truffle and cheese. Truffle was not fresh but with very strong aroma. I am suspicious that they use synthetic truffle aroma to enhance the flavor.
Pizza (on the left )with prosciutto and arugula salad.

That is my favorite combination: Creamy hardy mozzarella, soft flowers and salty anchovies.


Pizza (on top) is mixed cheese with tomato sauce. Compare with the one I had is very simple.
Pizza (bottom) is my greedy yummy creation: artichokes, mushrooms, arugula salad, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. I basically ask them to put all my favorite ingredients.

That pizzeria also has an antique olive-oil grinding device. Nowadays was placed in the center of the pizzeria for decoration. Quite rustic homey place 30 min Nord of Rome (in Castel Nuovo).

Cow neck prosciutto

A really simple dinner, a friend bought white pizza (pizza cooked with nothing on it) and we ate with prosciutto. The star is the cow neck prosciutto, which is made and brought by his mother from south of Italy. That is priceless because you can’t buy it anywhere, but eat at his mother’s place.

Nameko Mushroom Pizza

(Scientific Name: Pholiota nameko) A brown capped mushroom with a white stem that grows in groups of clusters of numerous stems and caps closely aligned. Very popular in Asia where it originated, this mushroom is now cultivated throughout the world.

http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--33539/nameko-mushroom.asp

It is often used in Japanese home cooking. Interestingly I found a Nameko pizza with Mozzarella in Naples. I bought a slice off a street pizza place, very cheap. I love those slippery shiny yellow mushrooms!

Calzone al tartufo – Mozzarella, truffle

A calzone is an Italian turnover made from pizza dough and stuffed with cheese (usually mozzarella cheese and Ricotta, but some varieties contain Parmesan, Provolone, or a locally substituted cheese), ham or salami, vegetables, or a variety of other stuffing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calzone

I ordered one calzone with truffle. Or that is what they say it contains truffle. However I really doubt real truffle is used with the price less than 15 euro. It does have some truffle taste and it was very yummy. But my friend told me the food industry developed a chemical taste like truffle to fool the brain. Since I do not the chef, I am always suspicious.

Seafood Pizza

What a brilliant idea! I have never thought about its existence before I saw it for the first time in a pizza restaurant near Metro Wagner in Milan. For 12 Euros, pizza with tomato sauce is freshly baked in the traditionally pizza oven. After they top on pre-cooked seafood mix.

The only think I regret is that I did not eat it immediately. However it was not bad. The only comments will be: some pre-cooked seafood is little dry. It is not an amazing pizza. But for sure it is interesting for me to try for the first time.

Farinata in Genova

“Farinata (which literally means floured) is a thin, crisp, pizza-like pancake from Liguria, Italy which its variations are eaten in many different Mediterranean countries and beyond. It is similar to the socca from Nice, France.

It is made by stirring chickpea flour into a mixture of water and olive oil to form a loose batter, and baking it in the oven. Farinata may be seasoned with fresh rosemary, pepper and sea salt. Traditionally farinata is cut into irregularly shaped triangular slices, and enjoyed (with no toppings) on small plates with optional black pepper, or stuffed into small focaccia. It is usually sold in pizzerias.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fain%C3%A1

I ordered one with slices of onion on top. It was very thin and quite tasty when eating hot and fresh. It does remind me of Socca in Nice.

Pizza’s birthplace –in Naples

“Pizza has a long, complex and uncertain history that often inspires heated debate. The origin of the word "pizza" is unclear, but it first appeared in 997 in Medieval Latin, and it was in Naples in the 16th century that a galette flatbread was referred to as a pizza.

The innovation that gave us the particular flat bread we call “pizza” was the use of tomato as a topping. For some time after the tomato was brought to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century, it was believed by many Europeans to be poisonous (as are some other fruits of the nightshade family). However, by the late 18th century it was common for the poor of the area around Naples to add tomato to their yeast-based flat bread, and so the pizza was born.

At that time, the pizza was a baker's tool, dough used to verify the temperature of the oven. A dish of the poor people, it was sold in the street and was not considered a kitchen recipe for a long time. Before the 17th century, the pizza was covered with white sauce. This was later replaced by oil, cheese, tomatoes or fish - in 1843, Alexandre Dumas, père described the diversity of pizza toppings. In June 1889, to honor the Queen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy, the chef Raffaele Esposito created the "Pizza Margherita", a pizza garnished with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil, to represent the colors of the Italian flag.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pizza

If you only have one day in Naples, you have to try the pizza from the restaurant Gino Sorbillo (that is everyone says). It clams that makes the best pizza in Naples with Excellent-quality ingredients, top-notch wood-fired cooking. The long-time-family-run restaurant is located in city center with two floors (Via Tribunali, 32, phone: +39 081 446643, http://www.accademiadellapizza.it). It is always packed with people for an obvious reason: amazing pizza and very reasonable price.

I ordered a pizza with tomato, mozzarella, special mushrooms and basil (No. 18 on menu). You can see from the picture it comes a giant round pizza. The pizza is really thin and soft, not like those ones in North America. All fresh ingredients are cooked perfectly. It is an amazing pizza. I can have it everyday for the rest of my life!