Neapolitano or Siciliano - Pizza is a Favorite Dish Everywhere

Mmm, pizza! This ancient fare is one of the most popular foods in the world. AboutPizza.com explains that although ancient Greek and Middle Eastern cultures ate flat bread with toppings, the Italians invented the pizza we enjoy today.

Originally, pizza was a peasant food. The popularity of pizza spread quickly, especially in and around Naples, Italy. When tomatoes arrived in Italy from Peru, they became a vital part of pizza preparation.

Commercial pizza chains have popped up around the world, but the taste of Italian pizza is lost through them. Why buy pizza when you can easily make fresh pizza at home? Your efforts will be rewarded with a hot, tasty pie and many compliments.

For new pizza makers, one of the best sites to start with is www.pizza.it. (Click on the English version if you are not fluent in Italian.) At the bottom, right of the page is a "Pizza at Home" section. Start your pizzaioli education there. Once you make your pizza dough and decide on toppings, you are ready to make your pizza pie.

Short of a wood-burning pizza oven, one of the best ways to cook pizza is on a stone. Alton Brown, star of Food Network's show Good Eats, said in his "Flat is Beautiful" show that you can use an unglazed quarry tile in place of a pizza stone. He is correct, but I am not that brave. I do not trust myself to venture into a hardware store to find one, so I continue to use my commercial stone. No matter which you choose, be sure to preheat your oven with the stone in place.

If it is too hot indoors, you can make pizza on your grill if it has a lid. Just be sure to place a thick, steel or aluminum pan between the grill grate and the stone. (I use a tin roaster pan with the sides folded under to create a flat surface.) Cover your grill and preheat it as your oven. When cooking the pizza, leave the lid on during the process. Use caution since the temperature of the grill may fluctuate and burn your creation.

Whether using your oven or a grill, you may want to place the pizza directly onto the stone to bake. If you're uneasy about using a pizza paddle, there is an easy way for beginners to do this. Assemble your pizza in a greased pan and place it on the stone. After cooking the pizza for five minutes, the bottom should begin to crust. If not, then allow the pizza to bake a few more minutes.

At this point, run a spatula under the pizza crust, all around the pan to be sure that it is not sticking anywhere. Grasp one end of the pan in one hand and lift it. Use your other hand to lift the opposite end of the pizza from the pan with the spatula. Guide the pizza onto the stone with the spatula while pulling the pan away. At this point, your pizza should be directly on the stone. Keep a close eye on your pie, as you do not want the bottom to burn. If you are making more than one pizza, assemble the second as your first one bakes.

Making pizza at home is really a simple task once you get the hang of it. I hope you find that pizza becomes a regular, homemade food in your household. Buon Appetito!

Sources:
Omni Visions, 2007, URL: http://aboutpizza.com/, accessed June 25, 2007

Alton Brown, Food Network "Flat is Beautiful" URL: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ea/episode/0,1976,FOOD_9956_19117,00.html Accessed June 26, 2007

Umberto Bachetti, Pizza.it URL: http://www.pizza.it/default.asp?l=eng Accessed June 25, 2007