All traditional pizzas

Is pizza a type of bread? Yes, even if it doesn't seem like it. The amount of bread, compared to cheese and tomato, not to mention other ingredients, is infinitely greater. So it's actually an enriched bread, but bread nonetheless.  

An Italian cookbook would not be complete without the famous Italian pizza. It is considered that together with the hamburger and pasta - again with Italian origin - it constitutes the best known food in the whole World. 

Pizza is guilty both of the knowledge of Italian gastronomy on a global level and of the fact that other famous recipes from the country are unknown despite their quality. 

This paradox forces many Italian restaurants to have real problems providing a menu outside the country without pasta and without pizza, something that would be possible given the enormous gastronomic wealth of Italy. 

The origin of modern pizza, as we know it today, dates back to Naples during the first half of the 19th century. However similar breads can be traced in history to the time of the Romans. The success of pizza, apart from its incredible taste, lies in the magical combination of bread, tomato and melted cheese. And it was in Naples where the tomato began to be used for the first time in Europe when the rest of the continent still considered it a poisonous food.

PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE

Making the pizza dough is quite simple if you feel like doing it yourself.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 small pizzas of 22 cm~9 inches in diameter)

    • Half a kilo (1.1 lbs) of white flour

    • A cup and a half of water (300 ml)

    • 25 grams (1 oz)  of fresh yeast

    • extra virgin olive oil

    • Salt

First of all, heat the water in a bowl so that it becomes lukewarm (it is best to use the microwave) Then dissolve the yeast - remember that it is the fresh baker's, not chemical baking powder - in the water and wait until it begins to form bubbles (between 5 and 10 minutes)

In a large container or bowl, deposit the flour after passing it through a fine sieve. We make a kind of volcano and in the "crater" we pour the water, a tablespoon of olive oil and half a teaspoon of salt. 

Mix all the ingredients to form a dough. Next, sprinkle the kitchen marble with flour and work the dough vigorously until it does not stick to our hands. In a bowl bathed in olive oil, place the dough and make two cross-shaped cuts on the top (to prevent it from breaking when rising). 

It is also advisable to splash more oil on the top of the dough. 

We cover with a cotton cloth and leave in the kitchen or in a room where the temperature is at least 20 degrees~68 F (otherwise it will not rise as much as it should). When the dough has doubled in size (normally it takes 2 hours) it is removed from the bowl, deposited again on the marble where we had worked it before and we crush it to remove the air. 

We divide the dough into four equal portions and work them with a rolling pin so that they acquire the shape and size of a large flat plate (about 22 cm~9 inches in diameter) and we can now add the ingredients we want on them, like for example….

PIZZA MARGARITA

The simplest and most popular of all.

INGREDIENTS (for a pizza of 4 portions approx)

    • 1 large pizza base (or four small ones, whichever suits you best).

    • 1 cup (200 ml) tomato puree

    • 6 fresh basil leaves

    • 100 grams (3.5 oz) mozzarella cheese

    • Extra virgin olive oil (4 tablespoons)

    • Salt

    • ground black pepper

First we preheat the oven to 250 degrees (480 F).

Next, spread two tablespoons of oil on the pizza dough and season with salt and pepper. Then we spread all the crushed tomato and chop half of the basil leaves with our hands. Drizzle with the rest of the oil and sprinkle a little salt.

Place in the oven, on the rack, at medium height for 10 minutes. After this time we take out the pizza and add the cheese, sliced ​​or grated.

You put the pizza back in the oven and ten more minutes will be enough. Control the cooking and remove it earlier if the base browns excessively. Remember that it must be flexible. If you go over baking the pizza will be hard, so be careful. Serve by chopping and spreading the rest of the fresh basil over the surface.

FOUR SEASONS PIZZA

This classic pizza owes its name to the four sectors into which it is divided and which are decorated with ham, olives, mushrooms and artichokes.

Because the diners should in principle try each "season" it is necessary to make them individual since if we make a collective pizza the distribution can be problematic (unless someone shows aversion for an ingredient, of course)

INGREDIENTS (to make four small pizzas):

    • 4 pizza bases

    • 250 grams (9 oz) of crushed tomato

    • 200 grams (7 oz) of mozzarella cheese

    • 125 grams (4.4 oz) of marinated artichokes

    • 125 grams (4.4 oz) of pitted and sliced ​​black olives

    • 125 grams (4.4 oz) of sliced ​​mushrooms

    • 125 grams (4.4 oz) of prosciutto or other ham

    • extra virgin olive oil

    • Salt

    • Pepper

First we preheat the oven to 250 degrees (480 F).

Next, spread two tablespoons of oil on the pizza dough and season with salt and pepper.

We cover them with the crushed tomato and then we place the mozzarella cheese on top, well distributed so that when it melts it "traps" the ingredients. 

We mentally divide the surface into four sectors and in each of them we place the olives, the marinated artichokes, the mushrooms and the ham. 

Drizzle with oil and season again. 

Put them in the oven and 20 minutes will be enough (place the pizzas on the rack and when you check that they have browned on the bottom and are still somewhat flexible, it will be the right time to remove them).

CAPRICIOUS PIZZA

As its name indicates, it is the whim of the diner that chooses the ingredients of this pizza. There is no single recipe for capricious pizza, so this one that I indicate is one among many.

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

    • 1 large pizza base

    • 250 grams (9 oz) of crushed tomato

    • 100 grams (3.5 oz) sliced ​​mushrooms

    • 100 grams (3.5 oz) marinated artichokes

    • 100 grams (3.5 oz) sliced ​​mozzarella cheese

    • 100 grams (3.5 oz) pitted and sliced ​​black olives

    • 1 sliced ​​hard-boiled egg

    • 100 grams (3.5 oz) of ham

    • extra virgin olive oil

    • Salt

    • Pepper

First we preheat the oven to 250 degrees (480 F).

Next, spread two tablespoons of oil on the pizza dough and season with salt and pepper. Spread the tomato well and distribute the cheese on top.

Now we are placing all the ingredients taking care that they are well distributed everywhere. Drizzle with a little more oil and season with salt and pepper.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes (or until the base is golden brown).

PIZZA CALZONE

The calzone is actually a variant of pizza. Here I give you the recipe for both the dough and the filling. If you're too lazy to make the dough, buy a sheet or two of ultra-thin pizza base and just fill it.

INGREDIENTS (to make 6 calzoni)

For the dough:

    • 1kg (2.2 lbs)  of flour

    • 30 grams (1 oz) fresh yeast

    • A quarter of a cup of warm water (50 ml)

    • 30 grams (1 oz) of salt

    • a teaspoon of granulated sugar

For the filling:

    • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

    • 200 grams (7 oz)  of mozzarella cheese

    • fresh basil leaves

    • 200 grams  (7 oz) tomato sauce

    • 200 grams (7 oz)  of cooked ham

On a work surface we place the flour in the form of a volcano and in the center we pour the yeast dissolved in water and sugar.

We begin to knead and then add the salt. We must knead until the dough becomes homogeneous, elastic and smooth.

We divide the dough into 6 equal parts and let the yeast act for approximately 1 hour. Once the dough has risen, we extend each piece of dough giving it the shape of a disc.

Place the tomato sauce in the center of each disk. Evenly spread the slices of mozzarella (or grated, whatever you have) and the cooked ham, as well as the basil. We wet with a little oil.

We close the dough on itself to make a kind of giant dumpling and close the ends well, thus obtaining six "half moons". We also coat the outer surface with another little tomato sauce.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees (480 F) and line the baking tray with parchment paper. We introduce for 10 minutes or until the dough is crispy, puffed and golden. Important: do not open the oven until it is done or it will deflate.

It is served very hot.

FRUIT PIZZA

Fruit pizzas are fairly common recipes in transalpine cuisine, although unlike their cousins ​​they are always eaten cold.

INGREDIENTS

    • Pizza base (individual or one big for all)

    • Strawberry jam or similar

   • Chopped seasonal fruits or fruit in syrup (peaches, pears, cherries, strawberries, apricots, blueberries, etc.)

We paint the base of the pizza with the help of a brush with abundant strawberry jam or any other flavor. Once the jam is hot, it will act as "glue" for the pieces of fruit, a function that mozzarella performs on hot pizzas.

We place the pieces of fruit on the jam and when they are all placed, we paint them with a mixture of water and jam so that when baked it is shiny.

We bake as we have seen in the previous recipes. Take it out of the oven, let it cool down and put it in the fridge until ready to eat. Sometimes icing sugar is sprinkled before serving.

NEAPOLITAN PIZZA

This is the pizza for those who REALLY like anchovies. 

INGREDIENTS (4 people)

    • 1 large pizza base

    • 250 grams of crushed tomato

    • 100 grams of grated mozzarella cheese

    • 16 anchovy fillets in olive oil

    • Salt

    • Pepper

First we preheat the oven to 250 degrees (480 F). 

Next, spread two tablespoons of the oil from the anchovy preserves over the pizza dough and spread the tomato. 

Season very lightly (the anchovies are very salty by themselves). 

Then we add the cheese without hiding the anchovies under it and we can place it in the oven for about twenty minutes.