Alice's Italian Pizza Lesson
(view more italian recipes!)

For Italo Americans (and everyone else) who has not yet eaten pizza in Italy and wish to learn more about their Italian heritage.

This is a delightful subject so read carefully for maximum enjoyment.

Pizzas are baked plate size and eaten with a knife and fork. Pizzerias throughout Italy are usually owned and operated by Neapolitans which makes them appear more authentic and appealing to the general Italian population. There is no home delivery. Everyone goes to the Pizzeria; more people go on Sunday night than any other night in the week.

I have made a list of the classic pizzas, leaving their Italian names but I translated the ingredients into English. Please memorize this list (!) and try to taste as many of the following pizzas as you can.

CLASSIC PIZZAS

• MARGHERITA - tomato, mozzarella, basil and oil
• MARINARA - tomato, garlic, oil and oregano
• NAPOLETANA - tomato, mozzarella, anchovy, oregano and oil
• ALLA FIAMMA - tomato, onion, oregano, hot peppers, olives and oil
• QUATTRO STAGIONI - tomatoes, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, prosciutto, mushrooms, olives and oil. This pizza is divided into four parts representing the four seasons
• CAPRICCIOSA - tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, oregano, olives, artichoke hearts and mushrooms
• BISMARK - tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto and eggs
• SARDA - tomato, mozzarella, hot sausage, ricotta and oil
• REGINA - tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto and mushrooms
• FINANZIERA - tomato, mozzarella, tuna, rugola, onion and olives
• BOSCAIOLA - tomato, mozzarella, porcini mushrooms, oil
• BALTICA - mozzarella, pepper, salmon and oil
• ORTOLANA - tomato, mozzarella, grilled greens
• QUATTRO FORMAGGI - mozzarella and 3 other mixed cheeses

CREATING PIZZAS

more ideas Vine ripened tomato pizza Stuffed Pizza with Ricotta Calzone Stuffed Vegetarian Pizza (Calzone) Shrimp Pizzette with Mango Salsa

I will begin with examples. Then I want you to e-mail us your favorite pizza recipe and we will add it to our list on this web site. Eventually, the World will turn to virtualitalia.com when they need a pizza recipe...

Basic Pizza Dough
9 oz white flour
1/2 oz brewers or compressed yeast
pinch salt , water, as needed.

Crumble the yeast in a cup and dilute with several tablespoons of warm water (not hot otherwise the yeast organisms die and their leavening power is lost); mix with about 2 oz. of flour, cover the cup with a cloth and keep it in a warm place so that it can leaven. Pour the remaining flour on the pastry board, add a pinch of salt and knead with warm water (the resulting dough should not be too soft). Add the leavened dough and continue to knead vigorously until the dough achieves an elastic texture. Shape the dough into six even balls, then place them on a flat wooden board. Lightly l; coated with flour, cover with a cloth and keep it in a warm place until the risen dough becomes twice its initial size. The pizza dough is now ready to be punched down, made into disks of approximately 8" in diameter, and used for pizza with any topping you wish.

Basic Pizza Dough II
Buy a ready made pizza crust.

Alice's Fresh Pizza Margherita
I put my fresh tomato and roasted pepper sauce on a ready made pizza shell along with shredded mozzarella cheese and added strips of yellow and green peppers in a pinwheel pattern on the top. I bake it a 450 for 10 minutes.

Three-Cheese Pizza with Onion and Sage
Can be prepared in 45 minuets or less.

about 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons (half a 1/4-ounce package) fast-acting yeast
1/2 cup hot water (130�F.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cornmeal
cornmeal for sprinkling the baking sheet
6 large fresh sage leaves, halved, or 1 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
3/4 cup finely diced Danish Fontina
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 red onion, sliced thin into rings
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

In a food processor combine 1/2 cup of the flour and the yeast, with the motor running add the hot water, and turn the motor off. Add the oil, the honey, the salt, the cornmeal, and 1/2 cup of the remaining flour, blend the dough until it forms a ball, and if necessary blend in enough of the remaining 1/4 cup flour to form a soft but not sticky dough. Process the dough for 30 seconds, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead it 10 times. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest, covered with an inverted bowl, in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500�F. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle and transfer it to an oiled baking sheet (preferably black steel), sprinkled lightly with the cornmeal. (If using the dried sage sprinkle it evenly over the dough.) Scatter the Fontina and the blue cheese evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border, and arrange the onion rings and the fresh sage leaves over the cheese. Sprinkle the pizza with the Parmesan and bake it on the bottom rack of the oven for 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.

Serves 2