Viva Pizza!

Even though he doesn't go around singing O Sole Mio all day long, a Neapolitan is usually an amiable person. His capacity for enduring irritation is high, but when he finally reaches the point of rage, he is liable to clench his fists and shout Ti faccio la testa come una pizza! (I'll flatten your head like a pizza!) Now the question this raises is: which particular pizza does the angry Neapolitan have in mind? It certainly isn't the great tender pizza rustica with its top and bottom crust filled with cheese and egg; nor is it the delicate calzone, folded like a pocketbook and fried in oil; nor is it the plump kind of pizza served in d'Angelo's restaurant in Naples, lush with mussels, onions or black olives. Nor could it be the kind which Italians prepare for the special hour when the church bells are untied right before the Easter celebration, good enough to eat cold as well as hot, or the rich mushroom pizza which Caruso loved -- these still represent the genuine poetry of the Italian cucina. One can only assume that the angry Neapolitan is referring to a flat and unsuccessful pizza which he will go to especial pains to make and show you, solely for (continued on page 70) Viva Pizza! (continued from page 29) the purpose of demonstrating the way in which he intends to treat your head.

From transplanted Italians in this country you'll hear all kinds of dicta on how you can learn the art of pizza baking. Older Italian women fulminate against such spurious equipment as gas or electric stoves. You can't possibly make a real pizza, they insist, unless you have a wood-burning oven built alongside an open hearth. Some professional pizza makers, too, tend to sneer at any man who hasn't spent several decades learning arcane skills from his Sicilian great-grandfather. These injunctions, all delivered with a certain ruddy charm, are, in truth, so much superstition.

Actually you need only a pigeonhole of a kitchen to make your own pizzas. And you'll make great pizza provided you start out with the correct original conception, namely, that the three parts of the pizza -- the crisp dough, the filling and the cheeses (plural) -- must all be built into a tantalizing plumpness.

As far as the dough is concerned, don't attempt to compete with the grandstand play bakers make in the windows of pizzerias. You don't have to learn the difficult and senseless skill of swinging the dough around your fist, tossing it into outer space, and stretching it as thin as a balloon. As a matter of fact the dough will be better if it isn't stretched, but slowly and gently pressed with your finger tips after they've been dipped lightly in olive oil. If you're a novice, don't get perturbed should the recipe call for yeast. There are probably less failures in baked goods made with yeast than in those that use baking powder. Simply remember that yeast is inactive when cold or dry, that it grows (causes the dough to rise) when it's dissolved in warm water, and that it stops working when exposed to a great heat (when the pizza is baked).

Making the simple bread dough that's used for pizza is so easy that it can usually be mastered on the first try, but if you're uneasy about making your own dough, there are a number of easy alternatives. You can sometimes buy a piece of dough from a baker or pizzeria owner. You can use one of the packaged yeast dough mixes designed for making rolls. Or you can buy a pizza mix which contains not only the exact ingredients for making the dough but also the pizza sauce and grated cheese.

One of the best pizza sauces is the canned marinara sauce intended primarily for spaghetti dishes. Canned pizza sauces are sometimes a little watery; you may have to add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste to give them the necessary body. When the recipe calls for canned tomatoes in place of a sauce, be sure to get the best grade of Italian plum tomato -- called pomodòro, or apple of gold. This is the firm kind that you can split in two with your fingers, then flip the seeds aside. In adding other solid ingredients to the filling you can ad lib indefinitely: Use prepared meat balls, the hard sausages called pepperoni, prosciutto ham, green peppers, anchovies, capers, sardines, truffles, chicken livers or any other cooked meat, seafood or vegetable.

The trick of blending a number of cheeses into one dish is one of the sure signs that a pizza man really knows his Italian culinary tradition. In making a fine lasagna, for instance, a skilled chef will sometimes include five or six different kinds of cheese. And while a pizza isn't regarded primarily as a cheese dish, the blending of cheeses helps give the pizza its billowy deliciousness. Cheese mollifies the salty anchovies, soothes the garlic and tempers the tomatoes. If you can't buy a variety of Italian cheeses in your neighborhood, some effective substitutions can be made. In place of bel paese or mozzarella use port du salut or munster or brick cheese. In place of provolone use smoked cheddar. For the topping itself the best cheese is the freshly grated imported parmesan. Less sweet and more pungent than parmesan is the romano. These cheeses may also be blended.

One factor that may help explain the ever-growing popularity of pizza in America is the seductive fragrance of the little dried green leaf, oregano, which is found in almost every pizza, and which was almost unknown in the United States until the middle Thirties. Now oregano can be found on almost every store shelf. The native American herb of the same family, sweet marjoram, hardly competes with the slightly bitter, slightly sweet, imported oregano, the one thing which asserts that a pizza really is a pizza. The ancient Romans believed that the herb contained the touch of the fingers of Venus herself, and it's used in every pizza recipe except pizza rustica. It may appear in the pizza sauce or atop the filling.

The length of the recipe for pizza dough which follows may seem forbidding. But the actual working time is brief, if you don't count the period while the dough is rising.

[recipe_title]Pizza Dough[/recipe_title]

(For one 9-inch pie)

Sift together 1-1/2 cups all-purpose Hour (previously sifted and measured), 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper. Dissolve 1/2 cake yeast or 1/2, packet dry yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Melt 2 tablespoons lard over a low flame. In a generous-size mixing bowl combine 1/4 cup milk, the dissolved yeast and the lard. Add 1/2 cup of the sifted flour, and beat very smooth with a wire whip. Gradually add the balance of the flour, mixing with a kitchen spoon until a dough is formed. You'll need a little extra muscle power here. The dough should be somewhat moist. In order to make it dry enough to handle, sprinkle lightly with flour. Form the dough into a ball and place it on a floured board. Knead it; that is, fold the dough toward you with your finger tips, and then press down and away with the heels of your hands. Turn the dough one quarter turn after each pressing in order to keep it compact. If the dough sticks to the board, scrape the board, then dust it lightly with flour, using as little flour as possible. Knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes, then place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate or a damp cloth and put it in a warm place, about 90°, until the dough doubles in bulk. Use any warm spot, alongside a radiator, near a furnace, etc. Or, if no such warm place is accessible, place the bowl over a pan of warm water at about 90°. Since the water will not maintain this temperature for the entire rising period, you may have to change it several times. Of course, on a very warm summer day, the dough will rise at ordinary room temperature. After the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down. If you're not going to use it immediately, you should brush it lightly with oil, wrap it in wax paper, and refrigerate it. It may be stored several days in the refrigerator.

After punching the dough down, place it on a floured board and let it rest 10 to 15 minutes. During this time it will become more supple and easier to handle. Place the dough in a greased 9-inch pie pan. Dip the finger tips in olive oil, and press the dough out toward the rim of the pan, then around the rim so that it forms a raised edge that will hold the filling. A large pizza pan or large griddle pan requires a double batch of dough.

[recipe_title]Prepared Pizza Mixes[/recipe_title]

These mixes, most of which are surprisingly good, will save you the labor of measuring your own ingredients. But after mixing the dough, the procedure of kneading the dough, letting it rise and shaping it will be the same as outlined above. Usually the directions on the package will indicate that there is enough dough for three 9-inch pizzas. Use the dough for only two pies, and your pizzas will be more tender.

[recipe_title]Pizza Sauce[/recipe_title]

Mince very fine 1 medium-size onion and 1 medium-size clove garlic. Force a No. 2 can of tomatoes through a colander or large sieve. Sauté the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil until the onion just begins to turn yellow. Add the tomatoes, a 6-oz. can tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon monosodium glutamate, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon oregano and 1/2 teaspoon minced basil leaf. Simmer 20 minutes. The No, 2 can of tomatoes required in this recipe will make enough sauce for three 9-inch pizzas. Leftover sauce may be used in pasta dishes.

[recipe_title]Pizza with Prosciutto[/recipe_title]

Prepare the pizza dough. On the crust place 2 ozs. bel paese cheese cut into small dice and 1 oz. provolone cheese forced through the large holes of a metal grater. Cut 2 ozs. sliced prosciutto ham into small dice and sprinkle over the cheese. Prosciutinni or regular boiled ham may be substituted. Pour 3/4 cup pizza sauce over the filling. Sprinkle lightly with oregano. Sprinkle generously with grated parmesan cheese. Sprinkle very lightly with crushed red pepper. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and olive oil. Preheat the oven at 425°. Bake 20-25 minutes or until brown.

[recipe_title]Pizza Di Cippole[/recipe_title]

Prepare the pizza dough. Cut 2 medium-size onions in half lengthwise, then cut them crosswise into the thinnest possible slices. Sauté the onions in 2 tablespoons olive oil, just until they lose their crispness. Cut 3 ozs. mozzarella cheese into small dice. Put 1 oz. provolone cheese through the large holes of a metal grater. Place both cheeses on the pizza dough. Place the sautéed onions on the cheese. Place 1/2 cup sliced pitted ripe olives on the onions. Pour 3/4 cup pizza sauce on the onions. Sprinkle generously with grated parmesan cheese. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and olive oil. Preheat oven at 425°. Bake 20-25 minutes or until brown.

[recipe_title]Pizza with Mushrooms[/recipe_title]

Prepare the Pizza dough. Sauté 1/2 1b. sliced fresh mushrooms in 3 tablespoons olive oil until tender. Season with salt, pepper and the juice of 1/4 lemon. Cut 4 ozs. fontina cheese, or any other semihard cheese like mozzarella or bel paese, into small dice. Place the cheese on the crust. Place the mushrooms on the cheese. Drain half a No. 2 can of plum tomatoes. Cut each tomato in half, removing the seeds. Place the tomatoes on the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt, onion salt and oregano. Cut 1 oz. anchovies into very small dice and scatter over tomatoes. Sprinkle very lightly with crushed red pepper. Sprinkle heavily with grated parmesan cheese. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and olive oil. Preheat oven at 425°. Bake 20-25 minutes or until brown.

[recipe_title]Pizza Rustica[/recipe_title]

This is a pizza with a crust at both the top and bottom. It should be baked in an 8-inch pie pan. Prepare the pizza dough, then divide it in half. Roll out the dough so that each piece extends about 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the pie pan. Fit the bottom dough into the pan. In a mixing bowl combine 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1 slightly beaten egg, 2 tablespoons minced green pepper, 1/4 cup diced prosciutto ham or boiled ham, 1 teaspoon grated onion, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 dashes cayenne pepper. Spoon ricotta mixture into crust. Place the top crust over the pie, folding it between the bottom crust and the pie pan, and pinching the two crusts together. Brush top crust with olive oil or melted butter. Preheat oven at 375°. Bake 45 minutes or until brown.

[recipe_title]Pizza Quattro Venti[/recipe_title]

Prepare a double batch of the pizza dough. Spread the entire batch of dough over a large pizza pan or large round or square griddle pan. Place 4 ozs. coarsely-grated provolone and 6 ozs. sliced mozzarella on the dough. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese. Cover the cheese with 1-1/2 cups pizza sauce. Divide the pizza into 4 wedges, using grated parmesan cheese to make narrow dividing lines. Cut 1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms into thin slices. Sauté the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Arrange the mushrooms on one section of the pie. Drain an 8-oz. can of cocktail meat balls, and place them on the second section of the pie. Drain a 2-oz. can of anchovies, and arrange them on the third section. Sprinkle the anchovies with 2 tablespoons minced parsley. On the remaining quadrant place 3 ozs. mozzarella cheese cut into thin slices. Sprinkle the mozzarella lightly with paprika. Sprinkle the dividing lines of parmesan cheese lightly with paprika and olive oil. Preheat oven at 425°. Bake 20-25 minutes or until brown.

Try one or two of these recipes, and you'll discover What Every Young Man Should Know About Making Pizza: it's easy as pie.