Pizza-The Ultimate Treat

Ahh Pizza,  the mere mention of it makes my stomach smile.  Hot fresh bread with cheese, sauce, vegetables and meat , straight out of the oven,  how could  you go  wrong.  A  delicious treat like this is as  rich in history as  it  is in flavor and was not always what we now consider pizza in this  day  and  age.  The  ancient word in Aramaic, the precursor language  to Hebrew, for flat bread is  Pita,  same as  today.  The breads  were  thrown in the oven as a way  to measure the temperature in an oven,  once the bread was baked, the oven was hot enough to be used for cooking other things and  the  bread was then  discarded or  given  to the  poor.  As  time passed people  started to flavor the bread with toppings,  olives, basil , cheese,  fish , meat and eventually  tomatoes.  The tomato was not always in the  equation, as it wasn't introduced to the Old world until 1600s.   The most  common  pizza we know of today is the Margherita,  tomato , basil and  cheese, the colors  of Italy's flag, named after the Queen  Margherita in  1889.  With the influx of Italians coming to America at the turn of the century, pizza came with it.  The first pizzeria in the US, is in the Little Italy section of NYC, Lombardi's.  Still open to this day it has the original brick oven used when it initially opened as a grocery store.  Times being tough, people who could not afford the whole pie would purchase what they could  afford , by the slice.  It wasn't till after World War II that it became popular in the US ,with GI's returning home from a tour in Italy.

I cant say  the  word Pizza  around my daughter with out  her  eyes lighting  up.  Often  anything circular shaped I take out of the  oven, she  refers  to  as  pizza and gets so  exited that she  sings "The Pizza Song" ( Pizza, Pizza, Pizza, pizza, Pizza).  As many parents know, getting a kid  to  eat is  not the easiest of tasks , pizza has vegetables, bread, dairy , and protein.  As  for adults, well,  Lets  say it  can bring out the little  kid in you.  Adding  more sophisticated toppings  can truly enhance the eating pleasure.  I believe pizza should be kept simple.  Flavor combinations kept to  a minimum allow each ingredient to shine, and the thin crust is essential in being the vehicle of flavor.   Although I have made the dough from scratch a million times,  I  find it  much more convenient to buy pre-made dough.  This  saves time and guarantees no problems in rising problems,  plus if you mess up,  another pizza  is  just the  grocery store away.  

Take 1 ball of pre-made pizza dough and  oil.  Take a well  greased pizza pan or pizza stone and sprinkle a light coat of  cornmeal and black pepper on it.  Roll  out  dough to cover entire  bottom leaving  a  lip around the edge.  

To make pizza sauce

2 cloves garlic 

1 small yellow  onion

olive oil

salt

black pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp rosemary

2 tsp sugar

4 tsp chopped fresh basil

cook  over low heat until onions are soft

Add 1 can chopped tomatoes and simmer  slowly

Preheat  oven to 400 degrees

Spread sauce evenly over dough and  sprinkle  with grated Romano cheese

Add  Toppings

There  are a variety of toppings I work with,  i recommend using and combination of 3 or 4 

anchovies

artichoke hearts

basil leaves

capers

calamata olives

green, yellow or red peppers

goat cheese

gorgonzola cheese

mushrooms

peperoni

pesto

prosciutto

red onion

ricotta

spinach

zucchini

or whatever you can think of

Then top with fresh mozzarella, it makes  all  the  difference

Put in the oven  and  bake 15 Minutes, or till top is golden bubbly

Remove and let sit for 5 minutes before eating.

I always try to leave one slice for a midnight snack or a quick breakfast.  A  truly good pizza  tastes equally as good hot as  it does cold

 

Samosas-Potato Puff Pastries

  Although I have  never  been  to  India,  I  have  enjoyed  the food in  restaurants and  homes  all  over  the  world.  The first time I had Samosas  was in  Nairobi, Kenya. I remember standing  at  an  outdoor market where they came to me with a slice of lime to squirt on it before the crispy treat entered my mouth.  

Samosas are delicious bite size triangles of spiced potatoes, onions and peas wrapped  in  a  flaky thin crust and deep fried to perfection.  For  the  most  part they  are  served as  appetisers in  Indian restaurants, but my favorite ones are  served  at the hole in the wall taxi driver snack shops next to gas stations all over  NYC.  These over crowded 24 hour shops are great to pop  in and  out  and  grab  a  few samosas and a hot cup  of spiced tea for a couple of bucks. 

  I  had  had Indian food  before but had never cooked  it.  At age 15 my mother came home after discovering an Indian spice store.  In she came with bags of aromatic herbs and spices, vegetable, legumes, grains, flours and sauces and away we went.  What  I  loved  about  it (besides  the  obvious, cooking  alongside the master) was taking 100 different  components , combining them in 100 different ways, and producing 100 different  outcomes.  As  opposed  to producing  one main course,  we  produced 10 different  ones.  I  still  remember  the cucumbers and onions sitting in  a brine of vinegar, salt sugar, turmeric and multi color peppercorns.  What  I  learned that day  was a valuable lesson.  Experiment, mix , create, combine, invent and  use  your instinct and your possibilities  are endless.  

Samosas are great to experiment  with,  since they  are  small  you  can  chose  a  variety  of  different  combos  to  put  inside,  producing  different  results,  to  be  mixed  and  matched with several dipping  sauces.  Potatoes, peas, lamb, chicken, cheese, spinach or  any combo are always delicious.

Potato filling

2 cups chopped  up  potatoes,  peeled  and  cubed

1 cups chopped onion

1 can green  pea, strained

1 bunch cilantro

2 cloves garlic

salt

black pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander seed

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground clove

Boil potatoes till done, strain.

In  large  frying  pan  heat oil. Add onions and garlic and spices and cook  til onions  are semi soft.  Add potatoes and peas and heat through  till  coated  in  spices.  Remove  from heat and toss  in  cilantro.  Set  aside  to  to cool  to  room  temp

To  make  triangles

1  package of egg roll wrappers  (  you can  make  the  dough  from  scratch ,  but  it  really  is  a pain and  consumes tons of  time) normally its a pack of  24

On flat surface place 2 tablespoons  of  cooled filling  in  corner, fold over and over again to make a triangle,  seal with a moist finger or towel.

In frying  pan  heat oil ,  working  in  batches fry samosas till  golden  brown on  both  sides.  Using  a  slotted  spoon remove  from  heat and place on paper towels.  Server  with  mango or tamarind chutney or  a try a  cool  cucumber yogurt  and  always  a  squirt  of  lime.