Making Flavors Count
So, we heard you wondering what sorts of things go good on pizza. We listened.
We'll start with the most classic pizza there is: I know what you're likely thinking, but no, it's not the Margherita. Believe it or not, some of the earliest pizzas were just tomatoes, salt and a bit of basil or fish. The Margherita, though it's a classic, it was not the first. The Margherita has the colors of the flag of Italy - red, white and green, and it sure is a beauty, but the first, it is not. The whole world has some sort of flat, bready baked item. There's the Indian roti, the Armenian lavash, the Chinese xian bing, the Afghani bulani, the Lebanese manakish; The list goes on and on. If you'd like to see a larger list, check out this neat article.
One of the first, great flavor profiles that you can try putting on your pizza happens to be very cheap and easy as well! Imagine Italian food, what do you think of? Garlic, tomatoes, basil, olive oil. Let me tell you, all you have to do is smell this combination and you'll understand. To make it, you just need to make some dough, tomatoes, fresh garlic, and basil. You might be asking yourself: Where's the cheese? Well, let me be the first to tell you - you don't need it! This pizza is so fresh and fragrant, you won't be missing the cheese at all. If you want something else, try adding some anchovy - it really takes it up a notch if you're into that kind of thing.
Honey Apple
Margherita
Marinara with Anchovies
Next up, the Margherita. High quality tomatoes, basil, extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella. Simple, elegant, aromatic, beautiful. The thing about this one is that each ingredient is able to play off of one another while maintaining an individuality. You really get to enjoy your crust and sauce, while smelling the fresh basil, and chewing on the cheese. One tip here - your fresh mozzarella should be dry when you use it, and you should either buy the pre-sliced stuff, or slice it evenly. Some people use cubes, others use thick shavings, you can be your own boss here, but just make sure that you don't get big tall globs, because you'll burn the top of the cheese before you melt it all. You can also choose to put the basil under the cheese to avoid burning it, next to the cheese, on top of the cheese, or fresh on top after cooking - it's really up to your preference! I personally like my basil cooked into my sauce, and I like to put the basil on as the last ingredient before cooking. I find that the basil doesn't get as fragrant when put on after cooking, and I like to see it, so I don't hide it under the cheese. I'll take a few burnt leaves over hidden basil, it's just prettier!
You can really put whatever you want on a pizza. Above, there's a picture of our honey apple pie, which has honey butter, apples, cinnamon sugar, and sharp cheddar cheese. It's a real hit for dessert, and it's one of my favorite pizzas of ours to eat cold.
Finally, America's favorite pizza - the pepperoni pizza. For this one, I like to use thin pepperoni slices, and I use a blend of shredded parmesan as well as low moisture mozzarella - those two cheeses add enough depth and chew for me, I don't miss others. You can add fontina if you'd like, and some people add gouda, but I don't think it's necessary. If you're looking for an easy way to get decent cheese, go get the bags of shredded mozzarella and the bag of shredded parmesan from Costco - those two cheeses in a 3 mozz : 1 parm ratio make a really good pizza blend. Then, put some dried oregano on top of your pizza before cooking, and you've done it!
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Pepperoni Pizza
