Pizza


 
S

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Diamond Member
What do you use for sauce?
I find myself using a thin coat of Prego....

Favorite topping combos?
I use thin sauce, romano cheese, minced garlic, sliced onion, thin sliced plum tomatoes, green pepper and italian sausage, pepperoni....

Tomato trick: too wet-just slice plum tomato thin and rest on double layers of paper towels to soak up excess moisture.
 
Lately I've been using the "6 in 1" ground tomatoes which is an Escalon product. They have a good fresh flavor and good consistency for a pizza sauce. I highly recommend them; if you can't find them in a retail establishment, you can order online and shipping is only $1.50! Usually I go with veggie toppings; red and green bell peppers, marinated artichokes, onion, black or green olives. If I don't use a tomato sauce, I'll sometimes go with a basic pesto instead.
 
For a really good fresh-tasting pizza sauce, use one that is uncooked, such as my adaptation (HERE) of the Gemelli Pizza recipe in Maggie Glezer's "Artisan Baking Across America." I've been using it for at least 8 or 9 years. I think that Peter Reinhart has a similar recipe in his recent book "American Pie."

Her pizza dough is also excellent and the one I use for grilled or baked pizzas. After a 6-hour proof, it is VERY extensible! Retarding the dough is optional.

Rita
 
Here's the recipe I use for tomato based sauce for pizza. It's not mine...it's Peter Reinhart's from the book "American Pie." Hands down the best sauce I've ever had...and the San Marzono toms are crucial! They really do add their own taste.

pizza tom sauce

28 oz can san marzano tomatoes (crushed)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp basil, dried
1 tbsp. minced fresh oregeno
2 big cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt

Don't cook. Just mix, and spread a somewhat light coating of the sauce over the dough.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Clark Deutscher:
Hi Phil, just wondering if the tomatoes are easily found? I haven't looked yet....Thanks!

Clark </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Clark,

I had no trouble finding them here. I have to admit, the first place I went was an "upscale" grocery store here called Nugget, which usually carries things like this...I've never looked for them at normal grocery stores. I'm not sure of the brand, but the ones I buy (that I've been extremely happy with) have a solid white wrapper and a plum tomato on them that says San Marzano...Example.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Clark Deutscher:
just wondering if the tomatoes are easily found?

Clark </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Not here in PA at a regular grocery store. I've been looking for over a year for them no go here in Amish town. Guess I could venture into the city and hit up the Italian store but......... I'm hoping to score some on my next trip to Wegman's. In Phil's pic you can see the D.O.P. stamp on them which means they are the real deal. Some have reported less than great results with non D.O.P. stamped cans, YMMV. Lucky you Phil. What does a can run you?
 
Costco carries a 6 lb 10 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes. I use this size can for making marinara for my freezer.

That's a lot of pizza sauce, though, but it can be used over pasta or as a marinara-type sauce too or can be amended for a Puttanesca sauce. It does keep for a couple of months or longer when FoodSavered in quart canning jars and stored in a cold fridge.

I'm not fond of freezing the fresh uncooked sauce; it seems to separate a little after thawing, but it's fine if you heat it for pasta.

Rita
 
Bryan,

Thought you might be weighing in on this thread sooner or later as I know you're a pizza guy. Anyway, the tomatoes are usually about $3-3 somthing per 28 ounce can. They're worth it. Like most DOP/AOP stuff, you can taste a difference. They really are delicious and (IMO) worth the extra price.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rita Y:
Costco carries a 6 lb 10 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes. I use this size can for making marinara for my freezer.

That's a lot of pizza sauce, though, It does keep for a couple of months or longer when FoodSavered in quart canning jars and stored in a cold fridge.

I'm not fond of freezing the fresh uncooked sauce; it seems to separate a little after thawing, but it's fine if you heat it for pasta.

Rita </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Thanks Rita, I'll look at my Costco the next time. I was thinking of doing the vac sealed jars and leaving out any/all fresh ingredients to prolong their life in the vac sealed jars and stored in the frig thing. I have tried freezing my pizza sauce when using a #10 can of toms and yes it does seperate pretty bad so I have given up on the freezing of pizza sauce.
Phil, I'll find me some of those D.O.P toms one day, looking forward to trying them. Many on the pizza forum swear by them. Also as I have posted before, the 6 in 1's from Calif are a good alterative. I have two #10 cans of them waiting to be made into pizza sauce.
P.S. I had made a pan pizza for dinner lastnight.
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Phil, I long for the day I finally get to try the D.O.P. San Marzano's on top of my pie.
icon_smile.gif
 
I've subbed the 6 in 1 for the San Marzano tomatoes, I thought they were fabulous! I actually kind of kicked myself when I got home one day b/c I meant to buy SM, but I'd been reading the pizza forum and heard about them being used in chicago style pies and I guess they just stuck in my brain. So I bought them kind of on accident and decided to try them. Turned out really well.
Don't know if anybody has tried, but San Marzano tomato seeds are available on the net. I'm thinking about ordering some, but am not sure...I never grow sauce tomatoes as I am not a big fan of canning (I don't mind *eating* home canned foods, but I don't like the work involved!).
 
Steve, I put sliced tomatoes on pizzas from time to time, with and without sauce. I mostly use Romas but if I have garden-ripe tomatoes, I feature them. I pat them dry on paper towels and put them *on top* of the cheese. When I'm baking one at a time, I bake my pizzas on the top oven rack, on a stone, at 550° convection, the highest that my oven goes.

I've been known to put 4 stones on 4 racks and bake them all at the same time. As I cut and platter the top one, the one on the second rack is ready to process, etc. I'll be doing that this coming week if scheduling works out. Have to preheat longer, though.
 
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