New York Style Pizza

Why street pizza? Well depending on who you talk to in New York, there seems to be two types of New York style pizza, 'street' and 'elite'. The type referred to as 'street' pizza is made with common everyday ingredients and cooked in a deck oven around 450 degrees is what most small corner pizzerias sell. The opposite end of the spectrum is the 'elite' style of New York pizza which uses the best, and generally most expensive ingredients available (fresh mozzarella, basil, etc...) and is typically baked in a coal fired brick oven at temperatures of 650 degrees or hotter. In all likelihood, the style of pizza that Gennaro Lombardi introduced to New York in 1905 was a combination of the two, humble but fresh ingredients cooked on a coal fired brick oven.

4 cups bread flour
1 ½ cups + 2 to 3 tablespoons warm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sugar

2 to 4 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon active dry yeast

• In a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve the yeast in warm water (90 to 105 degrees), and add the olive oil, then allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes. While you are waiting for the yeast to become active, combine the flour, sugar and salt together in the bowl of your stand mixer.
• Once the yeast is ready, make a well in the center of the flour and add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix on low speed just until combined (about 60 seconds). Then turn off the mixer and cover the bowl with a tea towel and allow the dough to sit for 20 minutes.
  • This resting process is called 'autolyse'. This step allows the flour to absorb the moisture before mixing helping to give your dough a smooth and silky texture. I highly recommend that you do not forget this step.
• After the dough has rested, mix on low speed for 2 minutes, then mix at medium speed for 5 minutes. When you are done mixing the dough, it will be very tacky or sticky when touched, I assure you this is the desired texture. Pour out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 30 seconds, and then form into a ball and place in a bowl that has been lightly coated with olive oil. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place and allow the dough to double in size.
  • I use a non-stick olive oil cooking spray to coat the inside of the bowls or containers I use. Make sure you lightly spray the top of the dough ball as well to keep it from drying out.
• Remove the proofed dough carefully and placed on a lightly floured surface, and divide into two (to make 16 to 18” pies) or three (to make12 to 14” pies) equal portions. or two (to make 16 to 18” pies) After cutting the dough into two or three portions, shape into a ball by pulling the edges back onto themselves a few times making sure to pinch the seam underneath. Place the dough ball seam down on the counter and roll in your hands to tighten up the dough ball (see video).
• If you are planning to use the dough balls right away, then place the prepared dough balls on a lightly floured surface or cookie sheet and cover with a damp tea towel and allow to double in size (about an hour). If you are not going to use them right away, then place your dough balls in a plastic container sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray, cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.
• An hour before your dough is ready to use, place your pizza stone on the bottom rack of your oven and preheat to 500 degrees to ensure the stone has time to come to temperature. Shape pies and add desired toppings.
  • If this is your first few times to make pizza at home, I suggest that you place the formed skins on aluminum foil sprinkled with corn meal. This makes it easy to move the pizza from your pizza peel to the pizza stone. As you gain more experience, you will be able to place your pizza skins directly on a lightly floured pizza peel and slide it onto the stone easily.
• Bake the pie on the pizza stone on the lower rack of your oven for 7 minutes, then remove the pie from the pizza stone with a pizza peel and place on the upper rack of the oven and bake for an additional 2 minutes. This two step baking process will give you a nice chewy crust with and airy edge while keeping the crust from burning.
  • If you like your crust to have a chard bottom, then dress your pizza skin on a piece of aluminum foil dusted with corn meal on top of your pizza peel then place the foil directly on the pizza stone and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Pizza Sauce Recipe

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon fennel seed, ground (optional)

• Put tomato sauce and the dry ingredients and place in a small plastic container and mix until thoroughly combined, then refrigerate.

Now that is a delicious looking pizza pie! Fast, easy, and better than anything you can get delivered.

My New York style pizza dough recipe is based on the authentic 'Vera Pizza Napoletana' dough recipe below. If you wish to make an pie as they would in Italy then this recipe will be sure to please your palette. To really get that authentic taste you need to have a wood fired oven, whose temperatures are 750 degrees or hotter. Unfortunately, at this time I do not have such at home, but maybe one day.

Vera Pizza Napoletana Dough Recipe

4 cups Caputo Tipo 00 Flour
1 ½ cups + 2 to 3 tablespoons warm water

2 to 4 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon active dry yeast

• Prepare as you would for the New York Pizza recipe.

Mediterranean Chickpeas and Spinach

2 cups dried chickpeas
16 ounces fresh spinach, washed

2 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into small cubes
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 small bunch fresh oregano, roughly chopped

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon turmeric or curry powder

• Soak dried chickpeas overnight in a large saucepan or Dutch oven.
• Drain and rinse the in a colander. Return to the sauce pan and fill with 2 quarts of cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 to 2 hours or until chickpeas are soft adding any additional water as necessary. Skim off any scum that may build up on the water during the cooking process.
• Once the peas are soft, remove the pan from the heat and pour off any excess liquid just until the water is level with the chickpeas. Add the turmeric, paprika and season chickpeas with ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper and set aside.
• In a large saute pan add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and heat over a medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the spinach with a pinch of salt. Saute the spinach just until the leaves are just tender, then drain in a colander and set aside.
• Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in your saute pan and saute the cubed bread for about 5 minutes or just until golden brown all over, then add the garlic, cumin seeds, oregano and dried chilli. Cook for 60 seconds or until the garlic is nutty brown. Transfer the mixture to a food processor along with the vinegar, and mash to a paste. If you do not want to use a food processor you can use a mortar and pestle.
  • You need about 2 ½ ounces white bread. A 1-inch slice of old French or Italian with the crust removed works well if you have it, but most people use 2 to 3 slices of sandwich bread with the crust removed and cubed.
• Return the bread mixture to the saute pan and add the chickpeas and their water. Stir until the chickpeas have absorbed the flavors and then check seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary. Add the spinach and heat over low to medium heat just until the dish is thoroughly heated through. If the consistency is a little thick, add some water, makes four to six entrees.

Greek Style - Crumble 6 to 8 ounces feta cheese into chickpeas before serving, reserving a small amount for garnish.
Spanish Style - Add 1/4 cup tomato sauce to chickpeas before sauteing spinach.

There are a ton of variations of this original Moorish recipe served all over the Mediterranean region. In fact, a variation of this same type of dish is popular in India. While I have saffron threads in my pantry many people do not, and turmeric is sometimes called the 'poor man's' saffron. Therefore I generally use turmeric and or curry powder in place of the saffron in this dish simply because of the cost. If you want to use saffron as called for in the original recipe, steep 60 strands of saffron in 4 tablespoons boiling water. Add this in place of the turmeric or curry powder.