Ciao Andiamo: December 2011

This December, we were thrilled to host a series of pizza-making events led by Michele Iuliano, master pizzaiolo and owner of three of our favorite Italian eateries in NYC: Luzzo's, Da Mikele and Ovest.

Michele, son of an artisanal bread-maker in Napoli, took the group through the art and traditions of Neapolitan pizza, first made famous in the 19th century during a visit to the city by Queen Margherita. To impress the queen, a local man prepared a special kind of pizza with mozarella, tomato and basil, representing the colors of the Italian flag. Thus the beginnings of the pizza margherita and some of Italy's most mouth-watering pizza creations.

Here's a look back at the cooking demonstration, and Michele's top Neapolitan pizza-making tips...

It All Starts with the Dough.

Begin mixing all the ingredients--Italian flour, yeast, salt and sugar (to bring out the color). Pound the dough repeatedly to form a ball. When almost ready, add a a dash of EVOO to get it crispy and flavorful when baked. Keep pounding, and when you can cut the dough open with a knife and see a hole inside, it's ready. Michele recommends you refrigerate the dough for 2-3 days before cooking, so the pizza comes out nice and light.

Use Only the Best Neapolitan Ingredients.

San Marzano tomatoes, grown in the volcanic ash of Mt. Vesuvius. Squash and mix with salt, a little basil and EVOO and put right on the pizza. The tomato mix should NOT be cooked before you put the pizza in the oven (otherwise you end up cooking it twice and lose the flavor).
Fresh mozzarella di bufala, made from buffalo's milk. Slice a day or two ahead of time and leave in the refrigerator so the water from the mozzarella evaporates and doesn't make the pizza turn soggy.
Fresh basil. Don't chop with a knife, break the pieces off whole with your hands.

The Oven is the Key Final Step.

A different kind of oven will make a different kind of pizza. Traditional Neapolitan pizza is baked in a wood-burning oven at temperatures over 1,000 degrees, and ready in less than 2 minutes. For thin pizza that you can make in a conventional oven at home, lay it in a pan and cook for 10-12 minutes at 400-500 degrees.