Best place for Pizza?

[Phoenix Within]

It prevents the topping from being dried out during the cooking, especially meats.

If there's one meat i like on top, it's pepperoni. i LOVE crispy pepperoni!

[LANDM]

Italians wouldn't even recognize our pizzas, they use an olive oil/garlic base for theirs.

I agree they wouldn't recognize our pizzas but I never saw an olive oil base over there. Everything is very regional so it could have just been where I was from Rome north. It was always a fresh tomato sauce brushed on as the base.
Very thin light pizzas with few toppings . I can't imagine showing them one of those huge pizza hut jobs with all the toppings and the little cheesy finger things sticking out the side..

[oneh2obabe]

Most pizzas are made with a tomato based sauce but you can find olive oil/garlic in specialty shops. Here are some recipes if you want to switch it up occasionally.

Garlic Oil Sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic

Southwestern Oil Sauce
1/4 cup salad oil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin seed
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

California Oil Sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. parsely flakes
1/4 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. ground black peppercorn

Puree ingredients in a blender and store in a small covered jar. Brush oil sauces on pizza dough, sprinkle on desired cheese, and then toppings. Cook just like sauced pizzas, however they may take 1-2 minutes less time until done.

These recipes makes enough sauce for 2 12" pizzas.

Cooked Pizza Sauce
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp. minced garlic
3 Italian plum tomatoes, peeled and minced
3 oz. canned tomato paste
2-1/2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 black pepper
1/2 stick unsalted butter, sliced

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sauté the onions in oil for 1 minute. Stir in garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, forabout 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in butter pieces. When the butter is half melted, remove the skillet from heat and continue stirring until thoroughly incorporated.

Uncooked Pizza Sauce
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
3 oz. tomato paste
4 tbsp. Pecorino Romano
1 tsp. oregano
2 tbsp. minced fresh garlic
1 tbsp. black pepper
3 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. dried basil

Whisk all together. Allow flavors to blend for one hour before using.

Note: Using a cooked pizza sauce or an uncooked pizza sauce is a matter of personal preference. A cooked sauce has been reduced and if used hot may make the cheese melt before the base pizza dough is cooked. Both options have their benefits. One of the clear advantages of a cooked sauce is if it is winter and you have no fresh herbs, the cooked sauce absorbs the taste of dried herbs.

You can save your cooked pizza sauce in ice trays and then bag them up in a plastic bag, so you'll have a homemade pizza sauce ready in a portion that you are going to use.

[Queen K]

Naples had the olive oil/garlic based pizza. Boy was I ever shocked. Never had seen it before.

[Queen K]

We've been making our own pizza for quite a while now, just tried a new product from Costco. The tomato sauce fell flat but next time I'll doctor it up as suggested. It is nice to get the real thing once in a while tho.

Have you tried to costco "take and bake"? I eye them up once in a while, but I've never tried them.

Yes we have. They are okay in a pinch for a large party. I honestly think making homemade beats take and bake, but isn't necessarily cheaper once you add up buying all the ingrediants.

[LANDM]

Naples had the olive oil/garlic based pizza. Boy was I ever shocked. Never had seen it before.

Aaaaaah. I was wondering if that was where it was. There are so many rigid specialties in each region that you never know what you will find 50 km away let alone at an entirely different area of the country. Personally I like omitting the tomato sauce and doing olive oil but just didn't see it in the central or northern areas. Thanks