It can be a hot gourmet meal, a light garden snack or a creamy dessert. Whatever your craving, there is a creation that can satisfy it: pizza with pizzazz!
Who can resist hot, thick dough topped with a hearty sauce, creamy cheese and an array of tantalizing toppings? Not many people, if the popularity of pizza is any indication. There are a lot more ways to perk up the proverbial pizza than you may think.
Pizza often gets a bad rap as American junk food, but that reputation isn't necessarily deserved. It's only what you put on the pizza that makes it a junk food. Consider some of the following suggestions to cut calories: - Use low-fat, part-skim-milk cheeses.
- Stay with grilled or sauteed vegetables only.
- Use seafood instead of meat.
- Replace cheeses altogether with spices.
Pizza's Past
Pizza was born in Italy in the southern seaport of Naples, where the "pies" were often adorned with the tasty treasures of the sea. Pizza started out as just a flat piece of dough baked on top of rocks and topped with whatever was fresh and handy.
Pizza didn't gain widespread popularity in the United States until World War II, when GIs stationed abroad developed a taste for this unique pie and brought the idea home. Almost overnight it became an American passion.
Crust is the key to the perfect pizza
Many experts agree that the secret to a great homemade pizza is the pizza stone; they can be found in almost every gourmet shop and many department stores. Heat is distributed much more evenly with a stone, and as a result the pizza cooks at an even temperature, which will help to brown the crust to perfection.
Tip : Season the stone with oils, garlic and oregano and burn it in the oven to give your pizza added flavor and aroma.
Here are four of the more popular types of pizza crust: - New York: between thick and thin
- Sicilian: thick
- Gourmet: thin and double-baked
- Mexican: tortilla.
Would you like a few simple suggestions to make your pizza look as if a gourmet chef prepared it? - First, don't limit your imagination.
- Use fresh ingredients.
- For a good crust, use half semolina and half bread four.
RESOURCES :
Best Pizza Is Made At Home
Model: 1558670947
Author: Donna Rathmore German
Bristol Publishing Enterprises
San Leandro, CA 94577
Fax: 510-895-4459
How To Make Pizza: An Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide
Model: 0936184205
Author: Cook's Illustrated
(1997)
Boston Common Press
Boston, MA 02445
Phone: 617-232-1000
Email: webmaster@bcpress.com
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