And for me, one style reigns supreme: the humble nonnaor grandmapie.
Ive become a nonna pie devotee over the years and Im here to convert you.
For one thing, my homemade pizza is rectangular, not circular.
Some will find this delightful (me!)
and others will find it distasteful or perhaps pedestrian.
Those people are definitelynotinvitedto my pizza party.
For the rest of us, I have great news.
The sauce takes 20 minutes max, and can be made while the dough rises or several days ahead.
Oil your hands lightly.
Rotate the bowl slightly and repeat until you have a rough-looking ball.
Flip the whole ball over and replace the plastic wrap.
While the dough rises, make the sauce.
Pour the olive oil into a cold, heavy-bottomed pan with a lidlike a Dutch ovenand add the garlic.
Add the tomato paste and increase the heat to medium.
Let the sauce cool until youre ready to make the pizza.
Now its time to assemble the pizza.
Place a rack as close to the bottom of your oven as it’s possible for you to.
Set the other rack in the upper third and preheat your oven to 475oF.
Leave small gaps in between the sticks as needed.
Dock the bottom of the dough all over with a fork.
Spread on the thinnest possible layer of sauce; I used maybe 3 tablespoons total.
Sprinkle on most of the grated hard cheese, then all the mozzarella,thenyour toppings.
Dollop some (or all!)
of the rest of the sauce over top and finish with the rest of the hard cheese.
Brush the crust with olive oil, then place the pizza in the oven on the bottom rack.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until bubbling and lightly browned on top.
Transfer to the top rack and bake for another 10 minutes to finish browning the crust and toppings.
Set the pan on a wire rack and cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting.
Ice cream is optional, but if its a party, why not go all out?
(For once, I didnt, and I regret it.
I guess Ill have to make up for it next time.)
