There is a well-named handmade pasta shop in the Wedgewood neighborhood of Seattle called, simply, La Pasta: “The Pasta.”
Inside the shop there is another, equally beautiful, sign next to which is hand lettered in chalk “CHI MANGIA BENE VIVE BENE.” This is the Italian philosophy of life summarized in five words: “Who eats well lives well.”
In his foreword to the beautiful (upcoming) The Use a Kitchen Scale Cookbook you all designed and assembled, Dylan writes that "the axiom at the heart of Dad's cooking philosophy is that cooking is a means of building community and showing love." Love and community are the keys to living well and flourishing, so this is fully consonant with the Italian way passed down to me through Grandma Pina and her family, including my Nonna Mimma. That makes me think of going back where my own cooking journey began for this 500th episode of UaKS.
Many Fridays growing up in New Hyde Park we ordered a Sicilian pie from Umberto's Pizzeria. In addition to the thick Sicilian pies we favored, Grandma Pina’s friend Umberto (the "Pope of Pizza") invented the now iconic "grandma" pizza. The dough is thinner, "somewhere between a Sicilian dough and a traditional New York crust."* And the topping is not a traditional smooth red sauce but instead drained diced plum tomatoes mixed with a little olive oil, garlic, and oregano. Very simple. For me, it's an ideal pizza to make at home on a sheet pan, which comes out reasonably close to what you get at Umberto's, compared to the Sicilian pie which is almost impossible to recreate. Brad ate half a pizza by himself when I re-tested this recently, so I think it passed muster.
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*This is from an article on the PMQ Pizza website on "The Secret of Grandma's Recipe" about Umberto’s and the origin of grandma pizza.
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| Step 4: Scrape the dough into the center of the pan (unlike what I did here), as it will make it easier to stretch the dough into the corners of the pan in the next step without tearing the dough. |
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| Step 5 |
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| Here is a Dylan's-eye view of the baking pizza. |
Grandma Pizza
Adapted from Cook's Country #43 (Feb/Mar 2012), via PBS SoCal
Time: ~2:45 from start to finish, much of which is rising time
Dough
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
177 grams (¾ cup) water
230 grams (~1½ cups) bread flour
2¼ teaspoons (1 yeast spoon or 1 envelope) instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Topping
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
13 grams (1 tablespoon) olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
rounded ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
227 grams / 8 ounces (2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1. For the dough: Pam-spray a 13-by-18-inch (half-sheet) baking pan. Add 27 grams (2 tablespoons) of the olive oil to the pan and spread it out to coat the pan.
2. Measure the water and remaining 13 grams (1 tablespoon) oil into a 1-cup liquid measuring cup.
3. Place the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt into the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook; combine on low speed. With the mixer running on low speed (2 on our KitchenAid), slowly add the water-oil mixture. Turn the mixer up to medium-low (4 on our KitchenAid) and mix for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and comes away from the bottom of the mixer.
4. Scrape the sticky dough into the center of the oiled sheet pan (this will make it easier to stretch the dough to the corners of the pan in the next step without tearing the dough). Turn the dough to coat it all over with the oil. Using your fingers, gently stretch the dough into an approximately 6-by-10-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until roughly doubled in size, about 60 to 90 minutes (see photo 1).
5. Using your fingers, gently stretch the dough to the corners of the pan. Unlike an Umberto’s Sicilian pie, Grandma is a thin-crust pizza, so try to stretch the dough evenly, without leaving any very thin spots where the pan shows through. Re-cover with the plastic wrap and let rise for another 45 minutes, until the dough is puffed up all over (see photo 2).
6. Meanwhile, 15 minutes before the final 45-minute rising time is up, place a rack in the lowest position of the oven, and heat to 500 degrees.
7. For the topping: After turning the oven on, thoroughly drain the diced tomatoes in a colander. Transfer to a small bowl. Add the oil, garlic, oregano, and salt, and stir to combine.
8. When the final rise is done, sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border all around. Scatter the tomato topping evenly over the cheeses. Bake until the crust is well browned and the cheese is bubbling, about 15 minutes.
9. Slide the pizza out of the pan onto a wire rack. Scatter the basil over the top. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.
Dough
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
177 grams (¾ cup) water
230 grams (~1½ cups) bread flour
2¼ teaspoons (1 yeast spoon or 1 envelope) instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Topping
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
13 grams (1 tablespoon) olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
rounded ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
227 grams / 8 ounces (2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1. For the dough: Pam-spray a 13-by-18-inch (half-sheet) baking pan. Add 27 grams (2 tablespoons) of the olive oil to the pan and spread it out to coat the pan.
2. Measure the water and remaining 13 grams (1 tablespoon) oil into a 1-cup liquid measuring cup.
3. Place the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt into the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook; combine on low speed. With the mixer running on low speed (2 on our KitchenAid), slowly add the water-oil mixture. Turn the mixer up to medium-low (4 on our KitchenAid) and mix for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and comes away from the bottom of the mixer.
4. Scrape the sticky dough into the center of the oiled sheet pan (this will make it easier to stretch the dough to the corners of the pan in the next step without tearing the dough). Turn the dough to coat it all over with the oil. Using your fingers, gently stretch the dough into an approximately 6-by-10-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until roughly doubled in size, about 60 to 90 minutes (see photo 1).
5. Using your fingers, gently stretch the dough to the corners of the pan. Unlike an Umberto’s Sicilian pie, Grandma is a thin-crust pizza, so try to stretch the dough evenly, without leaving any very thin spots where the pan shows through. Re-cover with the plastic wrap and let rise for another 45 minutes, until the dough is puffed up all over (see photo 2).
6. Meanwhile, 15 minutes before the final 45-minute rising time is up, place a rack in the lowest position of the oven, and heat to 500 degrees.
7. For the topping: After turning the oven on, thoroughly drain the diced tomatoes in a colander. Transfer to a small bowl. Add the oil, garlic, oregano, and salt, and stir to combine.
8. When the final rise is done, sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border all around. Scatter the tomato topping evenly over the cheeses. Bake until the crust is well browned and the cheese is bubbling, about 15 minutes.
9. Slide the pizza out of the pan onto a wire rack. Scatter the basil over the top. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.
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