Changing Pizza Trends

For years, pizza has been a favorite food of American culture. Pizza, holding its own against all time greats such as hamburgers and hotdogs, has become somewhat of a staple on the American menu and on its table. However, since its comeuppance in the category of favorite foods in the U.S., pizza has come a long way as far as what is termed as great toppings and what is termed as just plain weird. Some new trends in the way that pizza is made and topped have come to the forefront. Foods that are used for toppings today and are popular, in the 1960’s would have been turned away as ridiculous.

Over the past few decades, tastes have changed in America. While many pizza lovers prefer traditional pizza styles and toppings such as pepperoni, sausage, onions, peppers, mushrooms and olives, pizza connoisseurs that are new to the scene are fond of trying the non-traditional in order to find pizza topping greatness. Some newer toppings that are not so radical that the traditional pizza fan can not get past them are toppings such as chicken, ham and pineapple, and ground beef, to name a few. However, there have been toppings that have totally offended the sensibilities of that traditional pizza enthusiast.

One of the things that has completely affected the new wave of pizza traditions in this industry is the fact that the great people of the gourmet foods industry have begun to take a part in the pizza industry, helping to make it their own. Suddenly, pizza is no longer only for the superbowl party, or the kids’ birthday party, or a late night fix when the busy career woman comes home tired from work and doesn’t want to cook. It has become the object of attention for society’s elite in the gourmet foods circuit.

More and more these days, fine dining and gourmet restaurants are beginning to offer their unique take on the creation of pizza. The gourmet food industry brings flair to pizza by offering daring topping choices and letting creativity and taste come to the forefront. While some might say the toppings they choose are ridiculous, which some of the more daring topping ideas may be, some of the new trends in pizza are really beginning to take off with the more elite crowd. Some new toppings include seafood such as oysters and crayfish. Other new toppings that have been tried are game meats like venison and duck. Even wackier are toppings such as peanut butter and jelly and bacon and eggs.

While you won’t find most pizza lovers willing to try mashed potato pizza, many are stepping out on a limb and trying the new toppings the renovated pizza industry has to offer. Whatever your favorite toppings are, America is in agreement of one thing about pizza: it’s impossible to live without.

Rediscovering Grilled Pizza

America’s favorite food has long been the pizza cooked in a traditional oven but is that about to change? While most Americans have probably never indulged in a grilled pizza, the origins of pizza are making a big comeback. There is no denying that we love our traditional backyard barbeque but rarely, if ever has the barbeque included grilling a pizza. Despite the seemingly odd combination of grill and pizza, the grill is the ideal tool for cooking pizza and in fact is deep in the origin of pizza making. The high, dry heat is ideal for a nice crisp crust and the flavor provided from your grill will on a whole new world of backyard grilling.

Before the word pizza was ever used, Greeks and Romans used wood-fired brick ovens to prepare the original version of pizza – flatbread. In ancient times each diner was given a piece of flat bread along with a piece of meat on the bread. This food was eaten with the fingers with an occasional knife to cut the meat. Little did they know that this would eventually spark the creation one of the America’s favorite foods.

Grilled Pizza Techniques:

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon dried yeast
1 tablespoon soy oil
1 teaspoon sugar
ฝ cup warm water (110ฐF)
1 ฝ cup bread flour
1 tablespoon soy flour
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:
Combine yeast, sugar and ฝ cup very warm water in bowl, let sit for five minutes. Combine flour and salt in bowl. Mix yeast mixture with bowl containing dry ingredients. Add a little extra flour if dough is sticky. Knead for a good 10 minutes. Put into a greased bowl and let rise for 60 minutes until it doubles in size. Turn out onto a floured surface then knead lightly until smooth. Roll out into a ผ" thick, 12" diameter circle. The thinner the dough is rolled, the better.

Before placing your crust on the grill, be sure that your grill is both clean and well oiled. This will help prevent the dough from sticking to the grill. You will need something large enough to transport your dough to the grill. A pizza spatula is highly recommended for this task. Brush an even coat of extra virgin olive oil on the side that will be facing down first. The oil will introduce flavor and help to keep the dough from sticking to the grill as well as giving the crust a nice crisp finish. Before placing your pizza on the grill, you may want to remove the top rack of your grill to make it easier to flip your pizza. Cook the first side from 1-3 minutes before flipping depending on the heat of your grill. During this time you will need to brush olive oil on the side that is facing up. While cooking the first side, peak under the edge of the crust to monitor its finish. Cook until you are satisfied with the finish and then flip your crust over. After flipping, immediately apply any topping that you would like. It’s highly recommended that you keep the topping very light, as they will not have a chance to cook on the grill without burning the crust. You may consider precooking certain ingredients such as meats and thick vegetables. Be sure to lower the lid as soon as possible to trap the heat in and finish cooking the toppings. Cook the pizza for an additional 2-3 minutes or until you are satisfied with the crust’s finish.

You are now ready to experience one great pizza with deep tradition. Cut your pizza into triangle shaped slices or try cutting them into 1” wide strips. This shape is great for a party snacks!

A Brief History of Pizza: The Dish that Conquered the World

Pizza, the way we know it today, is a derivation from focaccia (from the Latin word for fire), flat bread that has been prepared since antiquity in different forms and garnished with herbs, olives, fat, raisin, honey, and nuts.

The word pizza in Italian identifies any type of flat bread or pie—fried or baked. Although you’d find many types of pitas or pizzas around the Mediterranean, it is in Naples that pizza in the form we know it today first emerged, after the tomato appeared on the table in the 1700s. Naples has many records of pizza since around the year 1000; the first mentions call these flat breads laganae, and later they are referred to as picea. In those times, pizzas were dressed with garlic and olive oil, or cheese and anchovies, or small local fish. They were baked on the open fire and sometimes were closed in two, as a book, to form a calzone.

In Naples is also where the first pizzerias opened up, with brick wood-burning oven, covered with lava stones from the Mount Vesuvius. The chefs of those times ignored pizza because was considered a poor people’s food, but the new combination with the tomato, when it entered the kitchen around the 1770s, must have raised some curiosity, even in the royal palace. Ferdinand I Bourbon, King of Naples, loved the simple food of the people and went to taste the pizzas made in the shop of Antonio Testa. He liked it so much that he wanted pizza to be included in the menu at the court. He failed after the opposition of his wife, Queen Maria Carolina. His son Ferdinand II also liked all kind of popular food and he loved pizza to the point that he hired Domenico Testa, son of the now famous Antonio, to build a pizza oven in the royal palace of Capodimonte.

Pizza became very popular, earning its place in Neapolitan folklore. Simple and economical, it turned into the food for all people, even sold on the streets, as shown in many illustrations of the time.

A famous episode extended the popularity of pizza beyond the limits of the city of Naples. It was 1889, and Margherita, queen of Italy, was visiting the city. She was told about pizza and wanted to taste it. A famous cook by the name of Don Raffaele, helped by his wife Donna Rosa, was invited to cook pizza at the royal palace. They prepared three pizzas, typical of that time: one with cheese and basil; one with garlic, oil, and tomato; and one with mozzarella, basil, and tomato. The queen, impressed by the colors of the last pizza, which resembled the national flag, preferred that one. Since then this pizza is known as Pizza Margherita, and Don Raffaele is credited with its invention, even if we know that it already existed for a long time.

At the beginning of the last century, with Italian immigrants, the first pizzerias appeared also in the United States, where pizza has become a mass phenomenon. Yet, even today the best pizza is found in Naples, where it is rigorously made with buffalo mozzarella. Superior pizzas are considered those obtained by moderate variations of the simplest and most popular: Pizza Napoletana with tomato, garlic, oil, and oregano; Pizza Margherita; Pizza Marinara with tomato, anchovies, capers, and olives; and Pizza Four Seasons, divided in four quadrants, each dressed in a different way. Pizza with hot salami, the American pepperoni pizza, is instead found in the Calabria region south of Naples, where this type of hot sausage is produced.

Pop-Up Pizza Casserole Recipe

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 pound Hamburger

* 1 cup Onion; chopped

* 1 cup Green pepper; chopped

* 1 clove Garlic

* 1/2 teaspoon Oregano

* 1 dash Salt

* 1/2 cup Water

* 1/8 teaspoon Hot pepper sauce

* 1 package Spaghetti sauce mix (1.5oz)

* 1 cup Milk

* 1 cup Flour

* 1 tablespoon Oil

* 2 Eggs

* 1/2 teaspoon Salt

* 7 ounces Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese slices

* 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; grated

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 f. In large skillet, brown hamburger and drain. Stir in onion, green pepper,

garlic, oregano, salt, water, hot pepper sauce, tomato sauce and sauce mix; simmer about 10 min

stirring occasionally. In a bowl, combine milk, oil and eggs; beat 1 min on medium speed. Add

flour and salt; beat 2 min or until smooth. Pour hot meat mixture into 13x9 pan; top with cheese

slices. Pour batter over cheese, covering filling completely; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake

at 400 f for 25-30 min or until puffed and golden.

Polenta Pizzarina Recipe

Ingredients:

* 2 quarts water

* 2 cups polenta *

* 16 ounces soy mozzarella cheese *

* 1/2 teaspoon dried chili pepper flakes

* 1/2 cup vegetarian pizza sauce

* 2 large, not-quite-ripe tomatoes, rinsed

* 1 large green pepper, rinsed and de-seeded

* 12 ounces box mushrooms, wiped clean

* 1 tablespoon Italian or pizza seasoning

* non-fat cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Put water in a large pot or Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat.

Meanwhile grate the soy cheese and set aside. When water is boiling, slowly pour in the polenta

while stirring at the same time. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue stirring the polenta

every few minutes to avoid lumps and prevent schorching. You may want to partially cover the pot

with a lid as the polenta tends to start spitting as it thickens.

It should take about 20 minutes for the polenta to become as thick as porridge. In the meantime,

finely chop the green pepper and slice the mushrooms and tomatoes. Heat some non-fat cooking

spray in a frying pan, add peppers and mushrooms and saute a few minutes over medium heat

until the juices have been released. Drain off excess juice.

When the polenta has thickened, turn off heat and stir in half of the grated soy mozzarella and all

of the dried pepper flakes. Transfer the polenta to a 10" by 15" rectangular glass or stainless steel

oven pan and spread out evenly. Let cool for 15 minutes while you take a break. When the polenta

has sufficiently cooled, spread the pizza sauce evenly over the top, followed by the tomato slices,

green peppers and mushrooms. Sprinkle remainder of the soy mozzarella on top of the vegetables,

followed by the Italian seasoning. Place dish in oven on lower rack and bake 15-20 minutes until

heated through and cheese has melted.

Pizza With White Beans Prosciutto And Rosemary Recipe

Ingredients:

* Cornmeal for dusting

* 12 ounces Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough or other prepared dough

* 1 cup canned cannellini beans, rinsed

* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil PLUS"PLUS" means this ingredient in addition to the one

on the next line, often with divided uses

* 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

* 1 clove garlic, minced

* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

* 2/3 cup prepared marinara sauce or Basic Tomato Sauce

* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

* 2 ounces thinly sliced lean prosciutto, diced

* 1/2 cup diced red onion

* Freshly ground pepper to taste

* 1 1/2 cup lightly packed arugula leaves, torn

Directions:

Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack preheat oven to 500°F or

highest setting.

Coat a 12 1/2-inch pizza pan with cooking spray and dust with cornmeal. Combine beans, 1

tablespoon oil, rosemary, garlic and crushed red pepper in a medium bowl; toss to coat.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 13-inch circle. Transfer to the prepared pan.

Turn edges under to make a slight rim. Brush the rim with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil.

Spread sauce over the crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Spread

the bean mixture on top. Sprinkle with prosciutto and onion. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup

Parmesan. Grind pepper over the top.

Place the pizza pan on the heated pizza stone (or baking sheet) and bake the pizza until the

bottom is crisp and golden, 10 to 14 minutes. Scatter arugula over the pizza and serve

immediately.

Pizza With Fontina Artichoke Hearts And Red Onion Recipe

Ingredients:

* 1 pound Frozen white bread dough; thawed according to package directions

* 2 tablespoons Olive oil; divided

* 2 tablespoons Wheat bran or cornmeal

* 1 clove garlic; chopped finely

* 1/2 medium Red onion; thinly sliced

* 1 package (9 oz. size) frozen artichokes; thawed

* Salt

* Freshly ground black pepper

* 1 cup shredded Fontina cheese

Directions:

Drain and slice artichoke hearts. Preheat oven to 450F. On lightly oiled baking sheet, press chilled

dough into 9 x 12 inch rectangle, crimp edges to form a rim. Brush with half the oil. Evenly

sprinkle with bran or cornmeal; press lightly into dough. Sprinkle with garlic. Arrange onion in 1

layer over dough; top with artichoke hearts. Drizzle with remaining oil.

Lightly season with salt and pepper. Evenly sprinkle with cheese. Do not let dough rise. The pizza

may be held briefly in the refrigerator before baking. Bake 15 minutes or until crust is golden

brown.