Reinventing pizza: my 3 spins (for project food blog, challenge #5)
| October 17, 2010 | Posted by ameliaps under "Project Food Blog”, challenge, pizza |
Fun-tastic! I made it to round 5 of Project Food Blog. Thank you to everyone who voted, cheered, and shared my entry!!! We are half way: please stay with me! BTW, I have a really wonderful menu in mind for challenge #7 (“road trip”), if I make it through this pizza round (and it’s not Italian inspired).
For challenge #5 we need to put our own spin on Pizza. The contest says: “How you do it is up to you. Will you try out some molecular gastronomy techniques? Share a super-secret trick? Or re-envision the dish from a different perspective? For the purpose of this contest and challenge, we are defining pizza as having a solid base, a sauce and at least one topping.”
UPDATE: PLEASE VOTE FOR ME HERE
If you are eager to find out what my 3 “spins” on a classic pizza are then here you go: 1) a topping spin (pizza “nostalgia d’Italia” with gorgonzola, mozzarella, arugula, red onions caramelized in balsamic vinegar, mostarda slices, and Parmesan shavings) 2) a dough spin (flaky cream cheese dough for mini-pizzas), but there’s more to it, so please take the time to read my post 
3) a presentation spin (pizza skewers with a roasted bell pepper sauce)
About me and pizza
Being Italian, pizza, like the sun, the sea and antiquity, is in my blood.
Here are some of my memories from Italy (to see more visit my flickr file on Italy here)
Naturally, I took this pizza challenge particularly to heart since I am Italian and this is, of course, pizza! To put this into perspective this is probably what I was weaned on and Pizza has been there at every stage of my life. There were mini-pizzas at the children’s birthday parties growing up (the bakeries in Italy would cater trays and trays of them, and they were flaky and small and oh, so bite-able). There were communal pizzas as long as a kilometer for friends’ gatherings. There were the family nights at our favorite spot where we always knew what each other would order. There were date nights and friends’ gatherings in the Roman pizzerias not far from Piazza Navona followed by gelato at the Pantheon. There was the pizza al taglio (rectangular slices of pizza on the go, usually sold by weight). There was the luke-warm pizza sold during recess and avidly consumed in my high-school’s hallway with class-mates during exam season, and then there were my mothers’ wonderfully fluffy pizzette: fried rounds of pizza dough topped with summery fragrant salsa di pomodoro (fresh tomato sauce) and fresh basil from the garden. I have, in short, had many, many pizzas in my life so this was a very tough challenge for me. It is like asking Proust to reinvent the madeleine or like asking Julia Child to reinvent roasted chicken. Certainly, it can be done. But would I lose a bit of myself in the process? Maybe… maybe I would even learn something new about myself in the process. Looking back now this process has been a walk in memory lane and actually reinventing pizza has been quite an unexpectedly refreshing process. In my household we have spent almost every meal this week throwing out new ideas for pizza. My 7-year old son suggested enclosed pizza shaped in a long rectangle, easy to bite into and walk around with. My 5 year old son suggested pizza “tacos”. I thought of pizza ice-cream (definitively not), pizza lollipops (pizza on a stick? Mmm, maybe), pit-za (pizza charred on an open fire-pit, in the way you make ‘smores: but, the fire would probably not allow the dough to cook properly), deconstructed pizza (ok, it’s been done already. See this Confidential deconstructed pizza), even molecular gastronomy pizza (I was thinking of taking each pizza element and turning into “caviar” via spherifcation and then maybe serving it with a balloon filled with oregano and basil vapor…but, no thanks! I will leave the science experiments at the lab. Plus there’s others out there perfecting this type of cuisine. See these innovative pizza pebbles invented by Wiley Dufresne). And more ideas came…and went. It was really fun to brainstorm!
About how I approached reinventing pizza
“The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity, than the discovery of a new star.” ~ Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Discovering a new dish, as well as reinventing an established one that has been perfected over centuries – that is Pizza -, is hard, almost harder than finding a new star in the universe! Well said, Anthe. Great…now I really needed to get out my Hubble telescope and go hunting for a new “star” in the kitchen. Given that pizza has been around since the Greeks and Latin’s only adds to the incredible pressure to make it better but I was determined to!!!
“Their homely fare dispatch’d, the hungry band
Invade their trenchers next, and soon devour,
To mend the scanty meal, their cakes of flour.
Ascanius this observ’d, and smiling said:
“See, we devour the plates on which we fed.”
~ Virgil, the Aeneid
Reinventing such a dish is a very intimidating affair: it requires an exercise in association of flavors, analysis of its preparation, reinvention of presentation and a “thinking-outside-the-box” approach. So I put my strategy consultant (that’s my day job) hat on and started to dissect pizza. I tried to be what we call “Mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive” which in layman terms means “cover all the elements, don’t leave gaps” and “avoid overlaps”. Ok, so if I have not lost you so far… here is how I approached it with my 2-dimensial drawing skills:
Shape and size: round, square (like “pizza al taglio), oval (like flatbreads), half moon (like calzone), tube-shaped (like Stromboli), sphere (maybe ball-size pizza bites, mmm, have not seen that before), cone (the new craze in Japan), sticks (like garlic fingers), pizza lollipops (pizza on a stick), and what about pizza on a skewer (see my presentation below)?. Then there is size: micro, small, medium and large.
Dough/crust: classic with yeast (brewer’s yeast), flaky with butter, boiled bagel dough, chickpea dough (like “farinata”), pita, other (mmm…this is where I started thinking. Maybe a change in the flour? What about lentil flour? What about adding some more fat to the dough? See how I solved this, below)
Cooking method: traditional: wood or coal-fired brick oven, electric or gas oven, grill, stovetop griddle, boiled (as in bagel base), deep-fried, toaster oven, other (mmm, not sure about that…maybe a raw pizza? Boiled or steamed? No thanks!)
Thickness: Napoletana (thicker and with a “chew” factor), Romana (thinner and crispier), Chicago deep-dish (more like a pie), Sicilian (with the topping baked into the crust).
Type/style: Margherita (tomato, mozzarella, basil), Marinara ( Romana (tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, oregano), Capricciosa (mozzarella, tomato, mushrooms, artichokes, ham, olives, even eggs) , quattro stagioni (four seasons pizza), Viennese (tomato, mozzarella, German sausage), Bianca (“white”, no tomato sauce), Pissaladière (cooked onions, anchovies, olives), Greek(feta cheese, onion, Kalamata olives, tomato, green bell pepper), Hawaiian (cheese, tomato, ham, pineapple), California-style (nontraditional toppings, often local produce), others (many others!!!)
Protein: Salame, sausage, bacon, pancetta, prosciutto crudo, ham, and other charcuterie, chicken, seafood (tuna, shellfish, anchovies, etc.), other
Seasonings & spices: chili pepper, salt, pepper, oil, garlic, paprika, mustard, vinegar, other
Herbs: basil, parsley, mint, oregano, sage, chives, other
Vegetables (or fruits): peppers, eggplant, zucchini, capers, olives, mushrooms, onions, broccoli, spinach, arugula, micro-greens, pineapple, figs, pears, apples, grapes, other
Presentation: Rustic (paddle, metal dish, on brown paper), on a plate (whole or in slices), buffet style (as finger food), folded wrapped in brown paper, other.
Cheeses: Mozzarella (cow or buffalo), Provolone, Gorgonzola (or other blue), Asiago, Parmesan, goat cheese, ricotta, other
Sauces: tomato sauce (strained, fresh chopped, sun dried, etc.), pesto, tapenade, bell pepper sauce, sweet toppings (nutella, whipped cream, custard), other
After exhausting all the possible (read: endless) combinations and possibilities, not much was left to re-invent. I started to think about what else I could do. And that’s when I had 3 new ideas.
1) Pizza “nostalgia d’italia” (my unique topping idea)
And then, it hit me! I really wanted to create my own unique pizza “topping”. So I created the pizza “Nostalgia d’Italia”, a pizza full of flavors from different regions of Italy, and a pinch of nostalgia (since I live in the US). A pizza that when you would bite into it would make you travel to Naples, Rome, Sicily, Reggio-Emilia, and Piedmont, all at once! So here is what I came up with: drizzle olive oil on the pizza base, crumble gorgonzola (Italian blue cheese) and scatter mozzarella dices over it, add some cracked pepper. Allow to bake. Meanwhile slice a red onion (this is reminiscent of the cipolla rossa di Tropea from Sicily) and caramelize it in a pan with olive oil, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Once the pizza is out, top it with arugula salad, some caramelized red onions, a thin slice of mostarda di Cremona (spicy candied fruit in mustard flavored syrup: I like pears and figs for this particular pizza), drizzle with a bit of the syrup from the mostarda jar, any juice left from the caramelization of the onions and 1 tablespoon of olive oil (these 3 elements act as the “sauce”), and sliver of shaved Parmiggiano Reggiano. This pizza is really surprising to the palate. It’s slightly spicy (from the arugula, the pepper and the mustard undertone), tangy (from the blue cheese), sweet (from the candied fruit and caramelized onions) and nutty (from the Parmesan).I found it to be a very well balanced combination! I actually made a large one with the traditional pizza dough and then I also made a small version for my mini-pizzas (see below).
Ingredients for one regular pizza base:
1 pizza base, uncooked, rolled out round (see note below on pizza dough, or get store-bought)
3 tablespoons of olive oil, separated
1 tablespoon of butter
1 red onion thinly slices
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
2 pieces of Mostarda di Cremona (you can buy it at specialty Italian stores or make your own)
4 oz. crumbled gorgonzola cheese
8 oz. fresh mozzarella
2 cups arugula
A few pieces of shaved Parmesan
Make the caramelized onions: heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 red onion thinly slices, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar: slow cook, covered, stirring frequently about 20 minutes, until translucent and caramelized
2) Flaky cream-cheese pizza dough (my unique spin on pizza dough)
What is one thing that could improve texture, flavor, and make it richer? The dough! And then somehow, a memory from last Christmas hit me. I was making Rugelach for a cookie party and made a mental note of the flakiness of that dough. It had cream cheese and butter in it! It was flaky, soft and so easy to roll out. So I pulled out that “mental file” from my drawer and started experimenting with the dough. Of course, I had to remove the sugar and add some salt. 
Once I finalized the recipe, I loved the flavor and texture of it! The texture, amazingly, reminded me of those pastry shop mini-pizzas that I used to eat at kids’ parties growing up. Memory plays some tricks on our senses! Another wonderful thing I discovered as I came to the final “formula” was that this is a fast and easy recipe. It does not need any rising time, so it’s perfect for the last minute. It is very malleable and will keep its shape once baked. That is super nice if I am trying to make even-looking mini pizzas to serve for a “pizza party”.
Which brings me to the next piece of the equation: size. I like serving food in small, approachable bites. So I pulled out my round cookie cutters and picked a small size (about 2-inch diameter) to cut out rounds from the dough (once it had rested).
Before cooking:
After cooking:
Here are 4 season mini pizzas (spring: goat cheese, zucchini and mint; summer: tomato, mozzarella and pesto; fall: swiss cheese, squash and thyme; winter: blue cheese; steak, caramelized onions, parsley):
Finally, I started thinking of the presentation…what could make this even more fun? Allowing my guests to prepare their own pizzas; picking ingredients and mixing them up. 
I even thought up a way to use the extra dough for some sweet ending pizzas to top with chocolate, whipped cream, custard, fruit and nuts. Very playful, especially for the little ones. 
Amelia’s flaky pizza dough for mini-pizzas
2 cups unbleached flour
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into cubes
4 Tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
A pinch of salt
Combine all ingredients. You can knead the dough by hand (making a classic well with the flour and slowly working in the butter or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment). Roll the dough in a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and allow to chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or more. When ready to bake, turn oven on at 375F. Unwrap the dough and cut in two halves. Dust a working surface with flour and start rolling out one half. With a round cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place them on a cookie sheet layered with parchment paper. Preparing and presenting: You can either pre-bake the mini-pizzas for about 10-15 minutes or bake them entirely when your guests arrive. Gather your toppings on the table. I like to add a few herb plants to the mix.
3) Pizza skewers with a roasted red bell pepper dipping sauce (spiedini di pizza)
I also wanted to try changing the way pizza is presented. I have young kids and they love anything on a stick. I often put food on skewers because it is easy to eat and cooks much faster. So, I thought, why not pizza? This would is a bit of a “deconstructive” approach. I briefly soak the skewers in water to avoid them burning. I alternate precooked pizza base squares (you can make your own, buy purchased bases or use focaccia from the bakery), cubes of mozzarella cheese, a cherry tomato, and a basil leave. Then I season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Finally I bake at 450F for about 10 minutes. This is incredibly fast, delicious and so fun to eat!!! You can even try grilling these skewers for a wonderful charred flavor. And of course, you can play with other ingredients. For the sauce, I served the skewers alongside a roasted red bell pepper dipping sauce.
Roasted red bell pepper sauce
1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 garlic clove, chopped
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper
Blend all ingredients in processor until smooth and pureed.
A note on traditional pizza dough
It’s interesting that endless combinations of just flour, yeast and water can produce such incredible end results depending on how you “love” them! My favorite recipe for pizza dough allows for overnight fermentation which yields a golden, crunchy and subtly yeasty crust. If you need a foolproof recipe use Peter Reinhart’s Napoletana Pizza Dough Recipe.
My previous entries to Project Food Blog (for reference)
{You can read my fourth entry here (La Dolce Vita butternut squash agnolotti)}
{You can read my third entry here (Luxury Dinner Party: a Fall Symphony)}
{You can read my second entry here (Moroccan bisteeya: a magic carpet ride)}
{You can read my first entry here (What defines me as a food blogger)}
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Amelia- Beautifully documented adventures in pizza making. I especially love the mini-pizzas for a prelude to a casual fall meal.
You're going from strength to strength! I'll definitely try these (and I'm the odd one out: not a pizza lover). I have a feeling you might even convert me… I love the idea of mini pizze representing the four seasons.
PS. I overwhelmed our Italian visitors last weekend with your mini zucchini muffins – they insisted on having the recipe!
@Dana: they are wonderfully fun and quick to make too!
@Zeralda: oh! I am so honored. So glad your guests enjoyed the zucchini muffins. Let me know how your pizza experiments turn out!
Wow! Beautiful job! I can't wait to try the pizza skewers. You've got my vote. -Katy
Love the arugula and caramelized onion combo, I could almost taste it just looking at your photo. I also like the other twists you did. Great job!
Beautiful photos recipes and story of how you came up with it all. Just lovely! Voted (=
@Foododelmundo: the skewers were really surprisigly tasty! perfect for a finger food dinner. Try them grilled too
@Marc: it burst in my mouth and the arugula was just barely wilted, bring out it's herbal flavor.
@Lisa: thank you for reading my story!
amelia – what a beautiful blog you have! i'm so glad you started following me on twitter or i would never have found you. i just LOVE what you're doing!… and now i think pizza will have to happen for dinner tonight!
Uh, can this BE any CUTER? Adorable and so much fun! I love the bokeh in the first pizza shot. Well done and I'm voting for you!
You put so much thought, energy, love and creativity into this. Of course you get my vote. Great entry. GREG
I loved this entry and this may be my second comment. My computer hiccuped and I am unsure if my last comment went through. GREG
WOW – i have to say this is one of my favorite pizza entries. You got my vote. I just loved the way you thought about it and the explanations. Nice work!
@Amanda: SO thankful and happy you stopped by!!! let me know what pizza you make tonight
@Spicy Green Mango: such a sweet comment! thank you.
@Sippity Sup: Greg: thank you for the vote. We are on the same page.
@Delishhh: awesome and thanks for voting!
wow, that's a lot of work! the pizza creations looks delicious though, so great job! you've got my vote – good luck!
@Brie: it was a whole week of pizza thinking, pizza making, pizza writing, pizza photographing…and (loving it) pizza eating!!! thanks for the vote.
Brilliant post! Love the minis. And the kabobs. And the dessert. And everything. Brilliant. Got my vote!
I don't know how you do it. Such detail. Your top image looks especially delicious. Those caramelized onions…mmm.
A unique perspective on pizza! I love how you drew upon your Italian experiences to recreate these different pizzas. The cream cheese dough sounds especially delicious!
@Chic cookies: I am flattered: so glad you like it all!
@Denise: Merci! yes, the top image is my "nostalgia d'Italia" invention…I must say, I can't wait to make it again…and again!
@Jeanne: I know I was really trying to maintain my heritage yet be inventive at the same time. Let me know if you make the cream cheese dough.
The flaky dough sounds amazing. And the pizza LOOKS gorgeous and delicious. I like the pizza skewers a lot too.
@Indie. Tea: thank you!!!
Beautiful pictures! I love the mini pizzas. Also, your pictures from Italy are so beautiful, it really makes me want to go back.
Oh my! Your mini pizzas are just so adorable… vibrant colors and flavors, too I bet! I love your pizza 101 illustration, so very cool! Well done, once again!!
Beautifully photographs and well documented! Wishing you best of lucky!
Your little pizzas look great and what fabulous photos. I could see them at a get together with people mingling over a glass of wine and these great treats.
Great job, you have my vote! -Therese
@Tiny urban kitchen: yes, I know so much nostalgia for Italy!
@Jun: glad you like the illustration and thanks for voting!
@Ellie: thank you thank you!!!
@Artistta: yes, wine goes great with these mini treats. Thanks
That's a whole lot of pizza but since it's only bite-size, I'd love to try them all. I really enjoyed the narrative about your life in Italy and the process of selecting how to attack this challenge. Well done!
@FOODalogue: thank you for reading through my post: glad you enjoyed my process! Miss you on PFB.
Hi Amelia! Thanks for visiting our blog! Yours is absolutely gorgeous! LOVE the pictures, and who doesn't love pizza? Ha-Ha! Hope to meet you at BlogHer Food next year!
-The Fashionably Bombed Girls
@FBGs: thank you for stopping by! Yes, I am marking my calendar for next year.
I love your pizza choices! They were all true to you and true to the challenge! Loved the history behind your choices as well! Great job and good luck! You've got my vote in this one!
just discovered your blog: lucky day, lucky me
I wonder if I would find myself eating 30 and saying, well, they're only bite sized….
Pizza on skewers – what an awesome idea! I also love your thoughtful approach to this challenge and that drawing of "pizza dissected" is just too cool. Good luck this round!
@Peggy: thank you! I tried to pull out my heritage to make them more true to me.
@Reb: Awesome! thank you for "discovering" me. I am lucky to have you as a new reader.
@Mariko: yes…you would…they just THAT good!!!
@riceandwheat: the skewers were soooo good. I am going to make them again and again. Thanks for the good luck wishes!
It's only 8:30 am and I want pizza with mostarda for breakfast-yum! You're writing just gets better and better Amelia. Congratulations and keep up the stellar work. Very proud of you!
@Jodi (from mmm…that's good): that's funny (about craving my pizza for breakfast)! Thank you SO much for reading my post and commenting on my writing growth. It's a daily process that requires so much practice. Especially because English is my second language it can be daunting for me: I start thinking in Italian then I translate my thoughts and often times I get looong winded sentences! Then of course there's the "writing with the heart" thing which is the hardest of all…it takes coming out of my shell, being honest and real, and not being afraid to put my heart on paper (I mean on screen!). That's a constant learning exercising and I love learning from it. So thanks for noticing!!!
What a great idea for party food! These mini pizzas are so cute and so easy to eat in two bites.
@Carolyn: they are also fast to make, because the dough requires no rising!!!
u got pizzaz girl…fell head over heels in love with ur pizzas esp the 1st nostalgia one…love the combination of flavours..u sure get my vot
I love pizza!
x
Nicole
http://nicolefranzen.blogspot.com/
Genia ; ) Brava!
@ayantika: so glad to hear!!! thx!
@Nicole: I know! how can one not???
@ Paula: grazie cara
Great ideas! Looks yummy!
Wonderful! I love pizza and i love trying new recipes, this one definitely makes it to my to do list