Pizza comes in many forms today, too many to
discuss, and I will surely get into trouble by defining what is good, and what is not.  Leave that debate to the millions
out there who chose to get involved....although, for the love of God, if you are a fan of PapaJohns' or Domino's, and/
or Pizza Hut....keep it to yourself.  I will discuss some ways that I feel pizza can be made to taste better (is that safe?).
One way is to use (here I go again) a can of good San Marzanos, crushed with your hands or run through a food
mill.  That's it, they are not cooked into a sauce with lots of ingredients...that my friends, is what constitutes a pasta
sauce.The bright, sunny Mediterranean flavor of a San Marzano, packed with just a touch of salt and a leaf of basil
is the "pizza sauce" (my fingers have trouble even writing pizza sauce).  Too many American pizzerias use a can of
over processed tomato product, ie: Pizza Sauce, and the finished product doesn't benefit from this.  I believe I'm
starting to get myself in trouble so I will move on....

     One ready-made product that can help out with making pizza is the dough which many supermarkets sell fresh
close to the Crescent Rolls and Ready Made cookie dough by the dairy products.  Usually they go for $1.99, or even
better is to find a bakery near you that sells pizza dough.  I buy it from an Italian Bakery in Ortley Beach, near Seaside
Heights, but it is pretty easy to find.  Simply buy one or two doughs, one dough can stretch to fit a 9X13 baking sheet
or a large round pizza pan.  I still use my mom's round one, or the rectangular baking sheet.  Remove the dough from
the plastic bag, and gently place it into a well oiled bowl.  Cover it with a cloth kitchen towel, and let it rest for 1 1/2
hours.  This allows it to get that nice spongy texture that only a good yeasty dough will give you.  Or make your own
dough.  When it has risen, punch it down and fit it onto a well (very well) oiled baking pan. Press it into the shape of
the pan,if it bounced back, no worries.  You are not selling these, no need for perfection.  Just turn your oven up to
500 degrees.  Let it heat up for 15 minutes.  If your oven isn't clean, this isn't the recipe for you because it will
set all of your smoke alarms off! 

    This recipe is for that classification of pizza known as the Grandma pie.  Let me finish with the recipe, and then
we will discuss exactly what that is.  The dough should not be more than 1/4-3/3 of an inch thick.  Oil the surface.
Grind some black pepper and sprinkle some pecorino over it.  Dice 1/2 lb. of mozzarella  and evenly distribute it
over the top.  Chop up 1 1/2 cloves of garlic, 1 handful of fresh basil (if you cannot get fresh basil, WAIT until
you can buy it...dried basil is the Devil...) and a little salt...mince finely and mix it with 2 tbs. of olive oil.  Let it sit.
Now, with a tablespoon or small ladle, distribute 1/2 cup of the tomato over the top.  Then add the basil and
oil mixture in spots..generously sprinkle grated pecorino romano over the top...Now, into the oven it goes for bet-
ween 15-20 minutes depending on your oven.  You should almost here is "frying" in the pan...after 10 minutes in
the oven, poke any bubbles with a fork, and rotate the pan.  Remove it, and the test is (and here is where I've
failed you, didn't take a picture of the bottom) if the bottom has some nice scorch marks.  The heat of the oven
and the oil in the pan will help replicate the intensity of a real 750 or more degree pizza oven...no need for running
out to by those Williams-Sonoma pizza stones.. Let the pie sit for about 4 minutes, cut into squares, you should
feel the crunchy resistance on the bottom.  Delizioso.

This was a pizza on the fly yesterday
afternoon, kids and wife were hungry....it was pouring out...what to do?  I had a 1/2 of a portion of pizza dough in
the refrigerator, plus all the other ingredients on hand, so, here you go.  Now let's discuss this phenomenon in
the NY/NJ area known as the Grandma pie.  To define it I will say it is a form of Sicilian, usually baked in a rect-
angular pan, like the pies that most Italian-Americans remember their from Italy (or not) grandmothers made.
There is a basil and garlic in oil topping, mozzarella, grated cheese, and the tomato.  It is never thick, but not
AS thin as a regular slice of pizza.  http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/09/what-is-grandma-pizza-erica-marcus-explains-once-more.html.  20 years ago, you didn't see this variety in pizzerias.  It was thin crust with or without additional
toppings, or Sicilian.  Now, you can usually find this, at least in many NJ and most NYC pizzerias.  Please let
me know where else you can find this.  It is really a mouthful of flavor....and, Superbowl parties are coming up..
cut into a small serving square, makes for a nice party food.  Both my grandmothers, when they did make pizza
made it square, one with lots of tomato, basil, and grated cheese, the other with a little anchovy, tomato, onion,
and grated cheese, but both were thick.  I'm sure, if you had an Italian grandmother, she made one in a
variation of what I am describing.  No debating which is better or not here, just a flavor-packed square of joy
that will make your family or guests happy.




A side-note about the whole pizza sauce debate, Sicilians usually cook a sauce before
it goes onto the pizza, Napoletanas (those peeps from Naples and the surrounding
regions) do the San Marzano out of the can....usually...not always...don't yell at me...