Italy wants to define what qualifies as a real pizza, and Hugo Arnold is all in favour
Pizza has had a tough time of it. Invented by the Italians, claimed by the Americans and exported all over the world, it can be thin, thick, soft or biscuity, topped with pretty much everything, and served, if you choose, from the back of a motorbike. It's no wonder the Italians are keen to reclaim it.
There is a mood afoot in Italy to define and protect the Neapolitan pizza, making it a recognised and unique product in the European Union. Specifications include the type of flour, yeast and salt used, as well as the tomatoes, and that the bread has to be kneaded by hand. Even the mozzarella is being specified, and proposals from the cheese producers suggest that anything not made with buffalo milk is not true mozzarella.
As for the pizza, even the size is being specified (no more than 35 centimetres, and the rim must not rise more than two centimetres). Much mirth has been generated by these suggestions, and questions raised over the policing, but it seems to me the idea of trying to protect a dish from imposters should be encouraged. Maybe we should follow suit and do the same for Irish stew, Dublin coddle, crubeens and oatcakes.
I adore pizzas, but not very much of them. A slice is ideal, pretty much perfect when served with a cool glass of beer. The yeast used in both seems to make them ideal partners. A summer spent in France one year had us buying pizza whose base was soft and more crumbly than biscuity. The topping was a sweet and sour mass of gently softened onions, given bite with a little tomato sauce and a topping of Gruyere. Pizza, it was called, but was it the real thing?
Authenticity in food is becoming harder to establish as so much of our food is produced for us, but a pizza, to my mind, is something rolled out on a table, not wrapped in plastic.
My pizza lessons took place in Umbria. We rolled crispy thin bases, and often baked them before adding toppings. The heat source was a woodfired oven, not for a smoky flavour, but for the perfect baking temperature. Toppings were cheese and rocket only, or some roughly diced tomato, garlic-infused olive oil and some torn basil.
Pizza is about informality, about having fun, about not being too serious, which makes it perfect food for a relaxed weekend lunch. Everyone can get involved, and choose their own toppings.
A few guiding points: go easy on the number of ingredients, you want to taste everything. Follow the Italian rules, such as no cheese with fish, although anchovy breaks this one. And make sure your ingredients are first rate; their flavour is dulled by the base, so you need to deliver a degree of oomph. Even pizza enthusiasts tend to tire of so much bread. A salad adds some light relief. And don't forget to stock up on those cold beers. If the weather is nice you'll almost believe you are on holiday.
ALL RECIPES SERVE FOUR
PIZZA DOUGH
450g strong white bread flour
1 sachet instant yeast
1 tsp salt
pinch sugar
100ml olive oil
about 350ml warm water
Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a food processor, add all but a tablespoon of the oil and switch on. The mixture will quickly become like dried breadcrumbs. Add half the water. The mixture will start to come together. Now add more water, but slowly, about a tablespoon at a time. The dough needs to just gather into a ball. If you add too much water it will become sticky. If this does happen, add more flour until it comes together again. Remove, and knead on a floured surface for two to three minutes.
Lightly oil a bowl with the remaining olive oil. Turn the dough so it is coated in the oil and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave for an hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Divide the dough into four pieces and roll out on a lightly floured surface, using a rolling pin and gently stretching with your hands. You are aiming for quite a thin base which should have an even thickness.
Scatter the topping of your choice on top. Transfer to an ovenproof tray and slide into the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the topping melts and the pizza base colours and crisps up. If you are baking without a topping, the cooking time tends to be a minute or two shorter.
TOPPINGS:
CARAMELISED ONIONS WITH CASHEL BLUE AND ROSEMARY
Peel and thinly slice four red onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook in four tablespoons of olive oil over a gentle heat for 45 minutes to one hour, making sure they do not catch. Toward the end they will start to colour as the sugars caramelise. Spread on to rolled pizza bases, dot with Cashel Blue and sprinkle a scant teaspoon of finely chopped rosemary over each one.
AUBERGINE AND MOZZARELLA
Thinly slice one large aubergine and brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill for five minutes each side or until golden brown. Spread finely chopped garlic - about a clove per pizza - over the bases. Slice and spread mozzarella over the garlic, add the aubergine, and finish with a little more mozzarella. Bake until golden and bubbling.
MOZZARELLA, TOMATO & BASIL
Thinly slice eight tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and place in a sieve. Gently sauté two peeled and thinly sliced red onions in two tablespoons of olive oil for 10 minutes. Stir in two finely chopped cloves of garlic for the last minute. Spread the onion mixture over the bases, top with slices of drained tomato and scatter thinly sliced mozzarella on top. Bake in the oven, and when the pizza is ready, drizzle with olive oil and scatter torn leaves of basil over the top.
BACON, MUSHROOMS & GARLIC
Sauté 400g of thinly sliced button mushrooms in four tablespoons of olive oil until wilted. Stir in two cloves of finely chopped garlic, a tablespoon of picked thyme and two tablespoons of finely chopped parsley. Set aside. Cut eight slices of streaky bacon into a lardons and cook in a dry frying pan over a moderate heat until the fat starts to run. Add the mushrooms, cook for a further five minutes and then add two finely chopped garlic cloves. Spread over the bases and bake. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and serve.