-
Wednesday, May 28, 2003
-
Griddle Pizza: From Chef Batali: Astonishingly
Good Pizza on your Stove Top
-
-
The esteemed New York chef Mario Batali opened
a pizzeria called Otto early this year, it was the talk of the city. Everybody
had to try Mario's pizza -- which, with Batali's usual showmanship, was
completely different from any other pizza in New York. It was cooked on
a griddle instead of in a blazing oven.
-
===================================================
-
THE NEW
PAN PIZZA: NO OVEN REQUIRED
-
-
For this thin-crust
pie, all you need is a good skillet, the right dough
-
and our secret technique.
-
-
Los Angeles Times
-
By Virginia Evans, Special
to The Times
-
May 28, 2003
-
-
When the esteemed New
York chef Mario Batali opened a pizzeria called Otto early this year, it
was the talk of the city. Everybody had to try Mario's pizza -- which,
with Batali's usual showmanship, was completely different from any other
pizza in New York. It was cooked on a griddle instead of in a blazing oven.
-
-
Night after night, crowds
pressed in the door, willing to wait hours for a slice of the superstar
chef's new creation. And then the assessments started to roll in: Mario's
griddle pizza was mercilessly panned. The problem was the crust -- tough
and heavy, they said. "This Pie Doesn't Fly," the New York Post sneered.
One critic, William Grimes of the New York Times, observed dryly that Otto
was "the only pizzeria in New York where it's possible to skip the pizza
entirely."
-
-
And yet, we knew Mario
was on to something.
-
-
Because no matter what
you've heard about the glories of the brick oven, the coal fire, the pizza
stone or any other pizza-inferno lore, the truth is you can make an astonishingly
good pizza on your stove top.
-
-
We've been doing it
for years -- with a skillet. And we're not talking about making any compromises:
This is pizza with a perfect blistered crust, crisp and slightly charred,
just thick enough for a soft interior with some real flavor.
-
-
If you've had Mario's,
you will marvel all the more: This one is infinitely better.
-
-
And it's easy.
-
-
Start with the pizza
dough. Many are hard to work with. They usually require at least five minutes
of kneading plus a long proofing time to develop a good flavor and gluten
structure. In the end, you get a crust that's heavy and chewy.
-
-
This dough supplies
all the right qualities of a good pizza crust -- including a touch of honey
and olive oil for flavor -- but the best thing about it is how easy it
is to handle and how quickly you can get it to the table.
-
-
After a short time in
an electric mixer, it's kneaded just enough to remove the stickiness.
-
-
Now, the pan. We use
a 10-inch straight-sided nonstick skillet. The idea is, you're going to
create an oven that cooks from the bottom up.
-
-
Heat the skillet on
medium-low until a drop of water sizzles and dances across the surface.
Then turn down the heat to low and add just enough olive oil to lightly
coat the bottom of the pan. You can use a paper towel if you work quickly
and carefully. (If you'd like to add another layer of flavor, sizzle a
couple of whole cloves of garlic in the oil first.)
-
-
Roll out the dough into
a 10-inch circle, then lift it into in the pan. Pat it into the corners,
and cover the skillet with a lid for a minute or two, until the dough bubbles
up and looks slightly dry. Remove the lid and keep on cooking until the
bottom is golden brown.
-
-
All that's left is to
flip it with a pancake turner (a lot easier than flipping a pancake, because
the dough is so sturdy) and add whatever toppings you like.
-
-
Don't cover the pan
again unless you need more heat to melt cheese. At this point, covering
the pizza will soften the crust somewhat. As soon as the bottom crust is
browned, you're all through.
-
-
And there it is: a sophisticated,
thin-crust pizza. It's fantastic with the simplest assortment of toppings
-- even just a dusting of Parmesan with some mushrooms and olives brought
raves.
-
-
One with black kale,
sausage and Manchego was even better. But experiment -- it's hard to go
wrong. Just don't top it too heavily, or your crust will go soggy.
-
-
Mario, go buy a skillet.
-
-
The
new pan pizza: No oven required
-
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/
-
la-fo-skillet28may28,1,2858405.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dfood