Neapolitan style pizza with one key difference. Before going in the oven, the stretched-out disk of dough is deep fried until crisp. I figured it was worth a deeper look. I'm glad I did, because I can tell you that these were some of the finest pies to ever come out of my home kitchen, and believe it or not, it's remarkably simple to do. More
Things I've overheard in a Neapolitan pizzeria lately:
I guess that even after the great pizza renaissance of the 2000s, Neapolitan pizza is still new to some folks. And, whatever, that's cools. I just figured I'd try to demystify it a bit if you've never had it.
Update/note: This post is geared toward folks in the U.S. or elsewhere who have never tried Neapolitan, Neapolitan-style, or Neapolitan-inspired pizza. It does not pertain to actual Neapolitan pizza in Naples, Italy.
More
"Here's the most significant difference between New York style and Italian-style pizza: You eat it with a knife and fork. At no point is it acceptable, what I've seen with this technique, nationwide, you don't see people picking up the slice. They don't pick it up. Kooky, right?" More
Pop quiz: what do whipped cream, Nerf footballs, Pizza, and Tempur-Pedic mattresses have in common? That's right — they're all foams. Wait, huh? Pizzas are foams? You mean those annoying, piddly things that chefs were goofing around with in the mid 2000's? That's right, as are hot dog buns, Wonderbread, Pane di Genzano, Portuguese rolls, Naan, pancakes, and pretty much every other leavened batter or dough-based product in the world. More
In December, USA Today put out a list of 51 great pizzerias: one for each state and Washington, DC. Did you happen to notice which spot was chosen as New York's representative to this pizza Senate? Was it Totonno's? Motorino? Di Fara? Nope, it wasn't one of those. The New York pick was ZaZa. More
Ridgewood, New Jersey's A Mano looks to disrupt the Garden State's sweet-sauce stereotype. Their Neapolitan-style pizzas come directly from a 1000-degree wood-burning oven built with stones and clay imported from Italy. The brainchild of pizzaiolo Roberto Caporuscio (now of Kesté in the West Village), A Mano is certified by both the VPM (Verace Pizza Napoletana) and the APN (Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani). A Mano's pie shares more resemblance to its cousins back in the old country than to its neighbor down the street. More
Pupatella, Enzo Algarme and Anastasiya Laufenberg's wildly popular new restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, sets a new standard for affordable eating in the DC area. Just six miles west of the White House, this Neapolitan-style pizzeria turns out ethereal pies at earthbound prices. More
The crushed ruby flesh of imported tomatoes, ivory pools of fresh mozzarella dabbed with golden streaks of extra virgin olive oil, and emerald slivers of basil sit seductively atop a nicely charred crust. At The Prospector in Twain Harte, California, the pizza matches the beauty of the surrounding environment. More
With only two pizzas on offer at Pizzeria da Michele, the spartan ambiance was pure Neapolitan. I always thought I would like Da Michele but also had a feeling I would be underwhelmed. I love being wrong. The pizza I ate there was one of the best I have ever had. More
In this video, Ed Levine antagonizes a room full of passionate pizza obsessives. I love the part where master pizzaiolo Enzo Coccia pulls out a historical photo of a pizza-maker from his wallet(!) and the part where Maurizio De Rosa tells Ed about "the original Ed Levine," a 1750 pizza guidebook writer. More
