Pizza margherita from an Italian chef. Learning to cook Italian pizza at home: The chef reveals his secrets. The best dishes of Russian cuisine: what the chef advises

This week's culinary studio Lazersonov" together with TM “Cheese Club” and a French restaurant “ Citronelle” organized a master class on making Italian pizza. And if many of us understand what pizza should be, then the question of how to achieve the perfect dough in the home kitchen remains a mystery. However, the chef of the restaurant, Andre Peltre, managed to show everyone that this is just an artificially created “legend” that you cannot prepare real pizza at home. It turned out that by spending just 18 minutes (taking into account the pre-prepared dough) you can prepare a pizza that will compete in taste with many metropolitan restaurants.

I will definitely share the pizza recipe at the end of the article, but now I propose to get to know pizza a little better:

1. Pizza dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
2. It is better to use homemade tomato sauce, but store-bought will do just fine.
3. Know how to stop in time and not overdo it with the filling. The dish is considered correct if the slice of pizza does not sag under the weight of the filling.
4. Want to add flavor? It is better to choose fresh basil leaves over chopped parsley.
5. Grated cheese with finely chopped paprika and spices will add an additional piquant note.
6. Pizza should be cooked in a preheated oven at very high temperatures.
7. The above tips have the overall noble goal of not getting dirty when it comes to eating pizza.
8. American pizza differs from Italian pizza in its fluffy cornmeal dough with lots of toppings.

Before we get to the pizza recipe itself, here is Monsieur Peltre's homemade sauce recipe, which goes well with many dishes, such as pasta.

For one liter of sauce you will need:

• 1 kg of canned tomatoes without peel (if you don’t find these, use seasonal and always juicy tomatoes after removing the skin);
• 60 g sugar;
• 30 grams of salt;
• 10 grams of a mixture of Provencal herbs.

How to cook?

1. Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.
2. Grind with a blender until smooth, pour into jars and store in the refrigerator.

Now it's time to move on to the main thing. Please note that the dough recipe is for 1 kg:

• 600 g wheat flour
• 300 ml water at room temperature
• 2.5 g dry yeast
• 35 ml sunflower oil
• 15 ml olive oil
• 12 g salt
• 1 egg

Preparation:

1. Sift the flour.
2. Mix all the ingredients one by one.
3. Knead the dough with your hands until it sticks to your hands. The kneading process will help saturate the dough with the right amount of oxygen.
4. Cover the bowl with cling film or a clean towel and leave at room temperature for two hours.

Pizza “Three Cheese”

These fun mozzarella-inspired balls are pre-made and measured pieces of pizza dough.

• 60 g tomato paste
• 80 grams of grated cheese (it is better to use different varieties, such as Edelweiss, Neapolitan and Asiagio)
• A mixture of Provençal herbs (a couple of pinches)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 235 degrees.
2. From the specified amount of dough you can prepare one large pizza (about 35 cm) or two small ones (about 100 g each).
3. Roll out the dough on a floured surface thin enough so that it shows through but does not tear.
4. Transfer the rolled out dough onto a baking sheet that has been previously sprinkled with flour.
5. Lubricate with tomato sauce. To do it like a real pizzaiolo, spoon out the sauce with a tablespoon, using a circular motion and the back of the spoon, moving from the center to the edge, evenly distribute the sauce over the dough, leaving about 1 cm from the edge (i.e. not spreading to the edge).
6. Layer the cheeses, grated on a coarse grater. Remember that too many toppings will make the pizza too heavy and this will be especially noticeable when trying to eat a slice.
7. Sprinkle with dry herbs and drizzle with olive oil.
8. Place in the oven for 8 minutes or until the edges of the pizza are browned.
9. Cool the finished pizza a little and cut it into 8 portions with a confident hand.

Pizza with salami

• 180 g pizza dough (see recipe above)
• 60 g tomato paste
• 40 g salami
• 60 grams of grated soft cheese and
• 15 grams of grated hard cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• a few fresh basil leaves

Preparation:

1. The process of rolling out the dough remains the same as for cheese pizza.
2. Use the same method to coat with tomato sauce.
3. Cut the salami into thin slices and place on the sauce.
4. Sprinkle with grated cheeses.
5. Place basil leaves in any form and sprinkle with a few drops of olive oil.
6. Place in the oven for 8 minutes or until the edges of the pizza are lightly browned.
7. Cool the finished pizza slightly and cut into 8 portions.

I tried to convey to you as simply as possible what I saw and heard at the master class, taking into account all the pitfalls that may arise in the process (especially the first) of making pizza.

Using the dough and sauce recipe, you can change the ingredients to suit your tastes. But I’m not too lazy to repeat – don’t get carried away with the filling.

P.S. Most of the photo materials were kindly provided by the culinary studio “Lazersonov”

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

Delicacies and simple dishes by Konstantin Ivlev

Well, this is just mouth watering! I opened the books by Ivlev and his colleagues and began to read. I just want to grab a knife, a board and start cooking, cooking, playing magic in the kitchen. Perhaps, one should not be surprised at Ivlev’s efficiency and imagination: his books accumulate a wealth of experience in foreign cuisine, ancient recipes adapted to modern conditions and the luxurious splendor of restaurant menus.

What is Ivlev’s versatility?

His culinary portfolio includes more than a dozen books dedicated to the best dishes of the world and the peculiarities of Greek cuisine. Tips on how to use cheese correctly, feed children tasty and healthy, and how to add flavor to a vegetarian menu. And, of course, books with the best author’s recipes, the philosophy of culinary art and tips on how to cook fish, seafood and mushrooms in a non-trivial way. Collections of dishes for the summer and autumn menus were published in separate publications.

Therefore, it is impossible to say right away, what is Konstantin the best at... All-rounder? Yes. But his versatility is based on history and practice, because it is not for nothing that he heads the Federation of Chefs, was awarded the title “Chef of the Year” several times, and twice even won bronze in professional culinary competitions.

And this does not prevent him from being a happy father and loving husband. In his opinion, cooking meals together at home brings the family together and makes it monolithic. Perhaps it was thanks to his father’s example that Ivlev’s son also chose this path. Although his beloved wife Marina also cooks deliciously, she delegates the cooking of borscht to her husband.

As Konstantin admits, most of his dishes are created impromptu. Sometimes a recipe comes to him in a dream and he brings it to life in the kitchen. But in some ways he is not going to imitate his competitors, preferring that they follow his innovations, and not vice versa. So, let's take a look at his treasure trove of recipes.

The best dishes of Russian cuisine: what does the chef recommend?

The collection of the best recipes from the peoples of the world contains many unusual new products. For example, in which quail meat and eggs are used, garlic and olive oil are added. And Mimosa contains smoked sturgeon, chives and lemon juice. Hearty boyar kalya combines bacon and cucumbers, lots of onions, chicken broth and thin pancakes cut into strips. Selyanka with saffron milk caps, cucumbers and three types of meat, jellied meat with pig and rooster, fresh, kulesh with undercut and sauerkraut - these are options for the usual first courses.

Ivlev popularizes ordinary, simple dishes. So, he recommends eating buckwheat with mushrooms with pancakes and sour cream. Pumpkin and apples go well with millet porridge, especially if they are generously poured with butter and baked in the oven.

Salivation is flowing from the Don zraz from pike perch fillet - crispy, rosy-reddish and... And steamed or baked in the oven, where salmon, pike perch, pike and crayfish are harmoniously combined, it will be a hit at any holiday table. Veal ear with turnips and carrots, garlic, sour cream and butter, simmered in pots or a large one with aromatic butter spread inside will feed the most hungry and picky man.

Early ripening pancakes with full-fat kefir and boiling water, with combined minced meat (pork, lamb and beef), dumplings stuffed with potatoes and cracklings or cherries and poppy seed broth, kulebyaki made from pork neck and beef, wrapped in pancakes and dough, mushroom pies. They take us back to the era of ancient Russian cuisine, hearty and simple, with honey cakes and gingerbread for dessert.

Caucasian and Asian curiosities - delicious longevity

But among Caucasian dishes, Ivlev surprises us with little-known novelties like piti soup, cooked with the addition of 4 cuts of lamb carcass, cherry plum, chickpeas, Baku tomatoes and Imeretian saffron, and seasoned with sumac and mint. Baked beef tenderloin with pomegranate and suluguni, lula kebab with lamb and achuchuk salad (Baku tomatoes, white onions and chili peppers, cilantro, basil, sweet pepper), dolma and manti with matsoni, are included in his collection of recipes. Of the Caucasian sweets, he most recommends kozinaki and quince baked with honey and nuts.

From Asian dishes, Konstantin chose numerous rolls, warm sashimi with sea bass, tempura with plum sauce and sesame seeds, Thai eggs with garlic, soy sauce and chili. There are also recipes for the most delicious, classic miso, pork tenderloin satay with coconut milk and soy sauce, pork fillet fried with peanuts and pineapple. Duck in ginger marinade and cod with ginger in a creamy sauce, shrimp with wasabi, grilled scallops with mango, rice noodles with tofu and buckwheat with brisket complete one of the venerable chef's books.

French and Italian delicacies

Meat, fish and seafood: a new look at familiar ingredients

Pork chops with apple chutney, honey-soy ribs with chili, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and pork rolls stuffed with shrimp are for those who like hearty food. For connoisseurs of dietary meat, there are such original recipes as chicken stuffed with cheese, honey pears, quail with mango salsa, rabbit rolls with sun-dried tomatoes and creamy puree.

Salmon medallions with asparagus and cherry tomatoes, sea bass with vegetable stew, stuffed with crab or pumpkin puree with sun-dried tomato sauce, tempura pike perch with spicy Kenyan beans or vegetable julienne with egg-caper sauce - a real luxury for the whimsical gourmet. Mouth watering from such names as flounder with tomatoes and basil, omul with crispy onions and grapes, steamed spicy catfish with rustic sour cream and cucumbers, perch with Parma ham. And these are all unusual ideas of Ivlev.

And how sophisticated he is with! Either he will fry them with chili and ginger, wild garlic and season with miso, then he will add cognac and cream when frying, or he will cook steam cutlets with teriyaki sauce, or stuff them into ravioli. with teriyaki sauce, octopus under a fur coat, crab with asparagus and wasabi, grilled lobster with avocado mousse, mussels with zucchini and fennel - and this, apparently, is an incomplete list of his best dishes.

The diversity of Konstantin Ivlev lies in this elusive balance between sophistication and simplicity, luxury and the use of national ingredients. An amazing ability to work allows a talented chef to present his masterpieces in restaurants, show master classes in the “Ask the Chef” program, and also experiment with the components of dishes in his free time. Good luck, Kostya!

Every day, several million pizzas of all kinds are eaten around the world. And this is not surprising: after all, according to statistics, 78% of people call this Italian dish their favorite. ELLE offers seven unusual, but not at all difficult to prepare, recipes from restaurant chefs. We promise that a dinner with spicy pizza with morels, pumpkin, squid or truffles will pleasantly surprise you and your loved ones!

Simachyard Chef Evgeniy Cherednichenko

• Difficulty Easy
• Type Main course
• Time 3 hours
• Persons 3

Ingredients

Ingredients for the dough:

• Flour - 130 g
• Cold water - 70 g
• Salt - to taste
• Olive oil - 1 tsp.
• Yeast - 1 tsp.

Ingredients for morel sauce:

• Morels - 40 g
• Cream - 100 g
• Onion - 30 g
• Butter - 20 g
• Dry white wine - 30 g
• Salt - to taste

Pizza ingredients:

• Dough for 1 serving - 200 g
• Morel sauce - 100 g
• Mozzarella cheese - 100 g
• Boiled white mushrooms - 70 g
• Fresh spinach (leaves) - 20 g
• Green onion - 5 g

Preparation

1. Knead the dough and leave it for 20 minutes under cling film. Then put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Cut the onion into small cubes and fry in butter. Add mushrooms and white wine. Boil for 10–15 minutes, add cream and simmer until thickened. Salt to taste.
3. Roll out the dough and brush it with morel sauce. Top with grated cheese, porcini mushrooms, spinach and green onions. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 8–10 minutes. Bon appetit!

Chef of Forte Bello Evgeniy Veselov

• Difficulty Easy
• Type Main course
• Time 30 minutes
• Persons 3

Ingredients

• Peeled pumpkin - 150 g
• Mozzarella fior di latte - 100 g
• Tomato sauce - 80 g
• Minced lamb - 100 g
• Fresh cilantro - 5 g
• Adjika sauce - 50 g
• Cherry tomatoes - 50 g
• Honey (for baking pumpkin) - 50 g

Pizza dough for 1.4 kg of finished dough:

• Pizza flour 00 - 900 g
• Water - 500 g
• Salt - 25 g
• Sugar - 5 g
• Live yeast - 2 g
• Olive oil (first pressing) - 25 g

Preparation

1. For the dough, mix all the ingredients, divide the finished dough into 200 g pieces. Roll out the dough as thinly as possible, first with a rolling pin, then with your hands.
2. Grease the dough with tomato sauce and sprinkle with finely chopped mozzarella.
3. Bake cubes (2x2) of pumpkin in honey. Distribute the baked pumpkin cubes and cherry tomatoes over the entire surface of the dough.
4. Place minced lamb in small pieces. Bake until done.
5. Sprinkle the top of the finished pizza with cilantro leaves and pour over adjika.

Backstage Chef Sergey Batukov

• Difficulty Easy
• Type Main course
• Time 20 minutes
• Persons 3

Ingredients

• Dough - 180 g
• Tomato sauce - 100 g
• Mozzarella cheese - 110 g
• Pepperoni sausage - 40 g
• Red onion - 15 g

Preparation

1. Take a piece of dough and roll it into a thin pancake, put tomato sauce on top, and all the ingredients on it.
2. Next, place the pizza on parchment paper and place in the oven (300 degrees). After 6 minutes, take out the pizza, cut it and pour olive oil on top. Next, cut into six pieces and serve.

Chef of Ribambelle Mikhail Kuklenko

• Difficulty Easy
• Type Main course
• Time 1 hour 40 minutes
• Persons 3

Ingredients

• Pizza dough - 200 g
• Cream 33% - 55 g
• Fried chicken breast - 80 g
• Mozzarella cheese - 90 g
• Avocado - 70 g
• Olive oil - 5 g
• Flour - 15 g
• Arugula - 2 g

Preparation

1. Using a dough mixer, mix flour, water, salt, olive oil, and yeast. Let stand for 15 minutes at room temperature.
2. Divide the dough into portions, roll into balls and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, then put in the refrigerator.
3. After this, roll out the dough to the size of the pizza, add the ingredients and cook in the oven at 400 degrees for 5-8 minutes.

Restaurant Buono

• Difficulty Moderate
• Type Main course
• Time 2 hours 40 minutes
• Persons 3

Ingredients

• Soft wheat flour - 200 g
• Mineral water - 100 ml
• Salt - 7–10 g
• Olive oil - 15 g
• Live yeast - 2–3 g
• Fresh white truffle - 10 g
• Sugar - 2–3 g
• Black truffle paste - 80 g
• Cream 33% - 10 g
• Garlic - 2 g
• Truffle oil - 2–3 ml
• Mozzarella cheese - 150 g

Preparation

1. Sift the flour, pour it onto the table, and make a well in the center. Add yeast, sugar, a little flour to mineral carbonated water and mix thoroughly, let stand for 20-30 minutes. Pour the resulting mixture into the flour, knead the dough thoroughly until a homogeneous mass is obtained, while kneading, add olive oil. Form the resulting dough into a ball, cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Then hang the dough into portions of 150–200 g and leave for another hour.
2. Prepare the sauce. Place black truffle, white truffle, garlic, salt and pepper to taste in a deep bowl. Beat with a blender until smooth.
3. Roll out the dough with a diameter of about 35 cm. Place 100 g of sauce in the center of the pizza, distribute mozzarella cheese (120–130 g) over the pizza.
4. We bake the pizza in a wood-fired oven at 320–350 degrees. We take out the pizza, place it in a suitable sized bowl, cut it into the required number of pieces, and pour truffle oil (1-2 g) before serving.

Brand chef of Tarantino restaurant Viktor Apasiev

• Difficulty Easy
• Type Main course
• Time 35 minutes
• Persons 3

Ingredients

• Pizza dough - 150 g
• Tomato sauce - 90 g
• Mozzarella cheese for pizza - 80 g
• Mini squid - 50 g
• Red bell pepper - 40 g
• Coho salmon (silver salmon) - 50 g
• Spinach - 20 g
• Shrimp - 50 g
• Pesto - 20 g
• Mussels - 50 g
• Tomatoes - 40 g

Preparation

1. Roll out the pizza dough into a very thin circle, generously grease it with tomato sauce, and sprinkle evenly with grated cheese. Cut the bell pepper into strips, tomatoes and coho salmon into small cubes. Visually divide the pizza into four parts and put our own filling on each part: squid and pepper, then coho salmon, mussels and shrimp. Bake the pizza in the oven at 225 degrees for 15 minutes.
2. Remove the finished pizza from the oven. Add fresh spinach leaves to the segment with coho salmon, decorate the segment with shrimp with pesto sauce, and place fresh tomato cubes and thinly sliced ​​spinach or any other greens on the segment with mussels.
Type Main course
3. Time 24 hours 30 minutes
4. Persons 3

Ingredients

• Pizza flour (Probka uses Italian Caputo flour) - 125 g
• Water - 75 ml
• Live yeast - 0.18 g
• Salt - 3 g
• Olive oil - 6 g
• Sugar - 1 g

• Tomato sauce - 120 g
• Mozzarella for pizza - 150 g
• Parmesan cheese - 10 g
• Boiled ham - 60 g
• Canned mushrooms (assorted Italian wild mushrooms) - 60 g
• Parsley - 2 g

Preparation

1. We dilute the yeast in water, then pour in the flour, knead, add salt and sugar, knead until thick and homogeneous, and finally add olive oil.
2. Divide the formed dough into 8 equal parts, roll them into balls and let them rest for 24 hours. In the restaurant, the dough is aged for 72 hours, as special Caputo flour is used. After the dough has rested, roll it out into a flat cake.
3. Lubricate the rolled out dough with tomato sauce, sprinkle with diced mozzarella, then lay out thinly sliced ​​ham and mushrooms, sprinkle with Parmesan and place in the oven.
4. At home, the oven should be heated to 300 degrees. After about 8 minutes, take out the finished pizza, cut it and sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Illustrations

Andrey Smirny

Kristina Safonova

Everyone knows the Italian national dish in the form of a round open flatbread with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. And although the pizza boom has long passed, there are more and more pizzerias every day. A pizzeria recently opened Scrocchiarella from the creators of the Lukovka network, Pavel and Anastasia Sidorov. Co-founder of Friends Forever Company and creator of Local Band Group Pavel Kosterenko opened the Studio pizzeria in the Kuntsevo Plaza shopping center. And in March, Yuri Murashko’s third People&Pasta restaurant appeared.

The city's quirky pizza scene began with Isaac Correa opening Pizzeria Montalto in 2011, named after his friend and pizza fan Lenny Montalto. Today in Moscow it is difficult to surprise with pizza: there are classic ones with thin crust, fluffy ones with burnt spots, and vegan ones with black dough. To understand when there is an author's masterpiece on the plate, and when it is an Italian's nightmare, The Village talked to Moscow pizzaiolos and found out what kind of pizzas there are, how they are prepared and what can never be found in the recipe.

Story

A dish similar to pizza existed among the ancient Greeks and Romans: it consisted of bread with meat, cheese, olives and vegetables. The prototype of modern pizza appeared in Naples in 1522, when tomatoes were brought to Europe. And already in the 17th century, special people - pizzaiolos - prepared pizza for Italian peasants. At the end of the 19th century, Italian settlers brought pizza to Chicago, from where it spread throughout all states.

Dmitry Zotov

The main difference between Italian and American pizza is the toppings. There are no ingredients that are unacceptable for American pizza: they even have pasta pizza. Italians are more conservative: they will never add Peking duck or other non-traditional products to pizza. The thickness of the dough is also important: for example, in Chicago the pizzas are simply huge, the thickness of the dough sometimes reaches 6 centimeters. In Italy the dough is different: in Naples it is thick, in Tuscany it is thin. In general, American pizza is a variation of Neapolitan pizza, which the Italians brought with them to North America. Interestingly, in the States, slice pizza is served in triangular pieces, while in Italy it is served in square pieces.

Alexey Gordila
Chef at Pizzeria Montalto

All pizza is divided according to the thickness of the dough: thin (“Sicilian”), thick (“Brooklyn”) and puff pastry. Traditionally, the pizza shape is round; there are also rectangular (“Roman”) and closed (“Calzone”) options. As a rule, Italian pizza is prepared with thin dough and only from ingredients that combine with each other. The American version, thanks to its yeast base, is thicker and has loose, fluffy edges. When preparing American pizza, they use all the ingredients that are on hand: barbecue chicken, bacon or ham are often added.

Dmitry Vlasov
Chef at Pizzeria Bontempi

The south and north of Italy have different recipes. In general, for Italians there is only Margherita pizza; it got its name from the wife of the Italian king - Margherita of Savoy. Her recipe is simple: good cheese (usually mozzarella), tasty sauce and fresh basil. Every Italian, even when they come to us, eats only this pizza. I have never worked with American pizza. I only know that it is quite large, thick - roughly speaking, a pie.

Yuri Lavrenov
senior chef at pizzeria Studio

Italian pizza is prepared with thin dough and without sides. The American one is distinguished by its thickness and curvy sides. Pepperoni will never be put on Italian pizza. It’s hard to spoil the American one: you can add anything you want to it.

Dough

The dough should be crispy, airy, light. Classic pizza dough is made from flour, natural yeast or sourdough, salt and water. Adding olive oil is a controversial issue. For example, it is not found in traditional Neapolitan pizza. Flour is one of the most important ingredients. It is recommended to use Italian flour grade 00, since Russian flour is not suitable due to grinding and gluten percentage. For flour, Italians use softer grains, which allows the dough to be pulled stronger, it does not tear and becomes more elastic. The dough is kneaded by hand and then rolled out into a thin layer - usually up to one and a half centimeters.

Alexey Gordila
Chef at Pizzeria Montalto

Pizza preparation depends on the dough: thin "Sicilian" dough is rolled out with a rolling pin, and "Brooklyn" yeast dough is rolled out by hand to make the edges fluffy. At Montalto, we roll out all the dough by hand, so it absorbs the warmth of the pizzaiolo’s hands and becomes tastier. Add water, sugar, yeast and butter to the dough, and then mix everything thoroughly. Italian pizza is prepared only with olive oil, while in American pizza it is sometimes replaced with vegetable oil. Some pizzaiolos toss the flatbread into the air to form and oxygenate the dough.

DMITRY VLASOV
Chef at Pizzeria Bontempi

Everyone has their own dough recipe. But the base is always water, yeast, flour, olive oil and sea salt. Depending on the technique, you can add or remove something. For example, to make the dough more crunchy, eggs are added.
At Pizzeria Bontempi we roll out the dough by hand. We don't throw it in because the room doesn't allow it. In general, the dough is tossed to show off and to shake off excess flour. We do the latter in a calmer way. In addition, our dough is thinner than the classic version, so it turns out more airy.

Filling

Once the dough is coated with tomato sauce, almost any toppings can be added. Depending on the size of the pizza, the amount of dough and toppings changes, but the ratio of ingredients remains approximately the same.

Alexey Gordila
Chef at Pizzeria Montalto

In addition to traditional Italian recipes, there are a huge number of options for making pizza. Chefs around the world are putting their own spin on pizza by using local ingredients in classic recipes. In general, each region has its own recipe. For example, Italian “Capriciosa” with tomatoes, mozzarella, mushrooms, artichokes and olives or classic American “Hawaiian” pizza with bacon, mozzarella and pineapples.

I think the perfect combination is more crispy dough and a little less filling and sauce. Montalto is very attentive to the selection of products and works only with trusted Russian suppliers. We use blanks, since the dough for “Brooklyn” pizza must rest for at least three hours; In addition, preparing sauces, one of the main ingredients, takes a lot of time. Our most popular pizza has the unusual name “Under the Blanket”. It contains airy thick “Brooklyn” dough, sour cream and mustard sauce, covered with slices of smoked salmon.

Dmitry Zotov
Chef at pizzeria Zotman Pizza Pie

Everyone decides for themselves what the ratio of dough to filling should be. Of course, common sense must be present. It is necessary to remember that pizza should not only be tasty, but also convenient to eat. The most popular pizza at Zotman is with lamb and cumin. I think this can be explained by its bright, but at the same time very familiar flavor combination. We purchase ingredients from different countries: some are Russian, some are imported. By the way, in Russia they have now started making proper flour, which we actively use.

Yuri Lavrenov
Senior Chef Studio

For American pizza we use 350 grams of dough and about 200 grams of filling. And for Italian - 200 grams of dough and about 150 grams of filling. Ingredients for the dough and filling have to be ordered from Italy: cheeses, olive oil, flour. You can order, even despite the sanctions, but the prices are steep. We try to make sure that visitors don't feel it so much. In our pizzeria, the most popular pizza is the American Grant pizza, which includes tomato sauce, cheese, Parma ham, Parmesan and arugula. Everyone likes it because of the tender ham that we bring from Italy. Italian pizza is not that popular. Mostly they take “Itali pizza”, it has beef tartare, teriyaki dressing and arugula.

Dmitry Vlasov
Chef at Pizzeria Bontempi

From Italy we import only those ingredients that are not subject to sanctions - for example, flour. And we look for gastronomic miracles here. We don’t run around markets; different companies come to us and offer their products. Previously it was the other way around. Naturally, we make pizza preparations, but not for more than half a day. The resulting pizza is 400 grams: usually there is a little more filling than dough.

Bake

Classic pizza is baked in a special wood-burning “Pompeii” oven. It has the shape of a dome in the form of a hemisphere, where the heat from the fire enters and heats the entire oven. In the Pompeian oven, pizza is cooked in just 90 seconds. Electric cooking will take about ten minutes.

Dmitry Zotov
Chef at pizzeria Zotman Pizza Pie

There are three types of stoves: electric, wood and gas. Gas and firewood are almost identical, it’s just that gas is more economical. It is better to cook American and Neapolitan pizzas in such ovens. But an electric oven is suitable for Tuscan thin-crust pizza.

Alexey Gordila
Chef at Pizzeria Montalto

I always stick to proper pizza preparation, so Montalto has a wood-fired oven with a baking temperature of 400-450 degrees. It gives the pizza not only a natural smell, but also a little soot and a unique crispy crust. Pizza with charred edges is bad, but pizza that is crispy, crispy and rosy is the norm.

Yuri Lavrenov
Senior Chef Studio

We cook pizzas in a wood-burning oven at 280 degrees. Wood-fired pizza turns out more flavorful and crispy on the sides. Pizza cooked in an electric oven is significantly paler. Sometimes pizza has burnt edges on purpose. To understand whether this was done on purpose or due to a mistake by the cook, you need to look at the bottom of the pizza: if it is black, then the dish is burnt.

Dmitry Vlasov
Chef at Pizzeria Bontempi

We cook in an electric oven at 300-320 degrees. Nowadays wood stoves are in fashion. But from the point of view of its impact on human health, it is worse, since it contains a lot of soot. From a safety point of view, it is also inferior to electric. Of course, pizza from a wood-fired oven has a special aroma, but because of it you don’t smell the good ingredients - I don’t see the point in that.

Tomatoes, mozzarella, parmesan, anchovies, olive oil, oregano and basil

Pizza "Capriciosa"

Tomatoes, mozzarella, mushrooms, artichokes, green and black olives

Pizza "Regina"

Tomatoes, mozzarella, champignons, ham, oregano
(sometimes black olives are added)

Pizza "Four cheese"

Four different types of cheese

Pizza "Four Seasons"

The common ingredient is tomatoes. The pizza is divided into four parts: spring (olives and artichokes), summer (salami and black pepper), autumn (mozzarella), winter (mushrooms and boiled eggs)

Pizza Diabola

Salami, hot Calabrian pepper

Sicilian pizza "Sfincione"

Anchovies, pecorino cheese and sauce. Has a square shape

Pizza Calzone

Ricotta, ham, mushrooms, mozzarella, parmesan, oregano. Closed pizza.

American

"New York" pizza

Similar to Neapolitan, mozzarella, Romano cheese, basil, hot pepper, oregano.
Thin crispy dough

Pizza "Hawaiian"

Ham/Canadian bacon, pineapple, mozzarella

"Greek" pizza

Feta, olives, oregano. Thick dough

"Chicago" pizza

Ingredients in reverse order: mozzarella, filling of choice, tomato sauce with herbs, Parmesan. Thick dough with high sides

"Brooklyn" pizza

Uneven, with crispy edges. The filling can be both traditional and original

Pizza is an ideal food for a group: a family dinner, get-togethers with friends, a big party. Firstly, everyone loves her - or almost everyone. Secondly, pizza is a lot of fun to make. It's very simple and you can experiment as you go. And the result is guaranteed to be delicious. In this article we will reveal the secrets of making real Italian pizza and share tips from professional chefs.

Let's talk about the test

Homemade pizza starts with the dough. Of course, you can buy a ready-made semi-finished product in a store. But it’s much more interesting to make it yourself. By the way, real pizzaiolos take several days to prepare pizza, and it’s all about the dough. They knead it and leave it to rise for several days. You will say - but I want pizza here and now. Well, there is a special life hack for this. To make the dough rise faster, you can heat it in the oven. Heat the stove to 70 degrees. Then cool for 10 minutes and place the dough in the oven. Make sure that the temperature is not higher than this mark, otherwise the yeast will die. You can place a tray with warm water under the baking sheet - then the dough will be even more tender and fluffy.

Is the dough ready? Put away the rolling pin! This is not a joke: Italian chefs do not roll out the dough with a rolling pin, but knead it with their fingers and then unroll it, thanks to which the flatbread takes on the appearance we are familiar with. By the way, perfectly round pizzas are the prerogative of fast food. It is difficult to achieve the correct circle shape by hand, so pizza from the hands of a real pizzaiolo may be slightly uneven - this is a sign of its authenticity. Well, if you don’t have a special round board, it doesn’t matter. The good thing about homemade pizza is that it can be anything - be it round or rectangular, depending on the shape of the pan.

The thickness of the dough according to the classic Italian pizza recipe is 3 mm in the center, up to 2 cm at the edges. These standards are protected by special EU status. There is even a law that all pizzerias in Europe must comply with them.

As you know, all people are divided into two categories: those who eat the pizza crust and those who leave it on the plate. Personally, we think the crispy crust is the best part of the dough! You also need it to hold a piece and not get your hands dirty. Therefore, when you spread the sauce on the dough and lay out the filling, do not fill the whole cake - leave 1.5 - 2 cm around the edges. Here's how to make the crust really crispy. Turn the baking sheet upside down. Cover it with parchment and sprinkle with cornmeal. And put pizza on top. Then we put it in the oven for 10 minutes, and voila: it’s crispy no worse than in the best Italian pizzeria.

By the way, it’s also better to reheat yesterday’s pizza in the oven. In the microwave it loses its crispness and becomes dry and hard. And if you put it on the same parchment and put it in the oven for 5 - 8 minutes, it will be as tasty as yesterday.

There are a lot of pizza dough recipes. We offer classic - easy and quick to prepare. You will need five ingredients: flour, yeast, olive oil, salt and water. The main thing here is flour: we advise you not to skimp on it and take good, Italian flour.

Dissolve a packet of yeast in 125 ml of warm water. Pour flour into a deep bowl and add salt. Make a small depression in the center of the slide and carefully pour the water and yeast into it. Stir the mixture with a fork. Then, when the dough begins to form, knead it with your hands. Add more flour as needed until it comes together. Pour olive oil into a bowl and knead for another 10 minutes. After this, the dough will become elastic and smooth. Wait until it rises and you are ready to cook.

5 golden rules for stuffing

Whatever one may say, the most delicious thing about pizza is the topping. We have collected 5 life hacks for you that will make it simply divine.

1. The main rule: no more than four ingredients in one pizza. Then their tastes will not mix into something indistinct, but will complement and emphasize each other. The thickness of the filling is no more than 1 cm.

2. Do not use raw mushrooms and onions. When cooking, they will begin to release moisture, which will soften the pizza dough. Lightly fry them in a frying pan to release the juices.

3. The same goes for tomatoes: regular tomatoes give a lot of juice. It is better to take cherry tomatoes instead.

4. Be careful when buying mozzarella. In large supermarkets you can find a special one, marked “for pizza”. This is what you need: Regular mozzarella is stored in brine and contains a lot of moisture. The special one is drier, it will melt and stretch beautifully.

5. Some products are best added after baking. For example, arugula and basil retain their flavor only while they are fresh. And jamon and prosciutto lose their delicate taste when baked. Decorate the finished pizza with them - and the dish will look beautiful, as if a food stylist had worked on it.

A few words about the sauce

Sauce is an important element of pizza. It should be juicy, rich, but at the same time not too bright. So that it sets off and emphasizes the taste of the filling, but does not drown it out.

● Don't be lazy. Want to make the right sauce? Do not use ready-made tomato paste as a base. Instead, use canned tomatoes in their own juice: you can find both Russian and Italian ones in large supermarkets. Drain the liquid, chop them and add spices. Provencal herbs, salt, pepper - ready!

● Experiment. Unable to buy canned tomatoes? It's OK. An excellent sauce can be made from fresh tomatoes. Peel them, cut them and pour boiling water over them. Simmer in a frying pan for 10 minutes, then pass through a blender. Add spices: oregano, garlic, bay leaf. Return the sauce to the stove and reduce by about half.

● Don't overdo it. There shouldn't be too much sauce. The most delicious pizza recipes emphasize: no more than three tablespoons of sauce per standard circle of dough.

● Watch the consistency. Make the sauce too thin and your pizza will float.

● Show your imagination. Classic sauces are made from tomatoes, but the beauty of homemade pizza is that you can invent new and unusual combinations for it. You can replace tomatoes with hummus or squash caviar. Or take cream cheese - it goes great with chicken and pineapples.

And a little bonus: the perfect and simple sauce according to Jamie Oliver's recipe. Ready in 10 minutes. You will need 3 cans of canned tomatoes in their own juice, 4 cloves of garlic, a bunch of basil, 8 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Chop the garlic and fry it along with the basil in olive oil. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper. After a couple of minutes, remove from heat and pass through the city. And simmer for another 10 minutes over low heat.

Too lazy to cook?

This also happens! Hard day at work. Guests suddenly arrived. Spontaneous party. There are situations when you really want pizza, but you don’t have food on hand, or you don’t have enough time. Then you can order it. The delivery restaurant "Gusto" offers pizza according to traditional Italian recipes. Large selection of fillings - from classic to unusual combinations. There is a special menu for children. And a nice bonus for those who adhere to the principles of proper nutrition - pizza with whole grain dough. Delivery in Ufa is free.