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Grandma Saporito's Pizza

Pizza di Nonna Saporito

Mary Ann Esposito

Makes Two 13-inch Round Pizzas

My dad loved the pizza that his mother, my grandma Saporito, made. It was nothing more than her all-purpose yeast dough, which she also turned into bread and rolls. After rolling out the dough, she placed it on a rectangular pan, dimpled it with her fingers, and spread on some olive oil, sea salt, and butcher's black pepper. That was it. For Grandma, this typified the food of her native Sicily.

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe Pizza with Cresciuta or 1 recipe Pasta per Pizza

1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons Filippo Berio extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt to taste
Coarsely ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Divide the dough in half and roll each piece on a floured surface into a 13 1/2-inch round, or roll the dough to fit two 15- by 10 1/2 -inch rectangular pans. Brush each pan with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil.

With your fingers, spread the dough in the pan and dimple the surface. Divide the remaining olive oil and drizzle it over each pizza. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper.

Bake the pizza until the bottom and top crusts are golden brown. Let them cool slightly, then cut into pieces and serve.

Variation: Press tiny slivers of fresh garlic into the dough or add fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary, or mint.

This recipe is from NELLA CUCINA by Mary Ann Esposito, published by William Morrow and Company Inc., in 1993.

item recipe is featured in Episode 413 of Season 4.

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