Pizza News, December 2004

"Pizza News" is now being delivered to all 50 states (U.S.) including D.C., and the following countries: Canada (including Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan), Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria,  Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic,  Denmark, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Egypt, Eritrea, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany,  Ghana, Greece, , Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan,, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore,  Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Trinidad, Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands (British), Yugoslavia,  Zimbabwe, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands, the Yukon,
and 0ver 500  subscribers who could be anywhere in the Pizza Therapy Universe!

pizzatherapy.com is proud to be sponsored by Fleischmann's Yeast.
When we make pizza, we only use Fleischmann's Yeast.
Visit their great web site through the banner on our site, and tell
them pizzatherapy.com sent you!

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If you purchase from  amazon.com please to go to pizzatherapy.com first and click on the link for amazon.com, or any other product you wish!

(You will not be charged one penny more, but you will be supporting our website!)

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1. What's New- Season's Greetings

2. The Best Pizza in the World?

3. A Pizza Tale and Tips!- Pepe's Pizza Helps Deliver Baby

4. Mama Grande's Stuffed Sole- from our Christmas Eve Table

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Read my new report: 

"How I made $300 with 15 minutes of work
(and you can , too!!!)"
by Albert Grande, The Pizza Promoter

Go to: http://pizzatherapy.com/300.htm

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1. What's New- Season's Greetings 

pizzatherapy.com would like to wish you and your family a wonderful and warm Holiday Season. We are thankful you have supported pizzatherapy.com by visiting our website. You have also supported us by visiting our sponsors such as amazon.com.

"Pizza News" readers, you are the absolute BEST!

We wish you the very best of Holidays! May all of your pizzas turn out well!

May you all experience: "Pizza on Earth..."

2. The Best Pizza in the World?

I received an email a couple of weeks ago from my friend Jay, asking if I had tried a certain pizzeria featured on television. Included with his dispatch was a link to a transcript of the show. I read the transcript and started to get excited. This pizzeria sounded fantastic!

The hosts of the show, a local television personality and a world renowned, legendary, chef, visit various restaurants reviewing the food and services. Not once, have they ever given a negative review. They will usually order a large sampling of the menu and describe all of the wonderful dishes available. Their transcript of the pizzeria show, divulged several different, superb, pizzas.

I was energized as I walked up to the pizzeria and thought, "what should I order?"  I anticipated greatness! I usually, like to order a plain cheese pizza, as a sample, in order for the taste of the crust to shine through. I settled on a large pepperoni. 

Now I am not saying this was the worst pizza I ever had. I am not saying there was anything wrong with the pizza. It had cheese, sauce and dough. It was pizza. But that's was all it was: ordinary pizza! It  was certainly not worthy of television coverage. It was not, as I hoped, extraordinary!

 I can only conclude the TV personality and the world renowned chef, do not know extraordinary pizza because they never tasted extraordinary pizza. Their frame of reference was just ordinary pizza. How distressing, to have never tasted great pizza! To be in the food reviewing field, though, and to never have tasted great pizza is a tragedy!

  (It might even be illegal!)

Needless to say, this pizzeria will never be listed on pizzatherapy.com  

As for me, I will continue my quest to find extraordinary pizza. We know you will too! At least we know the difference between great pizza and "just OK" pizza! As Peter Reinhart says, you'll know it when you taste it!

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Pizza Books and Pizza Music:

http://www.pizzatherapy.com/pizzabooks.htm

Also any online book in the universe!
(Please visit!)

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3. A Pizza Tale and Tips- Pepe's Pizza Helps Deliver Baby

Jason writes:

" Love your site. My wife and I live in CT and visit Pepe's  frequently. I also make my own pizza (oven, grill, etc) 

When she was pregnant and close to having our first child, we treated ourselves to the 45 min drive to Pepe's after completing the remodeling of our spare bedroom into a baby room. Since I knew it would be a while before we could visit again I ordered a few extra pies to go. 

The next morning my wife went into labor very quickly so along with tossing her in
the car, I brought along some of the leftover white clam pizzas. 

While I drove 80mph on the highway with the warning flashers on, she screamed bloody murder of the pain and the "white clam Pepe's smell' that  engulfed the inside of the car which made her feel sick. My wife had the baby about 45 min after getting to the hospital.

Close call! 

Now she credits the visit to Pepe's and the white clam into inducing her into labor a week early!

You won't believe how good that Pepe's pizza tasted when I went back to the car and ate it in the parking lot of the hospital after my wife gave birth!"

Jason continues with some "Pizza Tips" exclusively for "Pizza News" readers:

"All purpose flour - OUT. Using high gluten flour seems to provide a better crust due to the higher protein content. Sir Lancelot Hi-Gluten flour. Or use Semolina (flour) if you want to make 'true' Sicilian style pies.

A good alternative to buying a pizza stone is using some unglazed quarry tile. Like 4x4s. Great for square gas grills, ovens, etc, and costs a ton less. Buy a box and give some to your friends and still have a ton of
extras left over in case you break one! Makes an awesome crispy crust without burning it which is easy to do on a grill!

Our response: 

Golly Jason that was quite a great story! Thanks much for the great tips. It may be hard to get Hi-Gluten flour, though. 

Here is one resource: You can order directly from King Arthur at this link:

  http://ww2.kingarthurflour.com/

Look under "Flour for Professional Bakers" see: Sir Lancelot Hi-Gluten (May be sold in 50 lb. bags, only!)

(Yes, we have contacted King Arthur Flour several times, about being a sponsor of pizzatherapy.com
At this time, they are not interested!)

Please continue to support our mission! Remember, if you do purchase from  amazon.com please to go to pizzatherapy.com first and click on the link for amazon.com, or any other product you wish! Thanks!
(You will not be charged one penny more, but you will be supporting our website!)

4. Mama Grande's Stuffed Sole- from our Christmas Eve Table

We have featured the following recipe several times in "Pizza News". 
After numerous requests from our newer subscribers, we are featuring it agan!

Growing up in an Italian-American family was certainly an adventure.
 (Visitors always thought we were yelling at each other, but that is just the way we communicated!) 
One our favorite traditions was an all seafood dinner served for Christmas eve. 
Course upon course of seafood was heaped on the table.

This is one of many signature dishes served by Mama Grande during this meal. The first course was always Aglio e Olio, (Pasta with olive oil, garlic and anchovies),  followed by many other types of seafood. There were always several types of bacala (dried, salted, codfish), as well as more fish dishes, clams, shrimp, calamari (squid) and eel. 
This was my favorite!

Ingredients:

• 8 fillets of sole (flounder)
• 1 Cup of crab meat or baby shrimp or clams
• 6 Tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 Cup white wine
• 1 Cup of bread crumbs
• 1 Lightly beaten egg
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 Cup chopped onion
• 1/4 Cup green pepper
• 1/4 Cup chopped celery
• 2 Tablespoons of parsley
• Paprika
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Directions

1. For stuffing: in skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter, add onion, green pepper, and celery.
2. Cook until vegetables are translucent.
3. Add wine. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Add crabmeat (or clams or shrimp).
5. Add bread crumbs, egg, parsley, salt and pepper.
6. Place 4 fillets in buttered baking dish (skin side down).
7. Spoon stuffing onto 4 fillets. 
8. Cover with 4 remaining fillets.
9. Melt remaining butter, add lemon juice and pour over fillets.
10. Sprinkle with paprika.
11. Bake 10 minutes in 450º oven

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

That's it for this issue of "Pizza News!" 

"Pizza on Earth, Good Will to All!"

Sincerely,
Albert Grande, The Pizza Promoter
Email: webmaster@pizzatherapy.com

 Pizzeria Owners: Get My 7 Day Mini-Course:
How to increase pizzeria profits

Visit pizzatherapy.com at
http://pizzatherapy.com

"Pizza on Earth, Good Will to All!"

Pizza News (ISSN: 1533-3795)
Copyright Grande Publishing 2004