NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
April 30, 1998
Some Italian pizza chefs have been lobbying Italy's National Standards Body (UNI). You might say the group is asking UNI to "get real." A recent Internet story by Reuters, the international news organization, reports that UNI has acquiesced and is laying down some strict rules about what constitutes "genuine pizza."
The bubbling brouhaha is being orchestrated by the Association for the Real Neapolitan Pizza. It seems pizza chefs from Naples have been turning out their version of this pie-shaped perfection for more than two centuries, and they're growing tired of seeing Italian authenticity subverted by specious specimens of spiciness.
Oriental pizza anyone? OK, OK. So the Italians have a point. I'll admit I dismissed Taco Pizza when it first showed up on pizzeria menus here, but I've since grown quite fond of the dish. And I'm always jumping in line at those all-you-can-eat buffets when there's a pan of Canadian bacon-sauerkraut pizza beckoning. So I'm not a purist. But I've yet to sample an Oriental pizza. I figure I've got to draw the line somewhere.
But the Italians are taking pizza principle a bit too far. UNI's rules say genuine pizza is only that sporting a thick crust. Sorry, thin-crust lovers. And you can't use a rolling pin to flatten the dough, either. Nope, only hand-caressing makes it genuine. As for the sauce, fresh, plum-shaped, ruby-red tomatoes are a must. Oh, by the way, make sure you cut those tomatoes into chunks measuring precisely a third of an inch. (Wait a minute. Isn't Italy on the metric system?)
You can top your genuine pizza only with mozzarella that comes from buffalo milk. And here's another sticking point: to be genuine, as defined by UNI, a pizza must bake in a wood-fired oven. Well, so much for making genuine Neapolitan pizza at home. But I've got a pizza stone and a pizza peel, so a Fargo pizza will definitely be part of my future.
Want to create a Milnor masterpiece? How about a St. Thomas special? It all starts with perfect pizza dough, which should be a snap to make for us, thanks to the high-protein flour that comes from North Dakota's renowned hard red spring wheat. Here's a recipe adapted from the March 1985 edition of Bon Appetit magazine. Now get to work and show those uppity Italian pizza chefs a thing or two.
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Yield: one 16-inch pizza; 8 servings
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 packets active dry yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon warm water (105 F to 115 F)
Procedure:
In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients except sugar and yeast. Stir together thoroughly and form a well in center. Blend remaining ingredients and pour into well. Brush flour into liquid with fingertips until all flour is incorporated, then gather dough into ball. Knead on a floured work surface for about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into ball, place in lightly greased bowl and turn once to grease entire surface. Cover bowl with clean towel, place in a warm, draft-free location and let rise until double. Punch down dough, form into a small circle and place on floured work surface. Let rest for 5 minutes, then press out dough until it is slightly larger than pan size (use a rolling pin if you like). Fold dough in half and in half again. Place "wedge" onto greased pizza pan that's been "dusted" with corn meal. Unfold dough and crimp edges to form a crust. Top with favorite sauce and toppings and bake in 500 F oven for about 20 minutes.
What's Your Take on This, Julie?
The first pizza I tasted came out of a boxed kit. It was far from a memorable experience, especially since we only used the accompanying packet of Parmesan cheese. The box probably would have tasted as good. I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about until I tasted "real" pizza.
With all the crust options—deep dish, thin, stuffed—and topping options, there's an infinite variety of pizzas available. While some people may refer to pizza as "junk food," that designation is far from the truth. Depending on how you build your pizza, you can have the Food Guide Pyramid on your plate.
Pizza, in general, is a good source of protein, calcium, B vitamins and iron, but it can be rather high in fat, sodium and calories depending on your topping choices. Remember, the more meat and cheese, the higher the fat, sodium and calories. Cured meats such as pepperoni are particularly high in fat and sodium.
Think of your favorite pizza and compare it to the following nutrition values. Mine is Canadian bacon, mushrooms and pineapple including the dough (recipe used here), sauce and cheese, one slice (1/8 of the pizza) contains about 340 calories and 11 grams of fat.
What follows are averages; read food labels to learn about the nutritional content of the toppings you use. All the veggie toppings are low in fat and calories. If you like meat on your pizza, compare the fat contents of Canadian bacon and ground beef with sausage and pepperoni. Choose your favorites and add up the nutrients per serving. You might be surprised.
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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136
Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
Click here for a pdf version of this graphic.
Click here for a pdf version of this graphic.