Pizza.

[mapguy]

What are your favorite toppings?

Mine?

Pepperoni. Natch.
Bacon. Of course.
Hot Italian Sausage. A must have.
The only veg I will allow on my Za is red onions and green peppers.

For all those who like pineapple. Why don't you throw on some M&M's?

Note: I prefer my Za from non-chain places.

[Eagle104]

agreed about the 'sweets'. :eek: they have no place on real pizza.

other than that, i'm good with about anything...and absolutely love anchovies.

[mapguy]

Originally posted by Eagle104
and absolutely love anchovies.

ugh.. You lost me on that one.

[nz_climber]

I agree with mappy - no sweets, no chains, and none of them little fishy things either... but you can't forget Jalapeño chilli's :eek:

[Eagle104]

ok, ladies..no fish. :laugh:

everytime i'm in a different town for any reason, i try to get a lcl pizza. to me, it's hard to find bad pizza..it's almost all good. i'm very forgiving when it comes to pizza. but it did happen one time in allentown, pa.

one other thing i don't like is when it's called "pie". pie is pie. pizza isn't pie. :gomer:

[RaceGrrl]

What do I like on my pizza? Meat and cheese- lots of it.

[Racewriter]

Pepperoni, hamburger, onions, peppers of all types, meatballs, Canadian bacon...

Thick crust with lots of sauce - preferred. Thin is OK.

And plenty of it.

[RichK]

North Beach Pizza in San Francisco, get the clam & garlic pizza. Very yummy, but you will riding the Bad Breath Express for a couple days!

[KaBoom21]

Thin crust, usually sausage and mushroom. Spinach and mushroom on Fridays when I decide to be a practicing Catholic.

Although I've enjoyed a piece of deep dish a time or two, Chicago style is not real pizza. Thin crust is the way to go.

And definitely none of that frachise/chain crapola. Go with the neighborhood pizzeria - although I've been to cities where it seemed these didn't exist. It took me 2 years to find a decent pizza place when I lived in Indianapolis.

And nothing wrong with calling it a "pie".

[Hot Rod Otis]

Ham, pineapple and onions. lots and lots of onions.

[Turn7]

Thin crust with sausage, mushrooms and onions.

I also like a plain old margarita pizza which is the origanal pizza. Just thin crust, olive oil instead of tomatoe sauce, cheese and basil.

[Classic Apex]

The local stuffed pizza-pie I order is typically garnished (huh-huh, big word) with...

Pepperoni, italian sausage, extra cheese, minced garlic on top. Every now and then I'll have them throw some green peppers on there.





:D

[EDwardo]

Originally posted by RaceGrrl
What do I like on my pizza? Meat and cheese- lots of it.
I'm with Grrl on this one!

[anait]

Thin crust for me. Our regular crust recipe often turned out like a loaf of bread :eek: , so we continue to perfect our thin crust technique (thank you, dm :D ).

Toppings: onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, any kinds of sweet peppers, garlic, well-seasoned ground beef, salami, ham of all kinds, well-cooked sausage...most any kind of meat except pepperoni. I love pepperoni, but I don't really appreciate its affect on my insides. And I'd rather spend the night in bed with my husband than in the bathroom. :eek: :eek: :D

[RTKar]

Originally posted by EDwardo
I'm with Grrl on this one!

I'm with Edwardo and Grrl.

[Lizzerd]

Anything from Union Jack.

But seriously... Mushrooms are a must. Beef, sausage, or both. Some onion is ok, but not a lot. I have no need for peppers unless I have a pocket full of Rolaids. And the zinger for me (I'm with Eagle104) is I love anchovies too.

[RHR_Fan]

# 1 fav.: Pineapple, ham and bacon
# 2 fav.: Pepperoni, onions and black olives

I also like mushrooms and green peppers.

~Nicole

[Ankf00]

for he who mocks pepperoni pineapple ppl, wtf is natch? :p mushrooms, onions, peppers, all rule, I understand how frsh veggies don't find their way that far north ;)
it's alright, i understand, no need to lash out at those who can enjoy real food w/o weather restrictions ;)

Originally posted by mapguy
What are your favorite toppings?

Mine?

Pepperoni. Natch.
Bacon. Of course.
Hot Italian Sausage. A must have.
The only veg I will allow on my Za is red onions and green peppers.

For all those who like pineapple. Why don't you throw on some M&M's?

Note: I prefer my Za from non-chain places.

seriously though, can eat anything and everything on it... grrl style, mo' cheese mo' bettah, tons of veggies, tons of shrooms manic style ;) tons of onions, meat meat meat, toppings are food and food is great and great is allowed in my stomach so everyone, HOP ON IN!

[TKGAngel]

Cheese, green peppers and tomatoes. No mushrooms. Allergic reactions are not fun.

Add some chicken wings--please dont call them buffalo wings--and you've got a meal.

[DjDrOmusic]

I'm a Pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, green pepper, onion, and black olive person. But I have to admit an old friend of mine that worked for a pizza shop in Florida had me try pepperoni and pineapple one time and it wasn't half bad.

[cart7]

Thin crust, Peppperoni, mushroom, black olives are good.

I like Elyshia's in South St. Louis.

[Corner5]

Originally posted by Eagle104
agreed about the 'sweets'. :eek: they have no place on real pizza.

other than that, i'm good with about anything...and absolutely love anchovies.

I'm with Eagle, anything AND the little salty fish are a must!:thumbup:

[Warlock!]

Don't much care what ya put on it, as long as it's served with beer.

Warlock!

[chop456]

I like what most places around Chicago call the special.

Sausage, green peppers, mushrooms and onions. Sometimes pepperoni.

I'll eat anything, though. If it's stuffed, sausage and spinach.

[mexican]

Originally posted by Eagle104
and absolutely love anchovies.

double anchovies, so you can really capture the taste :)

[Eagle104]

Originally posted by mexican
double anchovies, so you can really capture the taste :)

now you're talking, brother. have had it that way, too.

:thumbup:

[JLMannin]

When my wife was pregnant with 2 of 3, she had this thing for artichokes. Shee made a veggie pizza one night with green/black olives, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts. She aslo added some fennel (principle flavoring in sausage). The pizza was actually very good, especially the second day. The fennel flavor pervaded all the veggies and it tasted like it had sausage on it.

An excellent pizza to make is with barbaque sauce, pepperoni, and cheddar cheese. Made this at home one time when I was sure I had sauce and mozzerella cheese, and I was too lazt to go to the store.

Another good one to try is a traditional pepperoni pizza with sauerkraut on it - the tart/spicy combination is excellent.

[DjDrOmusic]

Originally posted by mexican
double anchovies, so you can really capture the taste :)

YEEECCCCCCCH!!! NO FISH OR FURRY ANIMALS!

[mapguy]

I forgot about this one. There is a Za joint around here called Beff's. They make a Buffalo Chicken Pizza. Basically it is a white pizza with shredded chicken cooked buffalo style with Blue Cheese. Awesome!

[oddlycalm]

You can make the best pizza you've ever eaten, and it's easy to do it in the time it takes to drink a couple beers. I use a Kamado ceramic cooker, but I've used a Weber kettle grill and gas grill as well in the past with good results. The key is to have the dome temperature hot, in the 750 degree range. So before you do anything else, get your fire going and put your pizza stone in and get it hot too. Be careful, and use good elbow length nomex grill gloves when your around really hot grills while drinking beer! I use an 18" round pizza stone on the grill, and it needs to be all the way up to temperature, so put it in as soon as the fire is going.

A lot of pizza uses what amounts to bread dough. Yuck! Bread dough makes a lousy pizza crust, and I don't have the time to spend an afternoon screwing around puching down dough in any case.

8 ounces all-purpose or bread flour (180 grams or about 1 1/2 cup if you scoop it from the bag. It's much better to weigh flour if you can.)
1 teaspoon course sea salt, flaked or kosher salt
2 teaspoons dry yeast (about 1/2 of a packet)
1/3 cup (about 100 ml) warm water (about 120F or 50C)
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
Additional warm water
Olive oil

OK, first open a beer, this is supposed to be fun. Start the yeast in a the warm water warm water (100 degrees) and the sugar or honey. When it's frothy, mix it in and knead it together with the dry ingredients. Add more water if you need to. Put it under a damp dish cloth to relax while you finish your beer and get the rest of the ingrediants ready, then oil a cookie sheet or counter with olive oil and roll it out to a 14"-16" round, depending on how thick you like it. It will have risen plenty.

Rather than go into sauce recipes, the easiest thing to do is to cover the dough with around 15 whole canned San Marzano tomatoes and put some chopped fresh garlic, basil and parsely on top along with a pinch of salt and some fresh ground pepper. The tomatoes bake down into a wonderful sauce. Drizzle the finished dough with a good quality extra virgin olive oil, put on the whole tomatoes and spices, then put on slices of fresh mozzarella, the kind that comes stored in liquid. I use an $2 plastic hard boiled egg slicer as a cheat to speed up the mozarella slicing. Slicing real mozarella is just as difficult as slicing any really soft cheese.

Now is the time to add whatever toppings you like, but it's best to keep it simple and not load it down too much. You are looking for flavor, not dump truck bulk, so leave that to the gut bomb/mass market outlets that have to bury their horrible canned sauce and machine made frozen crust. If you use pepperoni, use one piece per slice, not 16. Trust me, you'll like the result better if you can taste the wonderful crust, sauce and cheese. Sprinkle a dusting of fresh grated parmesano regianno on top when you've got everything else on there. Open another beer.

I fire the pizza on the stone with the cover or lid closed for around 5 minutes for a 16" pie @ 750 degrees. The crust is crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, and a little blackened on the bottom. If you are stuck doing this indoors, you need a 500-550 degree oven, and let the stone get all the way hot. You'll need more like 10-12 minutes at that temp.

In order to make pizza you need a stone to bake it on and a peel to get it off. If you try and screw around with cookie sheets and spatulas, you're liable to get burned badly and make a mess. I use a cookie sheet smeared with olive oil to assemble the pizza on so I can get it to slide easily onto the pizza stone. A lot of people use cornmeal on a peel, but at 750 degrees cornmeal will burn black and make the pizza taste burned as well.

Have fun and enjoy.

oc

Edit - If you prefer wine with your pizza, you sould be able to find Rancho Zabacco Zinfindel most places. Their 'Dancing Bear' is around $8, with their vinyard designated being around $13. One of the best deals around, and it's perfect with pizza.

[RobGuru]

Chovies... chovies... chovies!!

Must have chovies.

I'm with Eagle, Lizzerd, et.al. on this one. Unfortunately, my wife is not. She don't know what she's missing.

Hey Lizzerd... bring chovie pizza to Camp David next year... I'll pay ya for it!!

[pchall]

Shredded duck, asparagus tips, and shallots on a pie with olive oil spread on the dough and just enough good Italian white cheeses to cover the toppings.

Another fave is Canadian bacon and almond slivers with diced red bell pepper. This is also a white pizza.

Can you tell I toss and bake my own pies all the time? :)

[pchall]

Originally posted by Warlock!
Don't much care what ya put on it, as long as it's served with beer.

Warlock!

I want the same za Matt is having, but with double beer.

[RaceGrrl]

When I make pizza at home, I like pepperoni and Canadian bacon on it, and a mixture of Provolone and Monterey Jack cheese.

[Canon2292]

I used to work at a pizza place(a real one, not a chain store), and for years, I ate pizza on a daily basis. Now I'm three or four times a week. Slivered almonds, pesto, and pepperoni were great, but what keeps me coming back for more is Feta cheese, linguica(torn, not sliced)red peppers and green onions. A little garlic butter on the edge of the crust and corn meal underneath makes me cream.

[G.]

I'm partial to CBGO, Canadian bacon, green olives. Sounds a bit frightening, but very good together!

[manic mechanic]

Originally posted by RHR_Fan
# 1 fav.: Pineapple, ham and bacon
# 2 fav.: Pepperoni, onions and black olives

I also like mushrooms and green peppers.

~Nicole

Pineapple DOES belong on the "right" pizza...I used to go to a local pizza joint where their special was Canadian bacon, pineapple, shrimp, and cashew nuts.

I'll take that combo (done correctly) any time. Wood-fired please.


BTW Ank, how do you know what kind of pizza I like? :p



manic

[IlliniRacer]

Anything from Gino's East in Chicago. Now that's REAL pizza. Unfortunately I live in St. Louis where their idea of pizza is disgusting provel cheese on a cracker crust. :shakehead

[scanman]

I like all the above.....My fav includes pineapple , my daughter also makes great pizza with her own homemade crust.....

Home made or chain bought, I gotta have an order of
"fries" from Guildwood Pizza to go along with lots of cold milk..

Gettin hungry just thinking about it.....
:thumbup:

[Turn7]

Does anybody else dip their pizza in ranch dressing?

Try it with pepperoni and you will wonder why you haven't been dipping pizza in ranch your whole life.

[anait]

Another pizza we love is Alsatian tart...I think that's the name. The crust is veeery thin. The sauce is made of cream and quark. Toppings are thinly sliced white onions and mushrooms, bacon, and a combination of mozzarella and Swiss cheese. We have it only in December - at a carol sing with friends, and at our New Year's Eve party.

[chop456]

Originally posted by anait
The sauce is made of cream and quark.

Wow.

Those quarks are hard to find from what I'm told.

That's impressive. :D

[Warlock!]

Originally posted by Turn7
Does anybody else dip their pizza in ranch dressing?
My kids do. They're all scheduled for their first by-pass when they reach 8 years of age.

Warlock!

[anait]

Originally posted by chop456
Wow.

Those quarks are hard to find from what I'm told.

That's impressive. :D

:p

Hey, I'm a talented gal. :cool:

[Grunschev]

Nothing wrong with chain stores (if you find the right chain), and nothing wrong with calling a pizza a "pie", since pizza pretty much means pie.

There's a chain of pizza parlors in Colorado called Beau Jo's. They call them Mountain Pies. Choice of 4 or 5 kinds of dough, in 4 or 5 thicknesses. Choice of sauces, choice of cheeses, choice of 30 or so veggies and 20 or so meats. They don't sell by the inch (10", 15", whatever) but by the pound. You could build yourself an extra thick whole wheat crust pizza topped with taco sauce, cheddar cheese, buffalo, and onion if you are so inclined.

They used to have a deal (perhaps they still do) called the Beau Jo's Challenge. If two people could eat one of their 7 pounders in an hour without getting up from the table, they get the pizza free. I recall it being about a $50 pizza.

Oh, and they have honey on the tables. When you're having the thick crust and you get to the rolled-up bit at the outer edge, squirt a bit of honey on the crust. Yummy.

Igor

[RaceGrrl]

The last time nrc and I went to Denver, we went to Beau Jo's twice in that week. Awesome pizza.

We also had dinner at Bayou Bob's twice.

[TKGAngel]

Originally posted by Turn7
Does anybody else dip their pizza in ranch dressing?

Try it with pepperoni and you will wonder why you haven't been dipping pizza in ranch your whole life.

I personally vote for dipping it in blue cheese. Same with French Fries. mmmm thats some good stuff. :)

[Turn7]

Originally posted by TKGAngel
I personally vote for dipping it in blue cheese. Same with French Fries. mmmm thats some good stuff. :)

Blue Cheese on french fries? Nope. Not me. I only dip my fries in tarter sauce. yumm!