As heard on CBC Radio’s Alberta at Noon show:

Calgary has some trendy new places to enjoy traditional Italian pizza and Cinda Chavich, our food and cooking columnist is here to talk about how they do pizza perfectly.

WE SEEM TO BE HAVING A BIT OF A PIZZA REVOLUTION IN CALGARY THESE DAYS – WHAT’S GOING ON?

I’m not sure, but pizza does seem to be the hot new thing on the local restaurant scene.

We’ve just had a few new gourmet pizza restaurants open recently, joining places like Pulcinella and UNA Pizza that have been open for a couple of years.

Now there’s Famoso Neopolitan Pizza, which is a chain which started with several locations in Edmonton and now has a location here in Calgary. WOP (without papers) recently opened in Inglewood, upstairs in the space which was once Nectar Desserts. And now we have Double Zero downtown, a modern pizzeria that just opened this week.

All are doing a traditional Italian thin crust pizza -  as authentic as possible – with the best ingredients, including imported Italian Double Zero flour and San Marzano tomatoes. Some – like Famoso and Pulcinella – have even sent their chefs to train under the famous pizza makers of Naples.

THAT’S AMAZING – TELL ME MORE ABOUT AUTHENTIC NEOPOLITAN PIZZA

Well, Naples is ground zero for pizza – the place that the popular pie was invented. It started as a simple pie with tomato topping – cheese and basil were added in 1889 when a pizza was made to resemble the Italian flag for a visiting royal, Queen Margherita of Savoy.

So the basic cheese and tomato pizza with basil is still known as the Margherita.

Over the years, other styles of pizza making has been popular – things like the deep dish Chicago pizza or the thick Greek-style pizza.

But we’ve gravitated back to that thin, crisp crust of the traditional Italian pizza, especially those baked in a wood fired pizza oven.

The pizza of Naples is considered the gold standard – it’s even protected as an STG product in Italy – guaranteed traditional specialtiy – almost like a DOC or appellation designation for wine. So they take their pizza pretty seriously in Naples.

SO IS IT THE INGREDIENTS OR THE TECHNIQUE THAT MAKES THIS KIND OF PIZZA SO TASTY?

A bit of both. These new pizza chefs are using classic Italian ingredients, like real buffalo milk mozzarella cheese and imported Italian tomatoes. You’ll see a lot of menus that mention San Marzano tomatoes – they come from a small town near Naples and you can buy them in cans at Italian markets.  Because they grow in the volcanic soils of Mount Vesuvius they have a very sweet flesh, and to make an authentic Neopolitan pizza, you must use San Marzano tomatoes in the topping.

WHAT ABOUT THE CRUST?

The crust is the other thing that’s vital to a perfect pizza. Italians use a special 0 or 00 flour for their pizza and pasta dough – hence the name of Calgary’s newest pizza spot, Double Zero.

I actually first encountered Double Zero flour when I was learning to make pasta a couple of years ago in Romagna. The lady who was teaching me had a big bag of flour labeled Manitoba zero zero. When I got back to Canada, I asked everyone about this flour – I even called the wheat board in Manitoba – but no one knew what I was talking about. Eventually I discovered that it’s a combination of Canadian hard wheat and soft winter wheat, ground to a very fine “double zero” texture, that’s almost like talcum powder, with much of the wheat germ removed. It’s another one of these food products – like Dijon mustard – that starts in Canada as a commodity, and is processed in another country.

So these new Canadian pizzerias are importing flour from Italy, made with Canadian wheat, to make their authentic pizzas. You can buy it at some Italian grocery stores in Calgary, and at gourmet food stores like Bite Groceteria in Inglewood.

The recipe for the dough is pretty basic, this special  Caputo pizza flour with a natural yeast, salt and water.  Then it’s all about technique – the dough should be kneaded by hand or with a low speed mixer.

Chef Justin Leboe, the consulting chef and partner at Double Zero Pizza, told me they named the restaurant after the grade of flour used in the dough, because he took so much time developing the perfect recipe for it.

Of course they use San Marzano tomatoes and fresh mozzarella made in Alberta.

HOW DO THEY GET THE PIZZA SO CRISP AND SMOKY?

You can do it at home on a pizza stone in the oven at the highest setting, 550 F or so, but it might not be quite as crisp as a commercial pizza oven. I’ve even made it in my charcoal Kamado grill, which gets up to about 700 degrees.

If you’re really serious about making pizza, you can get an outdoor wood-fired pizza oven installed at your house.

Here in Calgary, Dave Thurgar sells the Italian Mugnaini wood ovens and has one in his backyard. He offers traditional pizza cooking classes through the Cookbook Company if you really want to learn how to make authentic pizza.

WHAT IF YOU JUST WANT TO DABBLE IN TRADITIONAL PIZZA AT HOME?

Pizza is really a pretty easy thing to master. You’ll need to buy a pizza stone for your oven or barbecue, and a pizza paddle to get the pizza onto the stone, but otherwise it’s really a question of good ingredients and a little practice.

We often host pizza parties – sort of roll-your-own potlucks where the guests each bring a pizza topping, I provide the pizza dough, and we  spend the evening making and eating pizza together.

It’s lots of fun. You can make the dough yourself or just buy it freshly made at an Italian grocery like Lina’s or Scarpone’s. Make your own tomato sauce or buy a good quality canned San Marzano Italian tomato and just whirl it up in the food processor.

Once you’ve got a good crust, it’s the quality of the toppings that really make the difference. Use good Italian prosciutto and salami, fresh mozzarella, and fresh herbs like basil and arugula, and you’ll have pretty authentic pizza at home at a fraction of the cost of takeout.

A RECIPE?

Yes, I’m including my own pizza dough and sauce recipes, and some suggestions for topping combinations from my book, The Guy Can’t Cook. Stay basic with the basic tomato and cheese Margherita pizza or go gourmet with figs and goat cheese. It’s fun to make pizza at home – and we have lots of new pizza restaurants in the city where you can find some inspiration.

Click here for Cinda’s recipe for homemade pizza dough and tomato sauce

©Cinda Chavich 2011

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