When the Moon Hits Your Eye

His Pizza

My Pizza

The devil came to me last night and asked what I wanted in exchange for my soul. I still can't believe I said pizza. Friggin' cravings. Marc Ostroff

Don Raffaele Esposito of Naples, Italy, is my hero. Who is he, and how did he rise to hero status in my opinion? Raffaele Esposito created one of my favorite comfort foods when he invented the modern pizza in 1889. Until then, no one thought to combine sweet ripe tomatoes and melted buffalo cheese on top of crunchy round dough. Esposito named his now famous creation, Pizza Margherita, after Queen Margherita of Italy. The tomatoes, cheese, fresh basil, and crispy crust not only resembled the Italian flag, but also tantilized the queen's tastebuds thus creating a new craze that would soon turn into a culinary revolution.

The number 2 on guy on my hero list goes by the name of Gennaro Lombardi. In 1905, he improved the quality of life for all New Yorkers' when he opened the nation's first pizza parlor, Lombardi's Pizzeria Napoletana. Southern Italian immigrants who lived and worked in urban Italian-American survived on this inexpensive, quick and extremely ethnic street food.

Eventually, pizza outgrew it's humble origins and became a staple on many mainstream American restaurant menus. With its fresh toppings, crispy crust, and limitless possibilites, how could it not garner approval among it's new American fans? As it's popularity grew, people in all corners of the country put their own spin on pizza, thus creating a dish so recognizable that today, it's almost "as American as apple pie."

I have attempted to make homemade pizza dough a number of times. I've had a few successes, but most were failed attempts. The results are a crunchy, over cooked and tasteless crust. I must admit that I usually try and create dishes from scratch, but, to my dismay, there are times when I can't stomach another pizza dough disaster. This is why last night I took a little help from the grocery store. When there are two people in the house who want pizza, but eat very different toppings (mine veggie and new-age and his meat and traditional), the package with two pre-made crusts makes both parties very happy. With a different pizza for each person, there's enough to share a bite or two, as well as enough for tomorrow's leftovers.

Even though I used store-bought crust, I feel that I can still call it my own masterpiece because when it comes to the ever-important toppings, creativity makes the all difference between homemade and delivered pizza. First, start with a quality sauce. I made my own which is almost as easy as buying it. Jarred pizza sauce tastes like sugary, overly concentrated tomato paste with no real Italian seasonings or flavors. If you don't have a good base, then you might as well toss the whole thing in the garbage. Second, load up the crust with any topping you like, no matter how weird it may sound. If history has taught us anything, pizza adapts to any combination of high-quality, inexpensive, or unconventional toppings that a five-star chef or five-year-old's imagination can create. Third, top the final product with a hefty helping of freshly grated aged parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes to add one more delicious layer of flavor.

On a Sunday night, you'll be hard pressed to find anything more enjoyable than a good glass of red wine, your favorite tv show, great company, and a fresh-from-the-oven pizza pie. Plus, as an added bonus, you don't even have to tip the delivery guy.

My Pizza

One store bought pizza crust
Prepared pesto
Sauteed sliced onions and mushrooms
Sliced black olives
Sliced tomatoes
Thinly sliced proscuitto
Thin slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese

Spread pesto over crust and top evenly with remaining toppings being sure to end with cheese.

His Pizza

One store bought pizza crust
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely choppped
1 28oz. box of Pomi crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper
5 or 6 leaves of torn fresh basil
Turkey pepperoni
Sauteed hot Italian sausage
Finely chopped onions
Sliced black olives
Sliced jalapenos
Grated mozzarella cheese

Saute onion for 5-7 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in basil at the last minute.

Spread tomato sauce on crust and top evenly with toppings and finish with cheese.

Bake both pizzas on 450F for 10 minutes.

Top with grated parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes. Turn on Entourage, pour a glass of wine and enjoy.