CONNOISSEUR:When it comes to the classic Italian dish, the secret is in the base - the thinner the better, Hugo Arnold
MY CHILDREN ADORE pizza; it is a treat, a weekend fix, which involves a phone call, a man on a bike, the exchange of money and, hey presto, a box containing a steaming disc of doughy delight. It comes with a pot of long-life garlicy goo. To say the flavour is short is to understate the lack of anything at all here. It fills them up, sort of. And makes me very sad. At least it did.
It is with some delight that I can report the discovery of a heavyweight plastic bag in the fridges of some of the better retailers round the country containing three pizza bases. These are made by Gianpiero De Vallier who hails from Veneto near Treviso. Having married an Irish woman, he has landed here and set up The Artisan Pizza Company.
Gianpiero's route to pizza-making is a slow one. His bases take two days to make, rising and proving slowly. He uses yeast, but not very much of it. He also uses wheat and soya flour, sea salt, olive oil and water. The result is a biscuity base; something with body and soul. A base to get your teeth into. And one that doesn't lie in your stomach too long.
It is also thin. Thin so you don't want to overload things. The sort of thinness that limits your topping to one or maybe two ingredients. This is a good thing when it comes to pizza, as the real point is the marriage of base and topping; you need to taste both.
My children's taste in pizza is easy to satisfy, margherita comes top of the list and so I match Piero's base with some passata, olive oil and salt and the pickings from a sagging dome of fresh mozzarella, its rich, creamy, lactic aromas full of goodness. The tomato base is three, maybe four tablespoons of the passata mixed with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. It takes a minute to make, seconds to spread, and the mozzarella - a quarter per pizza - a few more seconds.
Cooking time is five minutes, maybe six, but no longer, as it is all too easy to dry out the base and make it too biscuity.
There is obviously no need to stick with such basic toppings, although its a very happy combination. Salami and pepperoni are good contenders, roast vegetables - peppers and aubergine, particularly - are superb, and mushrooms get top billing. You can tandoori a pizza but I'm not to sure why you would want to.
Pesto with aubergine, however, is a different matter; leek and goat's cheese has a lot to be said for it, and spinach and three cheeses is a definite winner. A purée of broad beans with pecorino and rocket may be sounding a little complicated, and one for next summer, but it is based on a southern Italian classic combination and should not be missed.
I'm partial to a very basic topping of rosemary and potato - I know it sounds odd but with a slick of good olive oil it is a dream. Or try Roquefort and smoked salmon, leek and black pudding, or leek with goat's cheese and Parma ham, the latter applied after it comes from the oven.
These toppings and more feature in Pizza Defined by Bernadette O'Shea, just republished by Estragon and mentioned earlier this year by my colleague Tom Doorley. Understanding the dynamics of what is essentially such simple food and few ingredients is not easy but this book goes along way to explaining the importance of balance, the role of the base and of the sauce, and the need to go easy on the toppings. So no pineapple.
O'Shea also mentions a restaurant in Naples, Da Michele, where you can eat pizza. The choice is limited to a Neapolitan or a margherita and the queues flow out the door all day.
I added up the cost of a Gianpiero margherita pizza the other day, it came to €3.38. A takeaway original cheese and tomato costs about €12. Not sure about making your own? Gianpiero will not only make one for you at Dublin Food Coop market but he will teach, discuss and enthuse about the art of proper pizza-making.
The Artisan Pizza Company, www.artisanpizza.ie
Dublin Food Coop Market, www.dublinfoodcoop.com