A few years back my doctor told me it was time to improve my diet. “For example,” he said, “you need to take pizza right off the menu.” Of course, I love pizza, so moderation rather than total abstinence became the mantra.
When pizza became a “special treat,” it was suddenly terribly important that when we had pizza, we had good pizza. Of course, there’s only so much good pizza we can find locally. So I started trying make good pizza at home. I even took some classes and became proficient at a simple Margherita pizza and a so-so Chicago-style pie.
The Pizza Bible by Tony Gemignani, however, has opened whole new vistas for me in the kitchen. In addition to classic Italian pizzas, the book covers a breadth of regional styles that promises years of fun tossing dough.
Here in southeast Michigan, Buddy’s Pizza is legendary. Order a pan pizza nearly anywhere, and you’re tasting a Detroit tradition. So I was especially excited to find recipes for Detroit-style pizza.
All of these recipes are tweaked for the home cook. No need for a 900-degree pizza oven, though some basic tools (like a pizza peel) will come in handy.
So far I’ve not been too daring with the pies I’ve tried, but we’re looking forward to giving every one of these a go.
(I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.)
