DIY pizza

By Alex Rush

It’s not delivery, it’s do-it-yourself!

The pizzaiolos from Roberta’s in Bushwick are teaching three pie-crafting classes this January, including one that shows students how to cook with a wood-burning oven.

Anthony Falco and Angelo Womack will run their workshop at Best Pizza on Havemeyer Street, a serious wood-fired slice joint that opened in October. They’ll instruct up to 12 pupils on dough-making, topping distribution and how to properly cook their pies in a 1,000-degree oven. Those with big backyards can even learn how to construct their own wood-burning oven, like Paulie Giannone did before he opened Paulie Gee’s in Greenpoint.

But you don’t need a fancy oven to make a great pizza. Falco and Womack are also offering a more practical workshop that demonstrates how to make a pie in a conventional electric oven. 

The goal of the class is to show that amateur bakers can still churn out great pies — as long as they hand-knead dough, use uncooked canned tomatoes for the sauce and drizzle olive oil on the crust so that it gets nicely browned in the oven.

“And the best part is that students get to eat the pizza they make,” said Harry Rosenblum of the Brooklyn Kitchen, which sponsors the class.

Wood-fired oven class at Best Pizza [33 Havemeyer St. between N. Seventh and Eighth streets in Williamsburg, (718) 389-2981], Jan. 24 at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $125; Home pizza-making class at the Brooklyn Kitchen [100 Frost St. between Manhattan Avenue and Leonard Street  in Greenpoint, (718) 389-2981], Jan. 23 at 2 pm. Tickets are $75. For info, visit www.thebrooklynkitchen.com.

Photo by Bess Adler

Read more...

Certifiably good! Check out Chipp on Ocean Avenue

By Alex Rush

Talk about tradition.

The pizzaiolo at the recently opened Chipp Neapolitan Pizza on Ocean Avenue is so committed to authenticity, he makes his pies according to the guidelines set by Neapolitan pizza masters.

“Neapolitan pizza is the best in the world,” said Lenny Veltman (pictured at left). “That style is very trendy right now.”

Veltman learned to make traditional Neapolitan pies with Verace Pizza Napoletana, an Italian organization with strict rules for admittance into its culinary la costra nostra that also certifies pizzerias as authentically Neapolitan-style. There are only two such certified pizzerias in the city, and Veltman looks to have Chipp added to that list.

Like traditional Neapolitan pizza, Chipp’s margherita pizza sports fresh mozzarella, sauce made from uncooked San Marzano tomatoes (imported from Italy, of course) and fresh basil. The pies cook for about a minute-and-a-half in an oak-burning oven that reaches up to 1000 degrees.

“I’ve always loved pizza, but I didn’t know about this special kind until about a year ago,” said Veltman, who first found out about Verace Pizza Napoletana-certified pizzerias after eating at one in, of all places, Minnesota.

After his transcendent pizza-eating experience, Veltman, whose past life includes running a Russian restaurant in New Jersey and appearing on season five of “The Apprentice” (he was fired after week seven), was inspired to learn the Neapolitan pizza craft. So he enrolled in Verace Pizza Napoletana’s week-long pizzaiolo rigorous training course in California.

Upon completion, Veltman teamed up with friend and Sheepshead Bay resident Ruslan Goryachkovskiy to open Chipp.

The restaurant’s name is a riff on Cipollini onion, the little golden brown onions that Veltman and Goryachkovskiy use on three of their specialty pies.

You can choose from among 20 varieties of 14-inch diameter pizzas, all priced under $15. 

Many actually deviate from the typical Neapolitan pie with experimental toppings like eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese.

“They’re all so good, the pizza here is the best in the neighborhood,” said Irina G., a local resident who declined to give her full last name. “I really like the white pie.”

But our favorite is still the basic margherita. The crust could use some salt, but it is nicely charred while still being foldable. The cheese-to-sauce ratio is pretty even, which we love because both ingredients taste super fresh. And the best part is, the pie big enough to feed two people is only $9.50.

You could order a margherita topped with imported buffalo milk mozzarella for $5 more, but unless you’re a seasoned cheese connoisseur, the less expensive pie with regular cow’s milk mozzarella tastes just as good.

Chipp Neapolitan Pizza [2971 Ocean Ave. between Avenue Y and Avenue Z in Sheepshead Bay, (718) 934-4100)]. Open Sunday-Thursday, 11 am–10 pm., Friday-Saturday, 11 am-11 pm.

Photo by Steve Solomonson

Read more...

Where should the First Lady have gone for pizza in Brooklyn?

Michele Obama and children went to Grimaldi's in DUMBO, like every other tourist to our fair borough (something tells us they didn't casually stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge to get there, though).

They had "one pie with pepperoni and sausage, one classic Margherita, and one with mushrooms, peppers and onions," reports the Brooklyn Paper).

But what about Brooklyn's other famous pizza joints, like Roberta's, Di Fara, L&B and Lucali? Where do you have told them to go? Sound off in the comments.

Photo: The Brooklyn Paper / Tom Callan

Read more...

Kitchen Klutz: Mama mia! Who let the Klutz make the pie?

Photo by Ted Levin

By Michèle De Meglio

What was I thinking?

I hate hot ovens, I don’t like spilling food on my clothes and I can’t stand when hats mess up my hair!

Picture this — I, the Kitchen Klutz, am wearing a puffy chef’s hat (which is totally falling off my head and flattening my hair) and am about to make a pizza — from scratch! And I’m doing it in a real pizzeria. That means my baby forearms are going into a giant pizza oven. Somebody help!

So there I was, standing in Curioso Pizzeria and Ristorante at 227 Roebling Street in Williamsburg and ready (or not) for my pizza making lesson from Matt Mahler, the eatery’s owner and star pizza maker.

Matt was nice enough and patient enough even though we had to throw out three (count ’em — three!) balls of dough that I ripped with my nails. (Sorry again!)

Following Matt’s directions, I plopped the fourth dough ball on Curioso’s marble counter top, coated it with flour and stretched it into a giant circle. I’m making this sound easier than it was. And omitting the part when I lost steam and Matt took over.

Now, it was time for the main attraction — throwing the dough up in the air! As per Matt’s instructions, I balled my hands into fists and kept them in the corners of the dough. I threw that sucker as high as I could and caught it like a pro! Actually, it landed like a lump and nearly fell on the floor. Hey, I tried.

Demonstrating the proper technique, Matt sent the dough soaring into the air twice as high as I did and caught it perfectly and easily. (Note: Matt’s twice my height so I think I did okay on the dough-air-height meter.)

Adding insult to injury, flour from the high-flying dough coated my “Italian Princess” shirt and went in my eyes. Even worse, Curioso’s was packed with customers enjoying their pizzas and laughing at my silly Klutz show. Geez, it’s like high school all over again.

Back on the marble, I covered the dough with two scoops of Curioso’s sauce (smells so good!), handfuls of mozzarella cheese and mushrooms (only on half to appease my hungry photographer).

Matt and I slid a massive pizza peel under the pie and carried it to the 500-degree oven. Since I’m afraid of toaster ovens, you can imagine how terrified I was.

But in retrospect, that was nothing compared to when it was time to take the pizza out of the oven. As my hands shook, I inched the peel toward the pie, which was all the way in the back of the oven. I froze in fear so Matt had to push the peel under the rest of the pie. And he helped slide it out while I complained about the piping hot peel handle.

Verdict: Curioso’s pizza is awesome! The crust is crispy, the cheese is fresh and the sauce is sweet. A perfect pie all around!

Hop the L train to Curioso’s to try this pleasant pie for yourself. It’s just $2 for a slice and medium soda! Don’t worry — I’ve hung up my chef’s hat. Matt will be the one making your slice.

Kitchen Klutz follows 20-something Michèle De Meglio as she burns casseroles and her fingers, all in hope of trading frozen dinners for home cooking.

Read more...