Tired of ordering your pizza from the local parlor? Why not try making some from scratch? On NBC’s “Today” show, Mario Batali, host of “Molto Mario” on cable’s Food Network and author of “Simple Italian Foods,” shares some of his tricks of the trade. Try sampling his tomato sauce and pizza dough below.
BASIC TOMATO SAUCE » cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped in »-inch dice
4 Garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried
½ medium carrot, finely shredded
2 28-ounce cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
Salt to taste
In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and the carrot and cook five minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds one week in the refrigerator or up to six months in the freezer. Makes 4 cups.
PIZZA BREAD 1/4 cup light red or white wine, Ruspo from Cappezzana
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 ounces brewer’s yeast
1 tablespoon honey
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
Place wine, water and yeast in a large bowl and stir until dissolved. Add honey, salt and olive oil and mix through. Add 1 cup flour and mix with a wooden spoon until it becomes a loose batter. Add 2 more cups of flour and stir in as much as you can with the wooden spoon (2 to 3 minutes).
Bring dough together with your hands and turn out onto flour board or marble surface. Knead about 6-to-8 minutes until you have made a smooth, firm dough. Place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise in the warmest part of the kitchen for 45 minutes.
For individual pizzas or calzones, cut the dough into four equal pieces and knead into rounds. For one large pizza, knead into one large round. For both, let rest 15 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings
Recipes courtesy of Mario Batali. You can find more of Mario’s recipe in his book, “Simple Italian Foods,” (Clarks & Potter, 1998), and you can see Mario on the Food Network, on his show, “Molto Mario” (Series Premieres April 10, 5:30 PM ET), or try a dining experience with Mario at one of his two restaurants in New York City: Po, the casual trattoria, and Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, an upscale dining room.