Pizza made @home, almost like the original!

I kept reading these articles about making pizza at home under the broiler on one of my fave websites. Yes, you read correctly, in the oven under the broiler!

I decided I had enough of lusting after other people's photos of pizza on the internet. After work I called Elizabeth and asked her what she had planned for dinner. Once I told her my plan, she was up for it. I stopped by Walmart and picked up a cast-iron skilled for under $20 and a pizza stone for under $10. We have both at home, but Elizabeth would never let me use your treasured cookware under the broiler under +500 degrees. Also picked up some other ingredients (Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza Dough, Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Shredded Mozzarella Cheese but also Queso Fresco in lieu of "real" Mozzarella).

On the way home I decided I would try the pizza stone tonight, rather than the skillet. I made a round pizza first, but quickly realized that the pre-made dough cutoffs are not easily reshaped. So the next package I simply cut into 4 rectangles. Using the broiler method it only takes about 1.5 to 2 minutes per pizza, so you can quickly whip up the next fresh pizza while everybody is eating the first one.

So here are the simple steps:
- Place pizza stone under the broiler on high for at least 20 minutes before you place your first pizza on it.
- Puree the diced tomatoes. Place in a small pot on medium heat and add oregano, some salt, a pinch of sugar and some garlic powder. Let it simmer.
- Cut dough in rectangles and stretch it out as thin as you can on your floured counter. Place the dough on a floured sheet or even just a piece of cardboard (you want it to easily slide off right onto the stone).
- Add some tomato sauce, some other toppings, we used shredded ham and some cheese. Important: Less is more! This is Italian pizza, not American! Use less sauce and toppings than you think you need.
- Sprinkle a little olive oil and oregano on top to finish it off.
- Now quickly open the oven, use two oven mits in one hand to pull the stone out a tad and slide the pizza pie on it. Push it back in and watch closely. The pie will cook in less than 2 minutes and it will burn if you don't keep an eye on it.
- Once the cheese is bubbling and the crust is just beginning to char, pull the stone out quickly using two oven mits in each hand and slide the pizza off onto the counter. Place the stone back into the oven to reheat.
- Leave the pizza sitting for about a minute or two to cool off just enough. Add some basil and Parmesan cheese if you want. Cut into slices and enjoy!
- Start on your next pizza!

Next time I will try some different toppings. I fondly remember eating Tuna and Onion pizza in Italy, but there are also just freshly cut tomatoes and real mozzarella, topped with olive oil and oregano. I'm also still eager to try out the skillet method, although I don't think it will be vastly different from using the pizza stone.

Sophie called it the ugliest pizza she has ever seen, but everybody agreed that it was also the best tasting pizza we've ever made at home! To me it was the closest to real Italian pizza I've had in a long time.