GOOD EATS
The Official Neapolitan Pizza
Making a Neapolitan Pizza is simple in theory. Better stick to the rules of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana before you make one for an Italian.
Naples is an Italian seaside town the Greeks took over for a while 3,000 years ago. Since then, the Comune di Napoli has chalked up many achievements but none we believe greater than the Neapolitan Pizza.
There are three secrets to making the official Neapolitan Pizza at home. These are the dough, the recipe, and tradition.
The Origin
An Italian tavern owner baked the first Neapolitan Pizza for the Queen of Italy, one Margherita of Savoy in June 1889. History is silent about what she was doing in a tavern, but perhaps she did not get on well with the king. Something inspired Raffaele Esposito to top his flat bread with tomato sauce, fresh basil leaves, and molten mozzarella cheese in the colors of the Italian flag.
That is all there is to making Neapolitan Pizza in theory. In practice, you had better stick to the official rules before you make a pizza for a Napolitano. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana is the official custodian of Neapolitan pizza art, and it performs ‘rigorous, periodic checks on all of its members to ensure those using the brand name are following official methods’.
a.v.p.n.
The big secret is the pizza dough. This must be ‘soft, elastic, and easy to manipulate and fold’. The heart must be especially tender to receive the blessing of the topping. It must be like an Italian lover returning home (well they are passionate people).
The color of the tomato must ‘perfectly mingle’ with the white of the mozzarella, the green of the basil, and the extra, extra virgin olive oil. The goal is to create a work of art that looks good, and is good enough to eat.
how to
Mix the dough, and knead it to a soft, even consistency using the three middle fingers of one hand. Use only the best ingredients. You can listen to your favorite Italian opera to inspire you. Allow the dough to rise for two hours. Make it into big ‘tennis balls’. Leave it alone for another twenty hours on the counter.
Make the pizza sauce while you wait. The secret that few chefs will tell you is all you need is a tin of Italian plum tomatoes, a pinch of salt and some lightly shredded basil leaves. For the topping itself only San Marzano tomatoes will do. Create the pizza base by hand, working from the center out so it is two to three millimeters thick. No rolling pin or machine allowed. Preheat a pizza tray at the bottom of the oven on high (use a pizza stone if you have one).
Quoting Enrico Bernardo (best sommelier in the world 2004 and Europe young Chef 1993), ‘the fat of the cheese and the salty of the dough and the tomato sauce are calling a white wine full of liveliness to excite the mildness of the dish’. He is recommending a sparkling wine, and more likely a Champagne Brut.
Crack open a chilled bottle of Cuvée Trianon pale gold champagne while you wait for the oven to heat up. This will cleanse your taste buds, and prepare them for your first bite of the Official Neapolitan Pizza. Besides, life is for fun and everything goes better with our award-winning champagne from France. A Pouilly Fumé, a Sancerre and a Rosé would also perfectly match with a pizza …
Bake the base until the outer edge is tender, crispy, and elegant. Add the topping keeping the edge clear, drizzle with the sauce, and finish off under the grill. Cooking time depends on your oven. Share your Neapolitan Pizza with your partner, and they will love you forever.
Only one thing was missing: the right recipe. We went to see Adriano from La Braceria (5 Greendale Avenue Singapore 289501) and he honoured us by sharing his! For 6 pizzas, 2 kg Flour, 1 L Water, 2 g Yeast, 30 g Salt, 1 spoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The most important is the levitation!
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