Oh so many years ago when we first became vegetarians, in order to get a decent, tasty vegan pizza, you had to make it yourself. While it’s still a wonderful thing to DIY – check out Toni’s amazing Potato Sage Pizza – it’s also nice to know that from Boston to Seattle and in a growing number of cities in between, you can find pizza parlors who have mastered the fine art of vegan pizza making.

T.J. Scallywaggles – Boston, MA
Pizza Plaza – Oakland, CA
Pizza Pi – Seattle, WA
The Rudyard Kipling – Louisville, KY
Viva Herbal Pizzeria – NYC
Gianna’s Grille – Philadelphia, PA (check out their veg specialties too!)
Este Pizzeria – Salt Lake City, UT
Tomato Joe’s – Valencia, CA
Bobby G’s Pizzeria – Berkeley, CA (vegan pizza by the slice!)

This cheese-less Potato Sage Pizza is a wonderful alternative to the more common tomato cheese versions. Served hot or cold, for breakfast or any time of day, you’ll love my rendition of Pizza Bianca.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 lb. prepared pizza dough
3 medium baking potatoes, cooked until fork tender and sliced fairly thin
1/4 c. fresh sage, chopped
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Or make your own Homemade Pizza Dough :
1 pkg. yeast
2 c. lukewarm water (105-115 degrees)
1 c. pastry flour or triple OO flour
4 t. salt
5 1/2- 6 c. unbleached white flour

Either by hand or with a mixer, stir the yeast and water into a large bowl, until the yeast dissolves. Add pastry flour and salt. Mix well, then add the all purpose flour one cup at a time until the dough is smooth, but not sticky. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn to coat and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour until it doubles in size. Punch the dough down and divide it into 6 balls for individual pizzas or 2-3 for a larger pies. Let the dough rise again for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. Keep dough cool before using.

To prepare:
Heat oven and pizza stone for at least one hour at 500 degrees.

Have your potatoes, sage, and spices prepped and ready at hand.

Break either prepared or homemade dough ball in half and begin stretching your dough to desired size.

Place the dough circle on the hot stone, sprinkle lightly with olive oil and bake for 4-5 minutes until slightly dry when touched. Layer the potatoes on the crust in a circular pattern, then sprinkle on the chopped sage, some additional olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes until the edges are nicely browned.

Serve hot or cold.

Note: You can substitute rosemary or your favorite combination of herbs on this pizza.

Don’t expect the high rise of eggy cornbread, but do expect a delicious cornbread that’s moist and flavorful. This is great with soups, chili, or as a base for taco filling. Be sure to bake it just until a tester comes out clean and no longer. Overbaking this, or any cornbread, will make it too dry and crumbly.

Ingredients:
1 c. unbleached white or whole-wheat flour
1/2 c. organic yellow cornmeal
1/2 c. white grits or masarepa (fine white cornmeal)
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1 c. plus 1 T. warm water
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3 T. pure cane sugar
1 t. fine kosher salt
Vegan margarine

To prepare:
Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9″ round pie pan, a 9″ cast iron skillet or an 8″ square baking pan. Mix the flour, cornmeals, and baking powder in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together water, oil, sugar, salt, and optional ingredients, if using (see below). Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and combine with a fork, just until everything is well incorporated. Try not to over mix because it will create a denser, heavier bread. Pour the bread batter into your prepared pan of choice and bake it for about 30 minutes, or until a sharp knife or tester comes out clean. Again, don’t over bake!

While the bread is hot pierce all around with a sharp knife or skewer and dot the top with margarine, allowing it to melt into the bread.

Serve immediately or at room temperature. Leftover bread can be toasted or used as you would leftover polenta. Simply heat slices in the oven or toaster and top with stew, chili, or whatever comes to mind.

Optional additions to your cornbread might include chopped scallions, chives, jalapeño, roasted red pepper, cumin, or vegetarian “bacon” bits. 1/4 to 1/2 cup of any one or combination of ingredients will work well. Jalapeño or any intensely hot addition should be added by the tablespoon until the desired level of heat is attained.

Sometimes I surprise myself with a new spin on a favorite recipe. This past week, I made Tofu Cutlets using the basic recipe for Tofu Bites, which are just lightly fried crispy tofu, brushed with Tamari soy sauce and sprinkled with nutritional yeast. For the bruschetta, the tofu is cut into slices rather than into cubes, each slice about a quarter of an inch each.

We had a few absolutely beautiful and perfectly ripe tomatoes which we promptly forgot to put into a salad we made. So after sampling a few bites of the tofu we laid a slice of fresh tomato on top, a little salt and pepper and a touch of fresh cilantro. It was really delicious – very light with a nice blend of sweet, salty, and savory.

With a light drizzle of olive oil it transforms into bruschetta, but without the bread. The next night I was testing tofu recipes again. Starting with lightly fried pieces of tofu – about cracker size – I spooned on some of my homemade salsa and a slice of avocado. It was a great combination that would work well for those family members or guests who are sure they don’t like tofu. The robust tart flavor of the salsa on the crispy, almost cheesy, tofu squares were delicious and definitely on my list of “do agains.” Naturally I had to try this out on my non-veg friends and it was a hit. This is a great example of how just knowing a few good recipes opens the door to endless possibilities.

Most garlic bread in America is prepared using a soft “Italian” loaf that is layered with hefty amounts of butter, oil, salt, and dried herbs. After baking, it’s literally dripping with fat. Italians on the other hand usually only serve plain bread at the table, and most Italian breads are unsalted, especially in Tuscany. My version, a twist on both ideas, is simple to make, light, and delicious to eat. Using hearty bread, fruity olive oil and fresh garlic, this is a recipe you’ll use over and over.

Ingredients:
1 loaf Tuscan style bread (firm dense bread is essential)
Olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled, left whole
Kosher salt

To prepare:
Slice the bread into 1-inch thick slices. Grill, broil, or toast both sides of the slices until they’re lightly browned, but still retain a little spring to the center. While the slice is still hot, take the peeled clove of garlic and gently rub the surface of the bread, concentrating on the outer edge next to the crust. The pressure you use rubbing the garlic on the sliced bread will determine the depth of garlic flavor, so go lightly if you want less garlic. Next, lay the slices on a sheet pan and drizzle them with olive oil. Add a sprinkle of salt and enjoy.

Serve accompanying any entrée or use as your canvas for a wide varities of bruschetta toppings. A slice of this bread is also wonderful placed in the bottom of a bowl with your favorite soup spooned over it.

Any dense loaf of bread works for this recipe, including whole wheat, multi-grain, and French baguettes. Slice a thin baguette into rounds and you have instant crostini, for appetizers or soups.

Last night I had some friends over for dinner and we were discussing the differences between how Italian food is prepared in Italy compared to American Italian food. I recalled how, when I first moved to Italy, I was utterly convinced that whatever they were making there, they sure weren’t making it right. Of course, that opinion changed quickly as I settled into Italian life. Years later when I returned to New York to visit friends and family, I became aware of how and why stateside Italian cuisine differed so significantly from its European roots. In fact, this awareness was really the inspiration for my future interest in food and food culture.

Our dinner conversation revolved around the garlic bread I had made. American Italian garlic bread is usually prepared on a commercially soft loaf slathered in butter, oil, and spices. My version (which is really a crostini or bruschetta base) is quite simple and just what it claims to be: garlic and bread. Bread is serious business in Italy and there are dozens of varieties that differ from the north to the south.

To make a traditional toast, you’ll need a dense Tuscan style bread, French style sourdough is fine and Sicilian works well too. Slice the bread about an inch thick. Next preheat the broiler or a grill pan for a few minutes and toast the bread until it’s golden and crispy. One side works fine. Immediately upon removing the slices from the oven or pan, rub the toasted side gently with a fresh clove of garlic (not too much, unless you want intense flavor), then drizzle on some fruity olive oil. A small sprinkle of salt and you’re good to go. Not only is this a light and delicious complement to pasta and salad, I urge you to consider dropping a slice into a bowl and spooning hearty minestrone right on top of it. Leftovers, if there are any, make great croutons. Like most authentic Italian food, the beauty lies in its simplicity.

Every so often a viewer sends along some tips that I think may be of interest to my readers. Here is a great letter full of ideas and tips that may help all you pizza lovers get the desired results for your favorite commercial style pizza.

Hi, Toni,

I just watched your Pizza Extravaganza show, it was great. I have enjoyed all the tips you have given me, I am now returning the favor.

To help a pizza slide off a peel onto a pizza stone, you can use cornmeal. By spreading a small amount of cornmeal on your peel before you put on your pizza dough, the cornmeal creates a barrier so the raw dough will not stick to the peel. Also use small jerky movements to work the pizza off the peel.

Of course, the cornmeal will change the favor of the crust, some people really love the cornmeal and some truly hate it. If all else fails, you can cook a pizza in a pizza pan or a cookie sheet on top of a
pizza stone. In my opinion, if you cook a pizza directly on a pizza stone, it is easier to burn the bottom, that’s all.

The reason why people throw the raw dough into the air is to make the center of the crust thinner and the edge thicker. Also, if you know how to do it, it is faster then rolling out the dough. Personally I use a rolling pin to roll out my dough and if I want to make a thicker crust, I fold over the edge of the dough. (pick up the edge of the raw dough and press down).

Another trick is to use a fork to poke holes in the raw pizza dough around the center. This will prevent the dough from rising too much as the pizza cooks. Just like a pie crust. This is called “docking.” Normally you don’t need to dock the dough because the weight of the toppings hold down the dough. You would dock the dough if you make a pizza with less sauce and toppings.

To make commercial style thick crust pizza use a 15 inch pan with 3 ounces of vegetable oil spread over the bottom of the pan.

You roll out the dough into a circle and then place your raw dough in your pizza pan. Allow it to rise until the dough looks like a small white puffy mattress that fills the pan. It can take about an hour in a 110 degree warmer. The trick is to cook the pizza with high heat. This heats the oil and basically deep fries the dough. I would recommend using a pizza stone at about 450 plus degree oven.

Pizza Hut’s thin crust is basically flour, water and a pinch of baking powder. Water should be mixed with flour until the mix barely comes together. The trick is to put the uncooked dough in a plastic container for a few hours to allow the flour to absorb the water. After sitting, roll out just like pie crust. (I would recommend docking this dough to keep it thin and crunchy.)

Commercial ovens have an adjustable top temperature and bottom temperature, that way you can control how cooked the pizza is. Since most home ovens do not work that way, that is why people use pizza stones, to change their ovens into a two temperature zone oven.

I hope you enjoy my tips as much as I have enjoyed yours.

Jim

Hi Jim,

Thanks so much for writing; I always appreciate tips from viewers. It sounds as though you either really like pizza or you work with it…or perhaps both.

I learned not to roll out pizza dough in Italy ages ago (I hate to admit it but it has been awhile)…so I still always hang and stretch my dough.

Pizza is generally thinner and well done in Italy, so the pan method doesn’t work as well as the direct tile or stone surface. While many use the stone as a vehicle for the pan, I really do like a nicely seasoned stone as my direct baking surface. The stone should never be washed. If there is any food stuck on the stone, simply scrape it off.

Americans are usually amazed at how different pizza (and most other Italian foods) are in Italy versus here in the states, sometimes the variations are like night and day, but of course, pizza and other foods can vary greatly from region to region in Italy as well. Although my methods may seem unconventional when compared to commercial, they do yield a result that is extremely close to traditional Tuscan or Neapolitan Italian pizza.

Thank you for your letter, I think you offer a great deal of good information and useful tips. And pizza is, after all, one of the most popular foods in the country. It certainly is one of mine – any style.

Thanks again for writing and feel free to stop by anytime.

Take Care,
Toni