Different kind of pizza sauce for pizza (1 Viewer)

[Cardinal]

I posted this in another thread but felt it would be more appropriate here:

Cardinal's Awesome Pizza Even If You Kind Of Suck At Spinning The Dough And Don't Even Have The Right Oven Or Pizza Stone:

1 large can Contadina Crushed Tomatoes
Large bulb of garlic
Red pepper flakes
California olive oil (the stuff from Italy is often cut with canola oil)
Whole milk mozzarella (forget those hipster fresh mozzarella balls -- those are for caprese)
Trader Joes pre-prepared dough (obviously this will make people get the vapors and faint -- this recipe is a demonstration of how important the sauce and cheese are, and how wrong Dominos is getting such a basic concept), warmed to room temperature. Ideally, if you know how to make it yourself, do that. Second best: go to the best pizzeria you know and whose dough you absolutely love, and ask to buy their dough so you can make it yourself. I've so far not been rebuffed for this request.

Large metal pizza pan, rubbed with a paper towel with olive oil on it.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

In large pan heat 6 (yes, six) cloves of garlic pressed through a garlic crusher, a heaping teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. When it heats up let it sautee for under a minute, then add the crushed tomatoes. Heat for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat until the extraneous water at the bottom of the pan is mostly (but certainly not entirely) evaporated.

If you're me, clumsily and ungracefully spread the dough out into a circle and lay out as evenly as possible on the pizza pan.

Heat for roughly ten minutes or until golden brown as preferred. Remove from oven quickly move the pizza onto a wooden cutting board. Slice and eat.

After even this highly faulty process, you'll never be able to taste a dominoes pizza again.

----------------

All this said, I do need to start thinking about my dough spinning skills. That would almost certainly take my pizza to the next level.

 

[beefheart]

I hear there is a marijuana laced pizza sauce in Colorado...damn, get the munchies and cure the munchies at once.

 

[Hawkeye10]

Ya, that is on a good road. The modern factory pizza doughs tend to be pretty good, a lot of time and money has been spent perfecting them because the restaurant industry tends to do heat and serve, they dont have the quality cooks needed to make dough right every time, and the factory doughs are no waste. I am a very good chef, and I use them occasionally.

However I will never make a pizza without basil and oregano. Probably would not do it without meat either, this recipe is crying for a good fennel sausage.

Also, get the pizza stone for crying out loud. My brand new GE oven is lightly insulated ($800), I would be afraid to use it for much of anything without a stone in it.

 

[radcen]

I hear there is a marijuana laced pizza sauce in Colorado...damn, get the munchies and cure the munchies at once.

Sounds like a dog-chasing-tail kind of thing. :lol:

 

[Cardinal]

Ya, that is on a good road. The modern factory pizza doughs tend to be pretty good, a lot of time and money has been spent perfecting them because the restaurant industry tends to do heat and serve, they dont have the quality cooks needed to make dough right every time, and the factory doughs are no waste. I am a very good chef, and I use them occasionally.

However I will never make a pizza without basil and oregano. Probably would not do it without meat either, this recipe is crying for a good fennel sausage.

Also, get the pizza stone for crying out loud. My brand new GE oven is lightly insulated ($800), I would be afraid to use it for much of anything without a stone in it.

This is a "base" recipe. I regularly add Italian hot sausage and mushrooms myself.

The combination of the garlic and the red pepper flakes creates a dense sweet and spicy taste. While you certainly wouldn't be in the wrong to add basil and oregano, neither is it strictly necessary.

Yes, I probably should splurge on the pizza stone. They're usually a hundred bucks which wouldn't break the bank.

 

[Hawkeye10]

This is a "base" recipe. I regularly add Italian hot sausage and mushrooms myself.

The combination of the garlic and the red pepper flakes creates a dense sweet and spicy taste. While you certainly wouldn't be in the wrong to add basil and oregano, neither is it strictly necessary.

Yes, I probably should splurge on the pizza stone. They're usually a hundred bucks which wouldn't break the bank.

$42 with free shipping for prime.

Amazon.com: Old Stone Oven Round Pizza Stone, 16": Kitchen & Dining

Not the best, but good enough for most purposes. Mine never leaves the oven unless I am steaming bread, in which case a giant cast iron skillet serves the same purpose, I dont trust that the stone would not break because of the moisture.

 

[Cardinal]

I forgot to clarify that it's ideal if the red pepper flakes are finely crushed. Here in Southern California you can easily find this in Asian supermarkets. Barring this, I prefer to crumble four good-sized dried pepperoncini into the sautee mixture.

 

[SocialD]

I posted this in another thread but felt it would be more appropriate here:

Cardinal's Awesome Pizza Even If You Kind Of Suck At Spinning The Dough And Don't Even Have The Right Oven Or Pizza Stone:

1 large can Contadina Crushed Tomatoes
Large bulb of garlic
Red pepper flakes
California olive oil (the stuff from Italy is often cut with canola oil)
Whole milk mozzarella (forget those hipster fresh mozzarella balls -- those are for caprese)
Trader Joes pre-prepared dough (obviously this will make people get the vapors and faint -- this recipe is a demonstration of how important the sauce and cheese are, and how wrong Dominos is getting such a basic concept), warmed to room temperature. Ideally, if you know how to make it yourself, do that. Second best: go to the best pizzeria you know and whose dough you absolutely love, and ask to buy their dough so you can make it yourself. I've so far not been rebuffed for this request.

Large metal pizza pan, rubbed with a paper towel with olive oil on it.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

In large pan heat 6 (yes, six) cloves of garlic pressed through a garlic crusher, a heaping teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. When it heats up let it sautee for under a minute, then add the crushed tomatoes. Heat for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat until the extraneous water at the bottom of the pan is mostly (but certainly not entirely) evaporated.

If you're me, clumsily and ungracefully spread the dough out into a circle and lay out as evenly as possible on the pizza pan.

Heat for roughly ten minutes or until golden brown as preferred. Remove from oven quickly move the pizza onto a wooden cutting board. Slice and eat.

After even this highly faulty process, you'll never be able to taste a dominoes pizza again.

----------------

All this said, I do need to start thinking about my dough spinning skills. That would almost certainly take my pizza to the next level.

"California olive oil (the stuff from Italy is often cut with canola oil)"
Yea and not just canola oil. the mob in Italy was, and maybe still is, diluting olive oil that is exported with canola and other substances. not all of it I'm sure but its prevalent.
Enough to make me change my mind and buy the best quality domestic olive oil I could find/afford.
California already competed successfully with southern Europe in wines so no reason to think they cant do it with olive oil too and balsamic as well.
this site has some good reviews. California Olive Oil Reviews - Best Brands of Olive Oil - Top Ratings

No as to the pizza sauce. I really zesty marinara, somewhat thick. the crushed tomatoes are great. I like to add some tomato paste to that to thicken it up a bit unless you really want to put in the time and reduce it down. the garlic is a must. a little thyme added to that is nice. some add a little red wine.

 

[Cardinal]

Another great idea that I've only just started doing: freshly grated Parmesan, ideally Parmigiano Reggiano mixed in with the mozzarella. This will have the sharpest, boldest flavor, though admittedly it does tend to be awfully expensive.

 

[Cardinal]

"California olive oil (the stuff from Italy is often cut with canola oil)"
Yea and not just canola oil. the mob in Italy was, and maybe still is, diluting olive oil that is exported with canola and other substances. not all of it I'm sure but its prevalent.
Enough to make me change my mind and buy the best quality domestic olive oil I could find/afford.
California already competed successfully with southern Europe in wines so no reason to think they cant do it with olive oil too and balsamic as well.
this site has some good reviews. California Olive Oil Reviews - Best Brands of Olive Oil - Top Ratings

It was the report of the Italian mob and olive oil that first got me onto California oil. I did a taste test and the California stuff blew the Italian oil clear out of the competition, so yeah, the canola thing is a real problem.

No as to the pizza sauce. I really zesty marinara, somewhat thick. the crushed tomatoes are great.

I don't understand what you're trying to say here.

I like to add some tomato paste to that to thicken it up a bit unless you really want to put in the time and reduce it down.

That's where a good crushed tomato sauce is important. A decent brand won't be all water and therefore won't need to be reduced for very long. Contadina is what I personally consider the best bang for the buck. It's a great consistency, tastes great and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Everyone's tastes are going to vary, of course, but I don't think this requires tomato paste. One awful experiment I conducted was "just how little can I get away with paying for my crushed tomato sauce?" I went to a dollar store, and when I cooked it it took over an hour to reduce and tasted like metal. I probably got seven different kinds of heavy metal poisoning from that experiment.

the garlic is a must. a little thyme added to that is nice. some add a little red wine.

Different sauces require different things. A regular tomato puree pizza sauce will absolutely require basil, oregano and fennel seeds (and perhaps thyme). My sauce is based on a different kind of dish altogether and therefore does not necessarily need those flavors to work.

I used to be a huge wine nut, but I later decided it made the sauce too acidic, too heavy and took away from the fresh taste that's all the fashion in Mediterranean cuisine these days. I just got rid of it altogether and haven't looked back.

 

[Cardinal]

I just remembered that the Contadina brand that my supermarket carries has sea salt in it. If your crushed tomato sauce doesn't have that then you'll almost certainly have to add it yourself.

 

[SDET]

I posted this in another thread but felt it would be more appropriate here:

Cardinal's Awesome Pizza Even If You Kind Of Suck At Spinning The Dough And Don't Even Have The Right Oven Or Pizza Stone:

1 large can Contadina Crushed Tomatoes
Large bulb of garlic
Red pepper flakes
California olive oil (the stuff from Italy is often cut with canola oil)
Whole milk mozzarella (forget those hipster fresh mozzarella balls -- those are for caprese)
Trader Joes pre-prepared dough (obviously this will make people get the vapors and faint -- this recipe is a demonstration of how important the sauce and cheese are, and how wrong Dominos is getting such a basic concept), warmed to room temperature. Ideally, if you know how to make it yourself, do that. Second best: go to the best pizzeria you know and whose dough you absolutely love, and ask to buy their dough so you can make it yourself. I've so far not been rebuffed for this request.

Large metal pizza pan, rubbed with a paper towel with olive oil on it.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

In large pan heat 6 (yes, six) cloves of garlic pressed through a garlic crusher, a heaping teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. When it heats up let it sautee for under a minute, then add the crushed tomatoes. Heat for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat until the extraneous water at the bottom of the pan is mostly (but certainly not entirely) evaporated.

If you're me, clumsily and ungracefully spread the dough out into a circle and lay out as evenly as possible on the pizza pan.

Heat for roughly ten minutes or until golden brown as preferred. Remove from oven quickly move the pizza onto a wooden cutting board. Slice and eat.

After even this highly faulty process, you'll never be able to taste a dominoes pizza again.

----------------

All this said, I do need to start thinking about my dough spinning skills. That would almost certainly take my pizza to the next level.

What is exactly is "off" about Domino's pizza sauce? When it's free at the local programmers (user group) meeting, I eat Domino's. The price is right. I would be hard pressed to pay money for Domino's.

 

[Hawkeye10]

I just remembered that the Contadina brand that my supermarket carries has sea salt in it. If your crushed tomato sauce doesn't have that then you'll almost certainly have to add it yourself.

And since the sodium levels are being reduced big time probably add some regardless. Up till two years ago I rarely added salt to canned goods, now they need it about half the time. Soon it will be all the time since the lowering of salt under pressure from the food nazis with little science to support their demand is over two years into a 5 year plan to "condition" us to lower salt levels.

**** that.

 

[Cardinal]

What is exactly is "off" about Domino's pizza sauce? When it's free at the local programmers (user group) meeting, I eat Domino's. The price is right. I would be hard pressed to pay money for Domino's.

I'm in my forties which means that if I'm going to ingest calories, I better damn well enjoy the flavor of them regardless of how much money I did or didn't drop on them.

 

[Cardinal]

I hear there is a marijuana laced pizza sauce in Colorado...damn, get the munchies and cure the munchies at once.

Edibles. Ugh. Eat a pot brownie now, be a drooling catatonic one hour later.

 

[PoS]

I just remembered that the Contadina brand that my supermarket carries has sea salt in it. If your crushed tomato sauce doesn't have that then you'll almost certainly have to add it yourself.

I loved just eating pasta with plain marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese. Contadina was my go to brand and I would always bug my mom to buy it for me, their ready made marinara sauce is excellent. I would get their tortellinis too.

 

[QuadpolarNutjob]

that's pretty ambitious, i usually feel accomplished by just putting my own pizza together from premade ingredients lol.

 

[rhinefire]

I hear there is a marijuana laced pizza sauce in Colorado...damn, get the munchies and cure the munchies at once.

Reeferinos Pizza........... "If we could remember your address we would deliver!!

 

[woodsman]

I posted this in another thread but felt it would be more appropriate here:

Cardinal's Awesome Pizza Even If You Kind Of Suck At Spinning The Dough And Don't Even Have The Right Oven Or Pizza Stone:

1 large can Contadina Crushed Tomatoes
Large bulb of garlic
Red pepper flakes
California olive oil (the stuff from Italy is often cut with canola oil)
Whole milk mozzarella (forget those hipster fresh mozzarella balls -- those are for caprese)
Trader Joes pre-prepared dough (obviously this will make people get the vapors and faint -- this recipe is a demonstration of how important the sauce and cheese are, and how wrong Dominos is getting such a basic concept), warmed to room temperature. Ideally, if you know how to make it yourself, do that. Second best: go to the best pizzeria you know and whose dough you absolutely love, and ask to buy their dough so you can make it yourself. I've so far not been rebuffed for this request.

Large metal pizza pan, rubbed with a paper towel with olive oil on it.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

In large pan heat 6 (yes, six) cloves of garlic pressed through a garlic crusher, a heaping teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. When it heats up let it sautee for under a minute, then add the crushed tomatoes. Heat for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat until the extraneous water at the bottom of the pan is mostly (but certainly not entirely) evaporated.

If you're me, clumsily and ungracefully spread the dough out into a circle and lay out as evenly as possible on the pizza pan.

Heat for roughly ten minutes or until golden brown as preferred. Remove from oven quickly move the pizza onto a wooden cutting board. Slice and eat.

After even this highly faulty process, you'll never be able to taste a dominoes pizza again.

----------------

All this said, I do need to start thinking about my dough spinning skills. That would almost certainly take my pizza to the next level.

I do enjoy a nice homemade pizza , I’m going to try your recomandasions. For some time now I have been using the less is better option when it comes to making pizza. This even includes the sauce , I typically use whole tomatoes and crush them by hand or pre seasoned stewed tomatoes. I then drain off most of the liquid and just sparingly use the chunks. I brush the shell with olive oil and smear just a bit of roaster garlic. At that point it’s just fresh mozzarella and basil leaves and once done a drizzle of olive oil.

I am considering adding a pizza oven to my outdoor cooking arsenal. I just recently found one that fits my budget and limited space needs. I’m not endorsing this product but I find it rather cool. The important part for me is Its size and relative portability because I live in a condo.

 

[Cardinal]

I do enjoy a nice homemade pizza , I’m going to try your recomandasions. For some time now I have been using the less is better option when it comes to making pizza. This even includes the sauce , I typically use whole tomatoes and crush them by hand or pre seasoned stewed tomatoes. I then drain off most of the liquid and just sparingly use the chunks. I brush the shell with olive oil and smear just a bit of roaster garlic. At that point it’s just fresh mozzarella and basil leaves and once done a drizzle of olive oil.

I am considering adding a pizza oven to my outdoor cooking arsenal. I just recently found one that fits my budget and limited space needs. I’m not endorsing this product but I find it rather cool. The important part for me is Its size and relative portability because I live in a condo.

Do not skimp on the sauce. If you're eating a bland and crappy pizza, ask yourself, "Is there too damn little sauce in this pizza?" Seven times out of ten the answer will be yes. Everything else you said sounds great, though with the way I prepare the sauce all the olive oil you'll need is there.

Also if by "fresh mozzarella" you mean those mozzarella balls floating in water that you buy behind the counter at Italian delis, forget those things. They'll make the pizza soggy and they don't have the kind of flavor you need to carry a pizza. Fresh mozzarella balls are for caprese, not pizza.