Training Day
The "(2) Train" Pizza
Crispy-Fried Sweet Italian Sausage, Smoked Mozzarella, Spicy Marinara, Onions, Anchovies
I've long had the urge to make my own pizza — as in from scratch. However, my tiny apartment's kitchen countertop space doesn't really allow for making any amount of dough greater than what I might need to make a few dumplings.
Luckily, I've known long enough that I could buy pre-cooked pizza dough at the local Fairway, which I did yesterday so I could at least first practice rolling and hand-tossing my own dough.
Which I did by clearing off all the other appliances from my counter top, dusting it with some flour, adding a drizzle of honey, kneading by hand, then rolling with a rolling pin.
The pizza then got topped with a spicy marinara sauce I made by adding red pepper flakes to a summering tomato sauce that I also added garlic, dried oregano, and dried basil too. That then got topped by smoked mozzarella, crispy pan-fried ground sweet Italian sausage, thinly sliced onions, anchovies, and grated parmesan cheese.
That went into a pre-heated 375° oven, where it came out 15 minutes later nicely sizzling and bubbly on top, and browned, slightly charred, and crispy on its edges.
"(2) Train" Pizza | Crispy-Fried Sweet Italian Sausage, Smoked Mozzarella, Spicy Marinara, Onions, Anchovies
The pizza pretty much epitomized the ideology behind my "5S" flavor principle or savory (tomato, garlic), sweet (sausage, onions, honey), salty (anchovies, parmesan), smokey (smoked mozzarella), and spicy (red pepper flakes).
And it so deftly succeeded in appealing to so many appreciative tastebuds, that I decided to call it the "2 Train" pizza. One, because it represents not just the great pizza history of New York — sausage being one its most popular present day toppings, anchovies being one of the city's most popular toppings in the past, smoked mozzarella representing the Italian roots of the pizza here in Gotham and the men who were in and out of smoky ovens making those pies. And two, the MTA @ train runs one of the longest tracks through more of the city than any other line, starting in the heights of east Bronx, through the heart(s) of Manhattan, and out through old school Brooklyn.
The pizza packed plenty of flavor and wonderful texture in each bite, and as any decent pizza should, the few remaining leftover slices served quite well the following morning for breakfast after being properly reheated (respectfully and honorably in the oven), and topped with a perfectly poached egg.
"(2) Train" Pizza with Poached Egg
For my first practice pizza, I am now more confident with the prospect of making more of them, even the dough. Looking forward to becoming a more proficient pie-making pro in the near future. Stay tuned.
