Such a comfort it was, on one unlikely rainy Sunday night in Studio City, to dine with easy laughter, silliness, wine, and lots and lots of pizzas. I’ve been back in Los Angeles 9 months now, after living in Italy for the past 7 years, and suffice it to say I learned how to make such good pizza that my Italian boyfriend asks ME to make the pizzas on “Pizza Nights.” :D
The recipe is simple: A little flour, a little water, a pinch of salt, and some olive oil. And what Italian would cook without sipping on some wine? Throughout the years, I found that each Italian makes their dough slightly differently, but then, it’s truly mostly all the same. I can’t say I even really follow a recipe at this point, more than rely on the texture and consistency of the dough I make. But it seems to me you’d get roughly one pizza per cup of flour, and so my “recipe” for a Pizza night is as follows:
Alex’s Pizza Recipe
(24 hours prior to your pizza dinner:)
3 Cups Flour
1 Tsp. of Olive Oil
3 Tbs. of White Wine
Pinch of Salt
1 Pkg. of Yeast
¾ Cup of Water, and then some…
Sauce and Toppings:
3 Garlic cloves, minced
A few Bay Leaves
2 Jars of Barilla Toscana Tuscan Herb sauce (Ale says it tastes just like his grandmas sauce!)
½ Gram of grated or finely chopped Mozzarella
Start with sautéing a bit of minced garlic in a big pot. When golden brown, sprinkle with a few Bay
Leaves, add sauce, and leave on low. Sterilize your pizza spot, scrubbing it down with white vinegar. Mix your water, wine, salt and yeast in a pouring cup and stir. Place 3 cups of flour on your surface in a mound and make a small hole in the center with your fingers. Pour a small amount of the liquid in the hole, and as it may escape the mound, lightly rub your hands around it in a circular motion to catch the liquid with the flour, and slowly mash it all together. Repeat several times until liquid is finished. Fill cup with water. Now this is the time when you need to gain the right consistency of your dough. If you find it’s too wet, add a little flour. If you find it’s too dry, add a little water. If at any time the dough sticks to the surface, sprinkle more flour on your surface.
But, remember, a little water goes a long way. So be careful not to add too much, lest you end up using 9 cups of flour making dough for 10 pizzas! The right consistency is just AFTER the dough is a bit sticky, and when the dough becomes JUST NON-STICKY enough to be fun to play with, you got it goin’ on.
When you have your dough mound, roll it into a ball, and start beating the shit out of it. The best tactic is smashing it with your right palm, then left palm, and then smush-turn it on itself from bottom to top…then repeat like 20 times. At this point, your ball should be consistent in texture all the way through and is ready to go! Roll your dough into a ball, place it into a bowl larger than its size, and place a clean rung out wet wash cloth over it for the night. Keep bowl out of the refrigerator all night. The next day, you will find that your dough has risen! Pat yourself on the back for making an element rise, and wait until aprox. an hour before dinner to roll it out.

At this point, I would recommend making toppings about an hour before your guest arrive.
Whether tomatoes, onions, zucchini, baby broccoli, mushrooms, black olives, shrimp, or sausage…I recommend sautéing everything in a simple garlic and olive oil and setting them aside in separate “topping” bowls. This may take longer than you think, so be prepared. I usually do this an hour before guests arrive, and your place will be smelling delicious by the time they walk in!
Roll out – Set your oven to 375°.
Sprinkle a fair amount of flour on your (again sanitized) surface, spreading out evenly. Grab a medium handful chunk of dough out of your bowl, and pat it into a ball in your hand. Slam it down on your surface and softly smush it out into a circle with the heel of your hand. Gently pick it up, sprinkle surface with a bit of flour again, flip the dough over, and softly smush it out into a circle on the surface with the heel of your hand. Begin to roll your dough out lightly with your dough roller. If at any time when rolling out, the dough sticks to the surface, carefully pick it up by the edges, sprinkle more flour on your surface, flip it over, and lay it down again. Continue to roll out.
*It’s super important as your dough rolls out large, to gather it up onto your opposite hand/forearm as you collect it from the surface, re-sprinkle the surface with flour, and then gently lay the dough down on the opposite side.
Redistribute the dough evenly, and roll out as usual. Continue until dough is rolled out to desired length, keeping in mind the size of your pan. I generally roll it our real thin. When desired size is reached, pour a small amount of olive oil in pan and spread around evenly with your fingers. Be sure to spread oil at least 1 cm. in height as well. Wash your hands and thoroughly dry before gently laying your dough into the pan. Cut superfluous dough around sides and fold remaining upper uncut dough down as an extra crust.
It’s toppings time! Place a good sized spoon amount of sauce in the center. Spread it around to edges with your fingers and continue to add sauce as needed. DON’T let sauce exceed border, I generally keep a 1 cm. border, as sauce that goes over edges will seep to the bottom and burn (as will any holes made in dough.) Sprinkle lightly with mozzarella, add toppings as you see fit, and finish with another sprinkle of mozzarella. Note that: The heaver the pizza, and the thinner the crust, the harder it is to pick up. All that stuff makes it mushy ;) Try not to go crazy!
Put your pizza in the oven for 15 min., check to see if crusts are hard, and put back in for 3 min at a time. I find after 15-25 min. I’m usually good, but depending on toppings (and your oven,) your pizza could be done sooner or later. You can tell it’s done when the sides turn from looking doughy to a bit crispy ;)
Tips:
-If at any time when rolling out, the dough sticks to the surface, sprinkle more flour on your surface.
-NEVER use the bottom racks, pizza will likely burn and leave you high and dry.
- When done, cut pizza slices with your kitchen scissors, that’s what they do in Italy ;)
- Good Nutella dessert pizza toppings are Strawberry and Banana
Well, it truly IS all really very fun. But, I must say that Pizza Nights can be a little exhausting. Often times, you serve 2 pizzas, roll out and sprinkle toppings on 2-3 more pizzas, and take up way more of your precious time than expected. When you have the miraculous idea to cook 4 at a time, think again, as your bottom pizzas may burn before they’re even cooked.
*The best idea is to make 4 pizzas, with a 5 th nutella desert pizza, and accept that there will be about a 45 min. period when you’re in the kitchen cooking. Surround your guests with cheese appetizers and wine (and of COURSE Processo,) and as the first 2 pizzas come out, hold the tears back when you serve, cause you’re GOING back in the kitchen. This is the trick; Prepare the last 2 pizzas quick, AS WELL as the desert pizza. Pop those 3 pizzas in the oven for 15 min and THEN you can join your dinner crowd. Just

before everyone’s finished eating, your pizzas with beep. Take them out to serve, leaving your dessert pizza to cool, and join your party again! The rest of the night is a jazz.
It may be a true “event” for the host, but Pizza Parties have certainly proven to be somewhat of the joy of my existence here in LA. There is nothing better than inviting prime friends to your home, from all walks of life, to come together with the excellence of a bit of true Italian pizza and wine. Everyone has a blast and believe me when I say the evening will be remembered for years to come. Some of the “best nights of my life!” –VP, have come from our pizza dinners. I wish you all nothing but the best of it :D
VIVA LA PIZZA!!!