The Pizza Bible by Tony Gemignani
It’s Day 9 of Santa Cruz Restaurant Examiner/Santa Cruz Foodie’s “12 Days of Christmas Giveaway.” See end of article for how to win a “pro pizza pack” from pizza guru Tony Gemignani of San Francisco restaurant Tony’s Pizza Napoletana. Still have a couple holiday gifts left to buy for some foodie friends or family? Keep reading!
The Pizza Bible: Got any aspiring pizza chefs on your holiday gift list? When Ten Speed Press published this book by chef Tony Gemignani last October, Eater National called it “one of the most anticipated cookbooks of Fall 2014.” The book is a comprehensive guide to pizza making, with more than 75 recipes covering nine regional styles including classics like Neapolitan, Roman, Chicago, and what some call “pizza sub-specialties” like St. Louis and Californian. Recipes include New Jersey tomato pie, organic three cheese, fig/almond/Monterey jack, calzone with meatballs or spinach, pepperoni and sausage, and Calabrese “diavola.” The Pizza Bible has been described as a “complete master class in making delicious, perfect, pizzeria-style pizza at home… (including) the ins and outs of starters, making dough, assembly, toppings, and baking, how to rig your home oven to make pizza like the pros, and all the tips and tricks that elevate home pizza-making into a craft.” Gemignani is an 11-time world pizza champion and he owns 13 restaurants across Northern California and Las Vegas including Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, Slice House at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Pizza Rock in Sacramento and Las Vegas, Tony’s of North Beach, and Slice House by Tony Gemignani in Rohnert Park. He is also proprietor of the International School of Pizza in San Francisco where he certifies chefs from around the world in various styles of pizza.
More pizza cookbooks: Other books that might pique a pizza-lover’s interest include “Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza” by acclaimed Portland baker Ken Forkish (of Ken’s Artisan Bakery and Ken’s Artisan Pizza) and “Pizza on the Grill: 100+ Feisty Fire-Roasted Recipes for Pizza & More” by Elizabeth Karmel and Bob Blumer. “Flour Water Salt Yeast,” the #1 best seller from Amazon.com’s “Pizza Baking” category, features a tutorial on baker’s percentages, advice for manipulating ingredients ratios to create custom dough, tips for adapting bread baking schedules to fit your day-to-day life, and recipes such as sweet potato and pear pizza and golden beets and duck breast “prosciutto” pizza. Pizza on the Grill includes recipes like Kung Pao cashew chicken pizza, pulled pork pizza, and blistered corn, asparagus, and pesto pizza.
****
NOW FOR THE CONTEST:
One reader will win “Tony’s Pro-Pizza Pack,” graciously donated by chef/author Tony Gemignani himself. It includes a copy of Tony’s cookbook “The Pizza Bible,” a pack of his custom blend California artisan pizza flour, and an Italian professional pizza peel.
To enter, email your name to tfatemi@gmail.com by 9 pm. Tuesday, Dec. 22 and include the word “pizza.” The drawing will take place the next morning and the winner will be notified via email.
Employees of Examiner.com are not eligible for the promotion.
Good luck and happy holidays!
Follow me on Twitter @santacruzfoodie.