Lanzafame - Pizza modo mio

When I hear the words pizza champion, I just laugh it was a role I fell into by accident. I had sold my restaurant Lanzafame and started working at GPO in Sydneys Martin Place, where I was quite content to be back in the kitchen. One morning Spiro, the restaurant manager, came in and said that the pizza chef was running late. So, I went over to set up, thinking to myself How hard can this be? Im Italian after all! Spiro was already in a panic and was off drinking coffee somewhere to calm down. I piled the wood in the oven, fired it up and found some dough that was in the refrigerator. Menu in hand, away I went. What I remember of that day is Spiro walking past and saying You know how to cook pizza! and thats how it all started.

About six months later I joined the Hugos group as executive chef at the Kings Cross, Sydney, venue. Peter Evans, the chef and owner, asked if I would join him to put a personal stamp on his eatery. After only three weeks on the job, Peter called me over and told me hed entered the Dairy Farmers Best of the Best Pizza competition, but now he couldnt make it So, he asked, would you step in for me? I couldnt say no.

Without holding any expectations, I entered the competition for the best pizza in NSW and to my suprise I won! After winning the state final, I was off to compete in the national finals. The morning of the competition, I was thinking How the hell did I get here? Id only been cooking pizzas for a short while and was now competing with the best five pizza chefs in Australia, who beat out 1000 other competitors. And then, unexpectedly, I won the Australian competition too with a fresh salmon, red onion and fried caper pizza.

After winning the national prize, I travelled to New York to compete in The Americas Plate the most prestigious award for pizza in the US. Here you compete against some of the best pizza chefs from around the world. I had the benefit of being able to talk to Glen Austin before the competition kicked off. Glen, an Australian pizza judge and the chairman of that years competition, had never met me previously and had no idea that my pizza experience stemmed from less than a year on the job. But my ideas were heard and agreed upon by everyone Glen, Peter Evans and the rest of the team. So that morning in New York, competing against pizza chefs from across the world, I won best pizza, selected by a panel of ten judges. I was very proud indeed. My winning pizza remains one of my all-time favourites .

My pizza philosophy is simple less is more. Concentrate on one flavour, rather than a bunch of different ones. I would much rather make a lot of little pizzas, using a few key ingredients, than just one big pizza with everything piled on top. Also, the dough should be thin and crispy not thick, tasteless and soggy. I have travelled to enough places to know that people really do prefer a thin and crispy base.

I often find myself using ingredients that are leftovers from the night before. Again, simplicity here is important. One of my favourite leftover pizzas uses bolognaise sauce on a base of mozzarella, which is cooked and topped with some freshly shaved parmesan. This is a no-fuss, simple to prepare and, most of all, tasty pizza.

I hope you enjoy Pizza modo mio it is truly from my heart. Pizza has taken me places that I would never have imagined I would have gone and helped to create many lasting friendships.

Following are some of the staples I use in my work kitchen and at home. Most of the recipes were taught to me by my mother; others I picked up along the way from fellow chefs and friends. Many of these basics can also be used in other recipes, such as pasta sauces. Having a stock of basics means saving time in food preparation and saving time in the kitchen means more time with the family, which means everything to me.

List of Recipes

Plain Dough

Makes 170 g (6 oz) dough (enough for one 30 cm/12 inch pizza)

1 teaspoon dried yeast

1 teaspoon salt

100 ml (3 fl oz) warm water

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra, for greasing

160 g (5 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

Put the yeast, salt and warm water in a small bowl and whisk until just combined. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, then leave in a warm place for 10 minutes, or until the mixture starts to bubble.

Add the flour and knead for 15 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Rub the inside of a large bowl with olive oil. Roll the dough around in the bowl to coat it with oil, then place in the bowl, cover with a clean cloth and leave in a draught-free spot for 11 hours, or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough to expel trapped air. (At this stage, the dough can be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight or frozen. Bring back to room temperature before continuing.) Place the dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper, cover and leave in a draught-free spot for 15 minutes, or until risen by half again. The dough is now ready to use.