You'd think that in Brooklyn pizza is pizza, right? Wrong. The basic pizza formula is:
dough + cheese + tomatoes = heaven
but you'd be surprised at how many mouthwatering ways there are to vary the equation.
If you're new to Brooklyn pizza, try these seven delicious variations on Brooklyn's favorite meal, available at most neighborhood pizza joints.
1. Garlic Knots
An absolute must. But what is a garlic knot?
A garlic knot is just a little slice of pizza dough, tied in a knot, sprinkled with garlic, garlic salt or garlic flavored olive oil and baked.
Depending on the amount of garlic used, garlic knots have been rumored to increase testosterone and contribute to a long and healthy life, and make or break a first date. (And if you believe the first two of those claims, there's a bridge we'd like to sell you.....)
2. Fresh Mozzarella Pie
Try it if you can get it! Fresh mozzarella on a pizza, as in a salad, is a treat of a different order than the pre-packaged stuff. Creamy rounds of fresh white cheese...yum.
3. Marinara Pizza
Good for would-be dieters and lactose intolerant pizza lovers, the modest marinara pizza is a wonderful combination of just crust and sauce. Some pizzerias offer veggie toppings, too.
4. Grandma Pizza, also known as Focaccia di Nonna
"A pizza like grandma used to make," that's what grandma pies, in Italian known as focaccia di nonna, are. A word of warning: not all local Brooklyn pizzerias sell this invention, imported from a Long Island pizzeria whose owner remembered a recipe from southern Italy, probably Naples.
Not to be confused with Sicilian square, which is the same shape, a Grandma pie is a thinner crusted pizza, baked in a square pan, and topped with diced tomatoes, cheese, olive oil and garlic. Usually Grandma pies don't have elaborate toppings.
Where can you get a Grandma pizza pie in Brooklyn?
5. Sicilian, also known as "A Square"
Save the Sicilian square for when you're hungry, this is a filling slice. Perfect for firemen, marathoners and hungry teens, it's a typical menu item at any Brooklyn neighborhood pizza joint. (You might not find it at the more upscale, pie-only, table service pizza restaurants.)
Typically, a square is made of a thicker dough, soft on the inside, and with a well-baked crust on the bottom and sides. Already hefty, these bready-pizzas are delicious when loaded up with extras like pepperoni, chicken and veggies.
Brooklyn, of course, had a large Italian immigrant population from southern Italy, including Sicily, in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
6. Margherita Pizza
If you ask for "a slice," in Brooklyn, a margherita is what you'll get, usually in a triangle shape on a paper plate, to eat in the pizzeria or to take out. The pizzerias sell it by the slice or the pie, and deliver whole pies.
Margherita pizza marries plum tomato sauce with mozzarella, basil, a little olive oil, and the all-important crust.
The controversial crust! Thin-crust pizza, cooked in a coal-fired oven, is considered superior and very Italian; this is what Grimaldi is famous for. But, some afficionados prefer a thicker crust. Fans of Greek pizzerias go for flaky crusts.
Without doubt, pizza fresh from the oven tastes better than one that's been reheated. So be Brooklyn; ask for a slice right out of the oven.
7. White Pizza
A white pizza is one with cheese but no sauce, perfect for people who for some reason don't like tomatoes. A white pizza can make for a very cheesy eating experience. If you don't see white pizzas on display at your local Brooklyn pizza joints, just ask for it. It's easy for them to make.
