I don’t consider it pizza as it’s generally served cold with no cheese or toppings. It is, however, a Philly staple. Even my local gas station sells a local bakery’s version of it.
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All this talk of frozen pizza made me notice this South Shore (Massachusetts) style bar pizza at my supermarket today. I can’t remember ever buying a frozen pizza, but this thin crust pie and a green salad might make an acceptable quick meal for us.
Giving it a try.
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We prefer thin crust pizzas and I have been happy with these wood grilled crusts made in Rhode Island https://www.woodgrilledpizzacrusts.com/
I first found them in a 2-pack at a Mom & Pop grocery in Orleans, and recently found them at our Stop and Shop. They freeze well.
I keep Rao’s pizza sauce, boar’s head pepperoni, whole milk Polly-O mozzarella that we shred ourselves and then add any veggies hanging around - usually onions, mushrooms and bell pepper. Makes an easy supper with not a lot of effort. I’ve been putting the shredded mozzarella on the crust first, then just dollops of sauce before adding the toppings.
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That was exactly my point. But skills can’t be “just learned” out of thin air. It’s necessary to have a teacher, or at least a trusted source of information. Many people learn poorly from text. Not having experienced and knowledgeable critique after trying something new, leaves the student stranded. Do you trust me to teach you how to make borscht? (Better not, I don’t know how.)
There has to be some way of picking a teacher. I avoid presuming to teach things I don’t know, but a lot of people will agree to teach without knowing a thing. Looking among people who have a greater overall chance of actually knowing something is not a crime.
My first two French teachers were Polish, and obviously neither one knew a word of French until he got the textbook in the mail. 
Lots of Jewish people don’t know how to make bagels. Probably a large percentage. But the staggeringly large percentage of Indian people who don’t know how to make bagels means that a New York trip to learn about bagels is much more likely to be helpful than a Delhi trip would be.
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For the Canadians reading this, who want to make their own pizza with a shortcut, the Stefano Faita pizza sauce available at Sobey’s is excellent.
Borscht is easy to make- and a million recipes and variations are found in Central Europe, Eastern Europe as well as Hong Kong.
Bagels and pizza require more skill. I have no doubt a good baker in India could make an excellent bagel or an excellent pizza. Plus, there is a small Jewish community in India, and many other parts of Asia, so maybe there has been some bagel making going on.
I haven’t tried making bagels, because I leave that to the professionals.
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If you get a chance to watch the documentary, In Search of Israeli Cuisine the chef/host describes the struggle new modern chefs have in explaining the cuisine of that country while paying homage to the old traditions coupled with the generations of relatives (immigrants) who began home cooking traditions that influenced their food lives and approaches.
I think its a great example for all cuisines that honor the past with their own modern twist. I don’t believe my great grandmother who used margarine would have turned her nose at butter.
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2016 in Israel taking a break while experiencing the most unique modern cuisine and musical journey.
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In Search of Israeli Cuisine started my love of all things Michael Solomonov which I passed down to my daughter. She’s actually in Philly today and had lunch from one of his restaurants. I’m just a little bit jealous.
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Lucky indeed.
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On the topic of borsht
How long do you heat your stone on the grill? I’ve been eyeing some recipes for grilled pizza that don’t use a stone, and they all seem like a major pain with a lot of opportunities for disaster.
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I’ve only used a pizza stone so would have no confidence without it. I don’t really time the preheat but probably ranges between 40- 60 minutes…
Thanks!
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I usually start heating up my stone in the oven when I take my dough out of the fridge. That’s when I turn on the oven on. I always let the dough come to room temperature before I try stretching it so I’d say the stone is heating for at least an hour.
Do the recipes for grilling a pizza without a stone have you put the dough on and them flip it before putting on the sauce, cheese, etc? Most of the one’s I’ve seen suggest that. It doesn’t seem worth it to me.
I agree it would have to be some kind of amazing result for that kind of fiddling to be worthwhile.
I like a pizza with a nice char on the bottom which is hard to do in a home oven even on a stone. One of my favorite ways is to use a large cast iron pan as my stone. I put it on the stove and crank the heat as high as possible. Once the pan is screaming, I add a bit of olive oil, throw the dough in, press it to the sides and add whatever I’m putting on top. I finish it under the broiler with cooks the dough through and chars the cheese.
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Yes. And it doesn’t seem worth it to me, either. The place where I’d be grilling doesn’t have an oven, but thank you.
