Composition: taking prepared pizza toppings and a existing pizza crust, and making a pizza.

Pizza composition is the glamorous part of pizza preparation. It’s predecessors Long Prep, Short Prep, and Pizza Dough take our ingredients from from a raw state and turn them into a pizza dough and proper toppings pre-measured for a pizza. And with toppings and a pizza dough, we can make a pizza.

While we input raw ingredients and output proper toppings in Long Prep, in Short Prep we measure and then package those now proper toppings specifically to use to compose a single pizza. We can make multiple Short Preps as we can cook multiple pizzas, we keep an eye on using them in under two days

We will put out stack of toppings into the fridge for storage until we are ready to use them. I like to Short Prep in the morning for Composition around dinner time, or do Short Prep the night before for composition for dinner the next day.

In the Composition stage, because up until now we have been doing nothing but preparing, we are going to see all our hard work pay off. With the hard lifting done we can use our energy to create whatever we want.

This will reinforce the value of separating the pizza creation process into Long Prep, Short Prep, Pizza Dough, and Composition. We will see that it is very beneficial to our ability to make pizza. In addition it is more immediately beneficial to our ability to practice making pizza. Mastery of the individual phases by repetition will allow them to seamlessly flow together to make you a pizza power player.

Let get right to it!

EQUIPMENT
cast iron pan
apron
kitchen towel
paper towel
wet rag
sectioned trays
knife to open tray

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup red pepper
1/3 cup orange pepper
1/3 cup yellow pepper
1/3 cup onion
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 dash salt
1 dash pepper

add tomato sauce and make a smooth layer

Add a layer of mushrooms

Add a layer of garlic

Add mozzarella cheese

Add parmesan cheese

Add the red pepper.

Then the orange

Then the yellow

Add the jalenpeno peppers to the center

The add the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

We did a lot of work to prepare for composition, the glamourous part of proficient pizza preparation. Long Prep, Short Prep, Pizza Dough all play their part to setting us up for a successful composition. All of our preparation pays off when we simply have to evenly distribute our ingredients in layers and put the pizza in the oven.

A quick review of what we learned today reminds us that simple layering is exactly what we did. We added our layer of tomato sauce onto our pizza dough in a cast iron pan, and distributed it evenly. Next we added the garlic chunks and mushrooms so they will cook in the tomato sauce and cheese we will add next. A layer of neutral-colored mozzarella and then parmesan cheese set the background for the array of colorful peppers arranged in a pie clockwise pattern. Reg, Orange, We Finish in the center with the green jalapeno peppers as the span the color wheel. Lastly we add another layer of mozzarella then parmesan cheese which covers but does not hide the colors of the peppers.

We saw how the separation of concerns in pizza preparation allow us have a very simple task when we start to prepare dinner. Yes it takes quite a bit of preparation to be able to “Compose” a pizza with ease and minimal stress. But it pays off. As we can see by the pictures, it is really simple to compose a pizza, it can easiy be done in under 5 minutes. If this is true then pizza is a very effective and efficient meal to prepare on short notice, in fact in any situation.

So, if you are returning home after a hard day at work and want a quick and satisfying meal, you might be surprised to discover that pizza in one of the most if not the most easily prepared meals, on the night of preparation, one could make.

Look for our next episode, Jaques Pepin style butterfly chicken with gravy!

Thanks and see you next time!