Pizza Day: What's Cooking at School Lunch?

A national trend has sprouted up since I was in school: Pizza Day. Across the country schools order pizza for special functions. Whether celebrating the end of the semester, a classroom birthday or for convenience during a field trip, pizza is on the menu. Schools have realized that they can serve it to our kids as a treat food, and very few kids will turn it down. From the perspective of schoolteachers and principals, pizza is a dream. It's easy to order, easy to serve; portion sizes are taken care of; there's no need for utensils and, most importantly, it's cheap. But not all pizza pies are created equal.

The quality of the pizza being served to your children can vary depending on where it's purchased. Schools order pizza from the most convenient source whether a national or local chain or a mom-and-pop pizza shop, but the odds are that no matter where it's purchased from, the pizza will be high in sodium, saturated fat and dairy which contains harmful dioxins (see GG 103 "Reducing Dioxin in Milk").

If you have concerns over where the pizza is coming from, you can call the school and ask to speak to the head of food service, the principal or teacher who is ordering it. If they purchase from one of the large chains and you want to do some research. You can check out their websites for nutritional information, but none of the national chains sell organic pizzas, not do they offer whole wheat crusts.

If the school orders from a local pizza shop, that nutritional information isn't as easy to come by. In gathering facts for this article, I went to 10 pizza places in NYC and got very little information. Generally, the people behind the counter would shrug and say they just make and sell the pizza. One manager walked away from me saying he didn't want to give out any recipe secrets.

We tend to think of smaller mom-and-pop operations as offering healthier, more home-made foods, but that is not always the case. It depends on who owns it and what their focus is. The economics of the restaurant biz forces many owners to buy ready-made sauce by the gallon and pre-grated cheese. You may find a gourmet pizza shop that sells organic or at least fully homemade pizzas loaded with quality ingredients--but these pizzas are too expensive for the average school to order.

In order to avoid the unpleasant experience of small mobs of children arguing and fighting over toppings, most schools tend to order plain cheese pizza. In talking with a teacher friend about this issue, I suggested adding vegetables to the pies they order as a means of making the pizza a bit more nutritionally sound. She stressed that from her perspective, pizza day is about rewarding her students with something they like and are familiar with, to make them feel more positive about school. She wouldn't risk turning pizza day into a disaster. So while to us an organic pizza made with whole wheat flour piled with roasted vegetables sounds wonderful, unless you live in a very enlightened school district, the likelihood of it getting purchased by your school is almost nil.

So what can you do? My friend recommended researching local pizzerias to locate a source for healthier pizza. Then talk to school administrators or teachers about switching vendors. Many school officials order from a particular shop out of habit, if you can suggest a healthier alternative, they should be happy to comply. Concerned parents can also make a healthier pizza at home and send it to school on pizza day, that way your child will get the treat of pizza without the toxins. Finally, talk to parents' groups like the PTA, and encourage other parents to get involved. For schoolwide events like field day, parents can get together and bake fresh healthy pizzas for the kids.

Making pizza from scratch is easier than you might have imagined. For the crust you have two options, using a purchased pre-made crust, or making your own. In natural foods markets you can buy rolled out but unbaked crusts made from whole wheat, spelt or corn. Homemade pizza crust is easily made in advance, rolled out and frozen so that you can pull it from the freezer at a moment's notice and turn out a fresh healthy pizza for your child. If you want a whole wheat crust, simply substitute some of the all purpose flour with whole wheat. Top the crust with homemade or store bought organic sauce, fresh vegetables, organic cow or goat mozzarella and send them off to school knowing that they will be part of the crowd enjoying their treat, but safely.

If you haven't made homemade pizza before, try it--it is a fun activity for kids to get involved in and will show you how easy it is to have some homemade frozen crusts just waiting in your freezer. So tonight why not cook up one of the delicious recipes generously provided by Sharon Sanders.

The following recipes and tips are from her latest book Cooking Up an Italian Life: Simple Pleasures of Italy in Recipes and Stories. The book is a selection of BookSpan's The Good Cook club and is one of the "Top 10 Italian Cooking and Wine Books" selected by Italian food authority Kyle Phillips. Recipes from the book were named "Best of 2001" by The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Chicago Sun-Times. She publishes a free monthly on-line newsletter SimpleItaly from her website www.simpleitaly.com.

Sharon, a Certified Culinary Professional (CCP), contributes to Cooking Light magazine and has written extensively for other national publications. She is a frequent guest on TV and radio, appears at nationally recognized culinary events such as Kitchen Aid's The Book and the Cook in Philadelphia, and also teaches popular Italian cooking classes at Sur la Table, Williams-Sonoma, and food-wine festivals across the U.S. She is the featured chef at www.filippoberio.com

Sharon lived and worked for several years in Tuscany where she married her husband Walter Sanders in the historic Church of Santa Croce in Florence. She continues to travel often throughout Italy. Sharon lives with her husband and daughters Emma and Tess in eastern Pennsylvania.

Pizza Dough
Makes one 15-inch round pizza crust

Ingredients
1-1/4 cups water bottled or filtered water (105 to 115 degrees F)
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 to 3-1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method
To prepare by hand: Coat a large bowl with no-stick spray; set aside. In a glass measuring cup, mix the water and the yeast to dissolve. Pour into another large bowl. Add the oil and 1 cup flour. Beat until smooth. Add 1 cup flour and the salt; beat until smooth. Add 1 cup flour. Stir until the mixture forms a clump.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup of flour on a work surface. Push most of the flour to the side. With a dough scraper, lift the dough onto the surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour. With the scraper, fold the dough several times to get rid of the surface stickiness. With your hands, knead for 5 to 6 minutes, until the dough is resilient. Use additional flour only to prevent surface sticking. Some flour may remain. Place in the prepared bowl. Coat lightly with no-stick spray. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough. Shape into a ball and transfer to a work surface. Let sit 5 minutes. Shape, add toppings, and bake according to recipe directions.

To freeze pizza dough after first rise: Punch down the dough and shape into a ball. Coat well with no-stick spray. Place in a freezer-quality plastic bag. Squeeze out all the air and close tightly. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight. With scissors, cut away the plastic bag. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Shape according to directions.

To freeze the unbaked pizza crust: Roll or pat the dough according to recipe directions. Place on a pizza pan dusted with cornmeal. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then wrap in aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month. To bake, remove from the freezer (no need to thaw). Remove wrappings. Top and bake according to recipe directions.

Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Ripe Olives
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
Pizza Dough
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup dry-cured ripe olives, pitted

Method
Prepare the pizza dough. Coat a 14- or15-inch round pizza pan with no-stick spray. Sprinkle with the cornmeal; set aside.

Punch down the dough and place on a lightly floured work surface to sit for 5 minutes. With lightly floured hands or a rolling pin, pat or roll into a 15- or 16-inch circle. Transfer to the prepared pan. Fold the edges to make a rounded border. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 15 minutes, or until slightly risen.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the oil and heat. Add the onions. Stir. Cover the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Stir. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until browned. Add the salt and oregano.

Spread the onions over the crust. Sprinkle with the olives. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Remove to a cooling rack for 5 minutes.

Double-Crusted Pizza with Grilled Vegetables
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
Pizza Dough
1 tablespoon cornmeal
2 small zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
1 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
3 fresh plum tomatoes, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
Olive oil
1 cup (8 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cold water
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and cut into strips
1/2 cup packed torn fresh basil leaves
Salt and ground black pepper

Method
Prepare the pizza dough. Coat a large baking sheet with no-stick spray. Sprinkle with the cornmeal; set aside.

Punch down the dough. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 2 balls.

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill.

Place the zucchini, onion, and tomatoes in a single layer on a tray. Drizzle or mist lightly with oil. Turn to coal all sides.

Grill the zucchini, onion, and tomatoes in batches until browned on each side. The zucchini takes about 6 minutes, the onions and tomatoes about 5 minutes. Set the grilled vegetables aside.

Place the ricotta in a small bowl. Beat in 1 egg. Place the remaining egg in a small bowl with the cold water. Beat.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Roll or pat 1 dough ball into a 14 x 12-inch rectangle. Place on the prepared pan. Brush the surface with some of the egg-water mixture. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the Gruyère and Parmesan. Top with the zucchini, onion, tomatoes, peppers, and basil to within 1 inch of the edges. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with the ricotta mixture and the remaining Gruyère and Parmesan.

Roll or pat the remaining dough into a 16 x 14-inch rectangle. Place over the vegetables. Bring the edge of the bottom piece of dough up to overlap the top piece by 1 inch. Pinch the edges to securely seal. Brush with the remaining egg mixture. Pierce the top in several places.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden. Remove to a cooling rack for 10 minutes.