I recently attended a pizza-making workshop at Nonno Carlo in Morgantown with one of my best friends, Lisa. 



It was seriously one of the coolest experiences I've had in recent memory. Not only was our instructor - an owner of the restaurant - super knowledgeable and personable, he was fun and funny, too! 



We started off by tasting the nuances between different olive oils and what to look for. We also learned how to make fresh mozzarella very simply - and left with our own homemade fresh ball of mozzarella!



We used dough they had already made in house, and we floured our space and learned how to stretch it appropriately. Then, it was time for a very simple tomato sauce, basil and fresh mozzarella. One of the most difficult parts was gettin the pizza on the peel to go into the oven.



When it was finished, it could be topped with balsamic reduction, olive oil, parmesan or salt and pepper.

 
It was really fascinating to hear about how simple, yet intricate the requirements are to be a legitimate napoletano pizza. Did you know that most "San Marzano" tomatoes aren't actually San Marzanos? They're just in the "style" of San Marzano. The real ones are grown in a small area around Naples only.



And, the pizza is supposed to be buffalo mozzarella only. AND, did you know that burrata is just ricotta and fresh mozzarella? I learned SO much! AND, fact of the day was that Giuseppe Argiro (commercial creator of the pepperoni roll) was an explosives expert. 



And the pizza? Delicious. Fun. Entertaining. Educational. I think I might go again!