PIZZA-Roman thin crust pizza

Rome is known for its typical pizza--a very thin crust pizza, typically with a red sauce and a few more ingredients.  We find that there are "blanco" pizzas widely available too with no red sauce but a skim of olive oil plus toppings. Pizza supposedly originated in Naples.  We will be going next week so I will report in.  

Now that I have confessed my enjoyment of potato pizza which I usually get as take-away, I thought I would riff a bit on the typical pizza we get when we go in to eat in a pizza restaurant.  We had some great stuff at Pizzeria Ostiense last night and fortunately I remembered to take a photo before it was all gone.

Ostiense is a neighborhood near us, just south of Testaccio on the other side of the river from where we live.  It is a trendy place for artists and especially street artists and we were there for a gallery opening last night.  After filling our eyes with art--pizza.

Pizzeria Ostiense is a basic place which has seating or take away.  So busy last evening--maybe because Friday but I think they have many customers usually.  The three pizza makers were in front by the window--3 beefy guys working as fast as they could.  They have another kitchen for other food but we were not placed to see it as well as the pizza fellows.

Our photos show the very thin crust which is typical and preferred here.  I watched the oldest pizza master carefully stretch the dough on the marble slab they use for prep, then they put on the red sauce or olive oil then anything else.  They have wide wooden paddles that slip under the pizza, then twist around to slide it into the oven at head height.  The pizzas are so thin, it takes a very short time to bake.

Our two pizzas were ready in about 15 minutes from time of order.  Here they are:  one marguerita with red sauce and fresh buffalo mozzarella, one Ostiense special with white non-sauce, peas and sausage.  They will put on whatever you want though.

Ostiense special

Thin crust on the white pizza

Marguerita with buffalo mozzarella

By the time we got here we were so hungry that we were ready to gnaw our hands so the pizza did not last long.  Then, down the street to Gelateria La Romana--another post one of these days.