Now That’s A Pizza!

Every trip back to NY has a food component that often seems as important as making the rounds visiting family and friends. Don’t get me wrong I love to see people but there are certain longstanding if not primal needs that must be satisfied, the main one being my need for good pizza.  The area of upstate NY I grew up in is home to many Italians and Slavs.  As a kid every few blocks seemed to have an small Italian market.  Just two blocks from our house is an Italian deli, Sam’s.  I grew up eatening the most wonderful sausages, breads, subs, simple Italian food and of course pizza.  After a morning of golfing one day Michael and I walked down the street and got two Italian subs for lunch.  Michael loves subs but he has grown up thinking that Subway subs are the real thing.  You should have seen his face after he bit into one of Sam’s Italian subs (made be real Italians!).

Many of the local delis make what are called sheet pizzas.  About twice to three times the thickness of normal round pizzas they measure about 14x30 and are enough to feed a small family.  Every deli has there own style but they share one thing… they are cheap, incredibly cheap $11-$15.00 with tax for plain!  And oh… how wonderful they are!  Usually my mother has one waiting for us when we arrive at the house.  For some reason on this visit she didn’t (should I read anything into that?) but in years past almost always.  We’d have some when we got in (which is usually 11 PM) and again in the morning, my personal favorite, for breakfast.  I love cold pizza for breakfast, especially sheet pizza.  Over the course of our two week stay we probably ate at least 8 pizzas.  I could eat them everyday.  I have even been known to bring pizza home frozen in the bottom of my suitcase.  I would have done so this time if not for the fact that we spent our last day visiting my brother-in-law in Albany before flying out.  My daughters were disappointed!

This is not my favorite (they have gotten a bit too greasy… I do have standards) but worth checking out if you are in the area: Nirchis’ Pizza
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the most incredbile Italian sandwich bread I’ve ever had (my dad would get a fresh loaf every morning straight from the bakery): Jim Roma’s Bakery, 202 N Nanticoke Ave, Endicott, NY, 13760-4135, 607-748-7425