Napoli Per Tutti brings authentic Neapolitan pizza to Schaumburg
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (WLS) -- You've got to check a lot of boxes in order to be called a true "Neapolitan" pizza. The crust has to be made with "00," a finely milled flour from Italy; there's gotta be San Marzano tomatoes, preferably from near Mt. Vesuvius; there must be fior di latte, or fresh, mozzarella; and of course, it has to be baked in a wood-burning oven that reaches temps north of 900 degrees.
All of these boxes are checked at Napoli Per Tutti in Schaumburg, where a former cook from Ravenswood's Spacca Napoli makes the pies.
"Flour, tomatoes, cheeses. And also you have to have a really good oven," said co-owner and Chef Henry de Leon. "Everything comes together, not just one item. It's everything. We use Caputo flour, 00 blue, and for cheese we use Grande that is from Wisconsin. It's really, really good."
The pizzas take about 90 seconds to bake. Beware, those of you used to crispy, crunchy crusts - this is a wetter pie, softer in the middle and on the edge. There's no getting it "well done."
There are several flavors to choose from, including prosciutto or crumbled sausage with rapini and smoked mozzarella.
Once the pies are drizzled with a bit of olive oil, de Leon stretches them ever-so-gently around the base of a pizza peel and promptly transfers them to the oven, where that stone deck starts baking it instantly.
de Leon said even though this softer, wetter style of pizza may not be as well known here, once guests get a look - and a whiff - things change.
"As soon as they see the plate with the pizza, they getting in love, and they see the steam and they smell the flavors," he said. "The simplicity in this pizza is the best."
Here's another sign to show you just how authentic the Neapolitan pizza is here at Napoli Per Tutti: The dough is so delicate that you get the pizza served whole and cut it yourself at the table to preserve the integrity of the crust as long as possible. That's a trick the chef got when he was working at Spacca Napoli in Ravenswood.
Napoli Per Tutti
181 Barrington Rd., Schaumburg
224-653-9464
In Steve's Extra Course Video, he takes a look at one of the pizzeria's non-pizza options: homemade gnocchi (it's a daily special only).
