The New York–Style Margherita Pizza

This pizza tries to recapture the feeling of the first time I had a mind-blowingly good old-school New York City–style coal-oven pizza. My dad took me to Patsy’s in DUMBO in the ’90s when it was still called Patsy’s. No shredded cheese—this was fresh mozzarella topped with sauce, a drizzle of olive oil, basil, and a hint of oregano.

That combination and process (fresh mozz on the bottom, topped with an uncooked, plain sauce) are magical. The coal oven places—Patsy’s, Grimaldi’s, and