Entering Narragansett Bay in 1524, the explorer Giovanni de Verrazano was probably the first Italian visitor to Rhode Island, long before tomatoes made it to these parts. Rhode Island named the Jamestown Verrazano Bridge (in the southeastern part of the state) after him. It took more than three centuries before many other Italians settled in Rhode Island.
\nLike many urban areas throughout the Eastern United States, Providence experienced several waves of immigration from Italy in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Providence’s India Point was a main port on the Fabre Line, which offered the only transatlantic route to southern New England. Almost eighty-four thousand immigrants came into the United States through Providence, and around eleven thousand of them stayed. These Italian immigrants settled in the area now known as Federal Hill, on the west side of Providence, where their descendants and many other Italian Americans still live today.
\nVisitors to this unique enclave of Italian-American heritage pass under a large sculpture of a pine cone, called La Pigna, which hangs above Atwells Avenue. The symbol of welcome and abundance tells people that they have arrived at one of the best-known culinary and cultural districts in the state.
\nDePasquale Square marks the cultural, if not geographic, center of this vibrant neighborhood. A large central fountain is surrounded by outdoor seating, colorfully-painted buildings, and seagulls galore, all of which help create the feeling of a Mediterranean piazza. Numerous restaurants, serving Italian-inspired cuisine from all regions of Italy, fill the streets surrounding the square.
\nDiners have options ranging from upscale dining in candlelit establishments to busy late-night pizza parlors. Numerous specialty food stores like Antonelli Poultry, where savvy cooks can purchase chickens wholesale, stand alongside bakeries and cafes where diners enjoy both espressos and an Ocean State classic, pizza strips -- consisting only of pizza dough topped with spicy tomato sauce.
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","Cosimo's Famous Pizza at Venda Ravioli
\nIngredients:
4 pounds pizza dough
1 tablespoon Crisco
32 ounce can San Marzano Italian peeled tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Prepare the dough:
Coat a large sheet pan with Crisco. Place dough in center of pan, working it out to the outside edges of the pan. Dough should be about 1/2 inch thick, except for the border which should be about 1 inch thick. Place sheet pan in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Prepare the sauce:
Place the tomatoes in a large bowl. With your hand, break up the tomatoes to a pulp. Add salt, oregano, garlic, olive oil and pepper. Using a spoon, blend until all the ingredients are mixed well.
Assembly:
Remove sheet pan from refrigerator. Pour sauce in center of dough and spread out covering the entire pizza but leaving a half-inch border. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese generously over the entire pizza.
Place sheet pan in a pre-heated 400-degree oven and cook for 50 to 60 minutes.