Pizza, 18 original flavors suggested by great pizza makers

The January 17th is World Pizza Day, the world day dedicated to the most famous and loved dish in the world, a symbol of Italian food and wine and the work of skilled masters whose art has been recognized as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco. We do not stop loving it madly, and the large numbers that tell the consumption of pizza have always confirmed this: in the last year, for example, in which the occasions to eat it in a pizzeria have been reduced due to the pandemic, with only the delivery of Deliveroo we ordered 135 thousand square meters of margherita, equal to 20 football fields.

But in the past year the real revelation has been homemade pizza: this is also confirmed by a research by Galbani Santa Lucia, who says that the average of pizzas cooked in Italian homes went from 1.9 pizzas per month in 2019 to 2.9 in 2020, with peaks among young people aged between 18 and 24 of 3.6. For this reason, to celebrate World Pizza Day – after the dough (here you can find the advice of the champion Francesco Martucci and here those of the “hero” Gabriele Bonci) – we asked great masters of pizza to suggest us condiments to experiment with new combinations and tastes never tried: they are all in the gallery above.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE INGREDIENTS
«To find the perfect dressing, first draw on memories“, suggest Francesco Martucci, of I Masanielli of Caserta, the pizza maker of the year, first (also) in the ranking of 50 Top Pizza. «A tomato salad with mozzarella – continues Martucci – is an inspiration, as is grandma’s ragù. I’m simple ingredients that ensure great results. The avant-garde is nothing more than revisiting that knowledge we have inherited by making it contemporary ». “When you make pizza at home, also think about risotto or pasta dishes, because basically the concept is the same: a cereal with toppings. This way you will be able to follow seasonality more easily », he adds Matteo Aloe founder with his brother Salvatore di Berber, the chain of pizzerias that started in Bologna, where the pizzas are unmistakably crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. «Ours – adds Aloe – are an ideal base for generously seasoned pizzas. On the Neapolitan doughs I prefer few ingredients, while la Roman-style pan must have enough ingredients so that it is not dry, therefore be generous with the tomato ».

The extra touch for a perfect homemade pizza is to pay attention to the oven, as advised Franco Pepe, of Pepper in grains in Caiazzo (Caserta), another undisputed outsider who is now also setting a trend with his idea of functional pizza, Mediterranean, tasty and balanced. «In a professional oven a pizza cooks for 60/90 seconds at 400 degrees, at home the temperature reaches a maximum of 250 and therefore it takes longer to cook, from 10 minutes (for 250 degrees) to 15/20. You can try to get a similar yield in just a few steps: heat the oven in static mode and never ventilated, so as not to risk drying the dough and ingredients. In the meantime, roll out the dough on the pan and brush with oil on it or even with your hands while you roll it out. Cook for 7/8 minutes, then take out the dough, close the oven very quickly (otherwise the temperature may drop quickly even 50 degrees), and add the ingredients. The general rule is to put the tomatoes and raw vegetables in cooking, as well as mozzarella, and when cooked the aromas such as basil and rosemary, and another light drizzle of oil ».

I MAESTRI
Besides Francesco Martucci, Matteo Aloe and Franco Pepe, have participated in this article, suggesting tastes to try, Gino Sorbillo which is now a symbol of true Neapolitan pizza in the world with pizzerias in Naples, Milan and New York, Gabriele Bonci who is the king of pizza by the slice, the “pizzaricercatore” Renato Bosco di Saporè in Verona, which in its style has suggested combinations for a perfect tasting pizza the young man from Palermo and Pierangelo Chifari of L’Archestrato di Gela, in Palermo, present in many important guides and one of those names that experts and great enthusiasts have loved for a long time (pizza on cover is among those suggested by him). To see the suggested condiments, browse the gallery above