Dear {NOMEUTENTE}
Perhaps excellent, in the title of the article below, is too strong an adjective, perhaps good would have been closer to reality yet if we’re talking about Milan, it is easy to get carried away. Pizza and pizzerie in Milan, have long and virtually always been a desolating scene. Half a century ago my grandmother used to take me to Dollaro, near piazza Diaz, which apparently is still open but I’ve ignored it since I was old enough.
Milan is a city that loves novelty, ready to get exciting for everything and pay for everything, yet it has never paid attention to quality pizza. It can’t be a question of price, or maybe it is, but in another way. It is cheap (with regards to Milan, not in absolute terms) and it has always been considered as a dish for grandmothers and grandchildren, student parties or a bite at night, after the cinema. In other words, it was never taken seriously.
Much has changed, as of a couple of years ago, not earlier. Years and years of gummy pizzas, impossible to digest, or thin bread discs as crispy as pane carasau exasperated more and more people, the revolution of pizza in the rest of the country did the rest. Could it be that one just needed to get far away from Milan to taste excellent pizzas? Indeed this was the case.
Carlo Passera illustrated 12 of these excellent pizzerias. The very top is missing, many copy what is trendy, both in terms of service and ingredients, yet since for once Milan has not paved the way for a new trend in Italy, adjusting to the best ideas of others is very welcome. Humility and a healthy realism are always of help.
Paolo Marchi, content by Carlo Passera and Luciana Squadrilli |
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Earth, energy and nutrition  We’re halfway down Expo 2015 and the main themes of this important event are strong stimuli for changes in our attitude towards food. Yet what will happen after 31st October, when the lights will fade on the World Fair? We need to work so that the good intentions of these months may become new models for food consumption.
The first post-Expo event in the world of pizza will be the ninth edition of PizzaUp (2-4th November), the technical symposium organised by Università della Pizza, which in the past few years reinterpreted in a contemporary way one of the most popular Italian dishes in the world. The work of PizzaUp and the course at Università della Pizza allowed a new category of pizza-chef to emerge, which can be immediately be recognised thanks to the care paid to the choice of ingredients, the dough and yeast, the cooking, respectful of taste and nutritional components, and their approach and service.
Earth, Energy and Nutrition are the pillars on which to build a more responsible daily diet. We will speak about these during the next PizzaUp, in order to strengthen their presence while using the popularity of pizza and the maturity of those pizza chefs who, with a term created by food press, interpret pizza with a “gourmet” approach. We will speak about the direct knowledge of the origin of the ingredients and of those who produce them (Earth), of food waste reduction and responsible use of food energy (Energy), of taste education as a key to feeding oneself without waste (Nutrition). Three seeds of change that are clearly present in the Manifesto della Pizza Italiana Contemporanea, written by some of the most important Italian culinary critics and presented in the 2012 edition of PizzaUp (for details, read here and here).
Piero Gabrieli |
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Twelve excellent pizzas in Milan Until recently, Milan was not a town for pizzas (and pizza lovers). One can speak of this as in the past, today the scene is better. And while the arrival of some giants is awaited – such as Renato Bosco or Franco Pepe – in the capital of Lombardy one can already enjoy a good selection of restaurants, mostly new. Identità Golose covered this recently in this article. Here are the recommended twelve pizzerias.
Alce Nero Berberé, inside the Organic pavilion in the Biodiversity Park, Expo Milano, “The best pizza at Expo 2015” (and one of the best in Milan) as we said here). Am, in Corso di Porta Romana 83 (tel. +39.02.5510579, a short list, only six classics and the delicious “Pometto Pasquale”, a “panuozzo” from Campania. Bacicha, Via Orti 31 (tel. +39.02.49538640), a nice place, with “cool” people (among the partners there’s also the family of dancer Stefano De Martino) and the consultancy of Gianfranco Iervolino for the pizza menu. Ciripizza, Via Canonica 81, (tel.+39.02.36561221), once again at the top, as tweeted by Paolo Marchi on July 6th.
Coke, Via Pavia 10 (tel. +39.02.8394886), firmly considered one of the best in Milan: a large disc (larger than the plate), thin and well cooked, with many different toppings. Dry, Via Solferino 33 (tel. +39.02.63793414), where the pizza&cocktail format is extremely successful, two excellent excuses to visit this place immersed in the new Milanese movida. Simone Lombardi is the pizza chef and there’s (also) Andrea Berton. Giannino – Fresco & Cimmino, Via Vittor Pisani 6(+39.02.66986998), where the owners have just changed, which partially modifies the establishment and hands the pizza oven to Giuseppe Vesi, patron of Pizza Gourmet in Napoli. Giovy, Via Donatello 9 (tel. +39.02.29400884), artisanal pizza and pasta in a secluded place with retro, sumptuous and a little kitsch furnishing, with books, china and embroidered tablecloths.
Lievità, Via Carlo Ravizza 11 (tel. +39.02.91328251, the pizza in the photo), a new place in Milan. They serve “creative”, Venetian style pizza: that is to say tasting slices, though the dough owes something to Neapolitan tradition to with Farina Petra by Molino Quaglia. Lievito Madre, Largo Corsia dei Servi 11 (tel. +39.02.45375930), that is to say Gino Sorbillo, in fact the only “big” Neapolitan pizza-chef to successfully challenge the Milanese bogeyman. Mics, Via Pietro Maroncelli 15 (tel. +39.02.36764500), another recent establishment, a little “snobbish”. They offer Roman pizza in Milan. And finally Pizza Big, Viale Brianza 30 (tel. +39.02.2846548), now a big classic in Milan, with a unique and scarcely imitated “Lombard” style of pizza, extra large and extra thin.
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Buratto, Genova and pizza “al taglio” Genoa and Liguria are famous for their delicious variations on focaccia, though certainly not for pizza. Since a few months ago, however, the people in Genoa can also taste some lovely pizza “al taglio”, Roman-style, prepared with un-refined flour, long leavening (around 30 hours) and strictly fresh and seasonal ingredients. They can find it at Buratto, and while the name says a lot about their flour “integralism”, the “this is not a pizza” claim, recalling Magritte, is like a declaration of intent of the desire to differentiate oneself from what can be commonly found locally under the same name.
A miniscule pizzeria “al taglio”, has been open every day except Sundays for the past 10 months, a short walk from Porta Soprana, one of the ancient entrances to the town and its historical centre. Behind the counter, together with young Simone there’s Marino Poerio: the son of restaurateurs, with a never faded passion for good food, he spent the last ten years selling luxury watches but then succumbed to his unstoppable passion for yeast and dough and decided to move it from his home to this small place whose name is becoming more and more recurring in the food-related word of mouth in the capital of Liguria.
Digestibility, seasonality and taste are the foundations of the Buratto philosophy, together with the accessible prices (only a little above average) so that everyone can have the chance to enjoy a quick yet healthy and tasty lunch break or a dinner at home to be taken away, warmed up in the oven or on a pan. For those who prefer the “finger food” version – the pizza is served in small squares to be eaten with your hands – there are some stools and a couple of shelves on which to lean. The daily offer includes a dozen pizzas and varies depending on the season: here you cannot find almost anything that is preserved or less than fresh, and Marino tries to favour small local suppliers.
While he enjoyed presenting rich and tasty toppings from the tradition of Genoa during the winter – from tripe to salted codfish – with the warmer months he started to go wild with vegetables and pairings coming from the kitchen garden and the sea, as in the pizza Alice nel paese delle zucchine (with anchovies and courgette flowers) or the one with figs and prosciutto. Paying attention to both palate and lightness, he stresses that digestibility is a matter of dough: «refined gourmands expect that the flour is not refined».
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Tony Nicolini, the designer from Melbourne When you cook Italian food on the other side of the world – especially if you’re focused on an iconic product such as pizza – you often risk being stuck in old memories and the idea that pizza is always the same. In other words, you risk becoming ridiculous. The case of Tony Nicolini, from Abruzzo, who – following the footsteps of his father Vitaliano, a pizza pioneer in Australia, as of 1969 – together with partners Robert De Santis and Michael Costanzo is the patron and chef of five restaurants in the area of Melbourne and of the Mornington Peninsula, all under the DOC brand, is different. There are three pizzerias where 160 people, mostly of Italian origins, work.
He says: «Pizzerias in Italy are often repetitive. This used to be the case in Australia too, until 1997 when I decided to change the method of preparation, presentation and marketing. The idea of a "designer pizzeria" was thus born, using the same philosophy of a great Italian restaurant. We use artisanal products and ingredients, often Slow Food presidia, trying to become partners and do business with small producers. We also offer a good selection of craft beers and great Italian wines». Imagine how fun it would be to choose the right bottle to sip while tasting a pizza with white truffle from Alba. The important thing, though, is that the dough is correct.
To be sure of this, Nicolini chose to attend a preparatory course at Università della Pizza, thus acquiring not only a technical preparation but also a philosophy: «I respect our traditions but I’m also keen on demonstrating that Italian cuisine has evolved in the meantime». The objective of Nicolini is for people to discover "pizza gourmet", enriched with high quality ingredients. This is why every year he returns to Italy to keep updated, understand the new trends, search for even better ingredients: «I like to get inspiration from my travels in Italy, where I visit great chefs. Pizza is now the food of the moment in Australia». Also thanks to him.
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Treviso, it’s all about Equilibri «Unfortunately the restaurant is beautiful and people don’t want to leave», says Davide Croce (photo) smiling, and saying that he would like to have two shifts at lunchtime or dinner but he really can’t make it. He opened Equilibri in the centre of Treviso – near Porta San Tommaso - on 12th March and such an immediate success is a luxury these days. So much so that one would want to complain with architect Maria Grazia Martinelli that perhaps she could have made it a little less homely. Instead, she even won a prize for this, in Milan…
Jokes aside, Croce and his two “partners” Michele Pozzobon and Alberto Furlan smile. One could say that they won the game with a 3-point throw right before the match ended, recalling the past of the pizza-chef who used to play basketball in the first league, coming from Molise, through Rome and then playing for Benetton Treviso. He never left this town in Veneto and some twenty years ago discovered a passion for good food and then attended all the courses at Molino Quaglia’s Università della Pizza. Today, at 53, the adventure of this modern bistro open from morning to late at night has arrived: «We had been trying to develop this idea for quite some time». Pizza is one of the highlights of the offer at Equilibri: «We try to offer a contemporary version, paired with high quality fillings and toppings».
There are different types of dough made with Petra flour: classic Neapolitan, by the shovel, Roman style focaccia and deep pan in the style of «Renato Bosco, a great master», that is to say first steamed and then finished in the oven, and finally the crunch in «Gabriele Bonci’s style. We presented it a few days ago for the first time, and the success was immediate». In fact, as we mentioned, the response is very positive in general. With some diamond tops: «A pizza – both Neapolitan classic and by the shovel – with burrata, ventricina from Molise and Marinda tomatoes. And there’s another one with tuna tataki, olives, capers and basil pesto, powdered orange and confit tomatoes.
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A new era for Apogeo in Pietrasanta Apogeo, one year later. In July 2014 the restaurant in Pietrasanta (Lucca) left its old location for a new one, in a farmhouse surrounded by nature. «Here we also have our vegetable garden – says chef Massimo Giovannini, 48 – Today it’s the season of tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines…». Most of all, the time has come for a new leap in terms of quality. With the new location, the clients of Apogeo have also changed as this has become a destination for pizza-lovers from nearby towns, from Florence, as well as Milan.
This means Giovannini has to pay a greater attention to what he calls the «objectivity of pizza». That is to say the various fundamentals on which an offer of the highest quality is based, as in the case of Apogeo: knowledge of leavening times (with mother yeast every time it is necessary, used today with more continuity and awareness), baking, topping, respecting ingredients and their seasonality. «I like having to do with demanding people, they ask, want to learn, they truly appreciate the work», says the satisfied pizza-chef, today more committed in the new frontier: nutritional values. That is to say pizza has to be good, healthy and must also respond to the wellbeing needs of those who eat it. «We use Molino Quaglia Bricks more and more often – says Giovannini – Today I mainly present three types of dough, the classic one, with mother yeast; the poolish one with brewer’s yeast; and one with a totally whole wheat dough».
There are also numerous “experiments” and variations, adding buckwheat in one case, or spelt in another and so on. Some particularly interesting summer options? «A pizza with burrata, figs, prosciutto from Pratomagno and mosto cotto. And another one, a sort of interpretation of the classic octopus and potatoes, with this latter element in two textures – cream or small pieces – plus oil with parsley, taggiasca olive cream and crispy capers from Pantelleria». We tasted both: delicious.
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Le Levain, rediscovering cro-pizza in Rome  In just a few months, it has conquered everyone, or at least all Roman palates in love with buttery croissants, macaroons, quiches, baguettes and pains rustiques. The French mark and know-how are thus clear in the Le Levain project, a small boulangerie-patisserie in an alley off Trastevere, yet the talent is completely Italian. In fact it is from Apulia, since Giuseppe Solfrizzi, a pastry chef with a unique experience, comes from there: the son of farmers, raised with genuine countryside flavours, he travelled around the world while working in the dining rooms of great restaurants until he decided to work in the kitchen.
First at Spigaroli, what with culatelli and Parmigiano, then in France with Ducasse who noticed his sweet côté and decided to invest in him and send him to the Ecole Nationale Superiéure de Pâtisserie in Lyon, first, and then assigned him the pastry-making at Andana. This was followed by a stop at Albereta, in the after-Marchesi era, and the choice of Rome for his solo-adventure. The inhabitants of the capital are happy of this, as the opening of Le Levain (“mother yeast” in French, the one used by Solfrizzi was born a few years ago during a sub cruise trip in Sudan, and he’s been travelling with it ever since) brought back some light on breakfast in the capital.
The choice is hard and can be made between croissants, brioches and pains au chocolat made with Pamplie AOP butter, to be paired with coffee and cappuccino made with capsules (the only flaw in this place, if one needs to mention one), or macaroons and elegant and modern desserts such as the delicious Django cake (made with dark chocolate and raspberries) or an unbeatable Paris-Brest. The savoury offer is wide and tempting, be it a delicious quiche or the savoury filled croissants, the soups or the simple southern recipes for lunchtime or the fragrant baguette or sandwiches with creative fillings and seasonal ingredients (as the one with prosciutto, figs, burrata and candied lemon).
Bread is also made with great attention – stone milled organic flour, mother yeast and 24 hours of leavening – and on top of the baguettes it is hard to resist to the temptation of the classic bread loaves or those enriched with olives from Gaeta, lemon zest or linen seeds. As a tribute to his origins, Giuseppe doesn’t forget focaccias, also made with mother yeast and seasoned with high quality ingredients starting from extra virgin olive oil from Apulia. The cro-pizze, however, are the very best: mini pizzas made with the same dough used for savoury croissants, filled with 100% Italian ingredients, starting from the sauce made with datterini tomatoes which has the taste of the southern sun.
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Ciro Oliva: a frezzella for the summer  Ciro Oliva, the fourth generation of pizza chefs at Concettina ai Tre Santi in Sanità, one of the most ancient popular neighbourhoods in Naples, is little over 20 and has an unstoppable energy.
Everything started with his great-grandmother Concettina who in order to earn something extra in the aftermath of the war, as many women in Naples began to knead and fry pizza. Ever since, the family continued her art, passion and name. While his father Antonio looks after the shop where pizza “a libretta” and fried food “da passeggio” are made, young Ciro controls the new adjacent restaurant where people can sit comfortably and taste pizza seasoned with ingredients selected with care and repeated tastings – a choice of Tradizionali, Storiche, Tipiche and Specialità pizzas – and delicious fried food, paired with wines finely selected, mostly from Campania, and craft beers.
Yet the energy of young Oliva doesn’t stop with the work in the pizzeria, between counter and tables: Ciro is always dynamic and doesn’t hide the fact he wants to become one of the top ten pizza-chefs in Italy. From his “pizza sospesa” – a baking version of the Neapolitan tradition of leaving a coffee already paid for someone who cannot afford it – including registered trademark and merchandising, to the Fondazione San Gennaro pizza, whose proceedings are given to support the homonymous foundation (with the edge filled with salami and provola and topped with smoked provola, breadcrumbs made with taralli "nzogna e pepe”, basil, POD extra virgin olive oil and “con o senza miracolo”, that is to say Neapolitan Ancient Tomatoes).
Frezzella (see photo) is brilliant and delicious. It is a summer recipe, a new version of the typical “fresella” (a doughnut made with a bread biscuit, soaked in water and seasoned with oil, tomatoes, basil and other ingredients) but made with pizza dough. Ciro makes the “doughnut” shape with a pastry cutter, cooks it on one side first, so the dough swells, and then cooks it on the other side too, to give the typical biscuit effect. Seasoned with fresh tomatoes, red tuna, buffalo milk mozzarella, salella ammaccata del Cilento olives, rocket salad, basil and extra virgin olive oil – which Ciro adds generously on the Margherita too – it is truly a perfect summer variation of the classic pizza.
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Da Zero in Cilento: from the fields to the plate  We had already written about Da Zero, the pizzeria opened last July by Giuseppe Boccia, Paolo De Simone and Carmine Mainenti in Vallo della Lucania (Salerno), the main town in southern Cilento. Their adventure is based on the common passion for pizza but also on the idea of bringing a contemporary concept of pizzeria “to the South”, connected with high quality dough and ingredients as well as the tradition and personality of Cilento: a region that has always been considered “poor” but in fact rich in excellent and genuine products – after all, Cilento is the cradle of the Mediterranean diet.
To stress the connection with the territory and the earth, right from the start these three men focused on local ingredients starting from the flour made with wheat cultivated for them a few kilometres away by Cobellis. One year after the opening, the goal is to use it always and to recuperate autochthonous varieties so that the pizza at da Zero can become “100% from Cilento”. “We have excellent products, we need to create a system, only in this way we will be able to prepare food that is completely Made in Cilento. We would like to accomplish this”, they say “but we need to meet those who produce high quality food, so that we can support each other”.
It is for this very reason that on 9th July they decided to celebrate the first anniversary of the pizzeria in a special way, inviting not just clients and pizza enthusiasts but also local producers to join them in a party that could also be a chance to meet and discover one another. Comincia dal campo, start from the field, is the name of this event which took place in three different moments and places: first at Cobellis and at dairy factory Le Starze – which produces the typical mozzarella in the mortella – with workshops dedicated to specific ingredients and aspects (from harvesting to kneading) and then at da Zero, with the presentation of the “pizza del territorio” menu, created only with seasonal products and local suppliers, with pizzas such as Soppressata (with fiordilatte delle Starze, buffalo milk ricotta and Gioi’s soppressata) or the fried pizza filled with onions from Vatolla.
That is to say, more than words, as proven also by the “dal Campo al Piatto” project: a food education programme dedicated to primary and secondary schools starting in November 2015 with the involvement of various schools and firms in Cilento.
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Pepe temporary at Acciaroli in Cilento Franco Pepe moves to the seaside and precisely to one of the most beautiful spots on the coast of Cilento, to the village of Acciaroli made sadly famous by the news, a few years ago, of the death of “mayor-fisherman” Angelo Vassallo. The pizza-chef from Caiazzo is not going on holiday, at least not for now. This is a summer assignment or better a double job, with the “Franco Pepe Temporary” at Mister Marlin, a design beach resort run Enzo Giordano. Until 31st August you can taste the delicious pizzas of Pepe in Grani with a view of the sea too, pulled out of the oven by two trusted guys from the staff in Caiazzo, while Franco Pepe will be on location once every two weeks or so, for special events.
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