Gourmet pizzas: the territory pizza by Romina Cortese and Rosario Giannattasio

Local products and collaboration between haute cuisine and pizzeria: the gourmet proposal of Romina Cortese and Rosario Giannattasio.

In cooking, when we talk about territory, we often enter an area that is difficult to define and in which you easily risk being trivial, given the tendency to overuse the term. Not an easy challenge, then, the one faced by Romina Cortese and Rosario Giannattasio, who met at the latter's "home", Acqua e Farina in Vicenza, to make a true territory pizza. The cook from Vicenza and the talented pizza maker from Salerno managed to interpret their idea in a brilliant and not at all obvious way. Romina tells us: "Rosario and I thought of developing this filling while respecting the territory as much as possible.

That's why we chose peas from Borso del Grappa (it's just the right time of year) with three consistencies. The base is first stuffed with pea sauce and then cooked. This sauce is obtained by simply blending the shelled peas after blanching them for a couple of minutes and adding water, salt and oil, giving it the right density so that it does not spoil the dough. Then fresh peas are added and finally the julienne cut pods, blanched and caramelized in water and sugar at the end of baking. Then, still out of the oven, we add salmon trout from Brenta, a definitely little-used product: it's also prepared in a simple way because it's first marinated for five hours in a salt and sugar base - to which I add just a lemon zest - and then cut into Carpaccio."

Then the salmon trout eggs are added and finally the cow stracchino of Castellan, an all-female company from Rosà that has been in the area for fifty years and works in an artisanal way. Final touch is rosemary, in the form of essential oil and fresh flowers. All this on a mouthwatering disc of very high hydration dough, for which Rosario is having much success. "It's dough with 85% hydration. I usually use only type 1 flour, because it gives pronounced flavors and fragrances and above all requires less salt, being tastier than type 0 flour. The base is made with a 24 hour biga and the final dough leavens up to 36 hours. I refresh with weaker flour so that the dough becomes lighter and softer."

As a matter of fact, according to Giannattasio, it is not unlikely to think of eating two of his pizzas as they are light, soft, with an airy alveolation and a well-developed crust. He says: "you must still want to eat more". The idea of dough whose weight does not exceed 250 grams is to obtain a pizza that "can stand" even important fillings without becoming redundant and excess. Baking is done with beech wood, which gives a light smoking at slightly lower temperatures and above-average times than a classic Neapolitan pizza: "Using type 1 flour that already retains a lot of moisture, it's important to me that the baking isn't too rough. It stays in for two minutes: the baking makes 60% of the work."

The result? It is definitely excellent, with a perfect harmony between dough and filling. A tasty pizza, slightly sweet but very well balanced by the flavor of the trout eggs. Both Romina and Rosario agree on a point that is also a prerogative of CHIC - Charming Italian Chef - the association to which they belong: “We must learn to respect the territory and raw materials and be aware that it is essential to give life to and make known the products through our action.” Just as it is necessary for chefs and pizza makers to keep comparing and stimulating each other.

As a pizza maker engaged in an important research activity implying knowledge of techniques at various levels, Giannattasio says: "Pizza has greatly evolved, it has been enhanced and has grown as a product even beyond dough. It is no longer just product assembly. Now, for example, I'm working with fermentation, I'm experimenting with natural thickeners such as beeswax and pollen. In short, I'm studying the basic notes to create a melody." Romina Cortese: "This is my first time working alongside a pizza maker. This opportunity really stimulated me and we will certainly continue to collaborate." With very interesting results, we add.