Pizza Today - March 2018 - 55

F

or decades, this magazine has
touted the benefits of fresh
ingredients, from house-made
sausage (see Jeff Freehof 's
story on page 46) to vine-ripened tomatoes and handpicked basil. But let's live
in the real restaurant world for a minute.
There will be times when the weather
lessens the tomato crop, your supplier
runs out of basil before he gets to you or
you live in a small town without a daily
farmers' market.
In short, some jarred and canned ingredients are okay. In fact, they're even good
-- and your customers may not know the
difference if you can pull off the flavor.
AS WE HEAD INTO MARCH, ROOT
VEGETABLES LIKE THOSE FOUND IN JOHN
GUTEKANST'S story on page 42 still work

well. But here are some prepared toppings
that can still be used to add flavor and
variety in the off season:
* PESTO. We love a good, fresh pesto.
But being on the receiving end of a dark
and tasteless batch of basil in our February photo shoot had me reaching for the
pantry. Today's suppliers offer traditional
versions made with pine nuts, Parmesan
and basil, but they also offer versions made
with sun-dried tomato, roasted red pepper
and olive. Pesto works well in the offseason because it packs a lot of flavor and
can be used sparingly. It can also be spread
across pastas, pizzas and subs.
* GIARDINIERA. Unless you're a pickling
guru -- and we want to hear from you if
you are -- you're probably already buying
this spicy, tangy mixture by the jar as it is.
Originally from Italy, giardiniera made its
way to Chicago in the late 19th century
and took up residency on just about
everything, including hot dogs, burgers, nachos, pizzas and especially Italian
beef sandwiches. You're most likely to
find it made with chopped bell peppers,
cauliflower, celery, carrots and pickles.
These are marinated in herbs, vinegar and
spices, and it is there where the ingredient can be made hotter.
* PEPPERS. One of my favorite toppings is the sweet-hot variety that comes
jarred. Aside from chopping for pizza
and pastas, they can also be stuffed with

goat cheese or thinly sliced prosciutto and
added to a salumi platter. The tiny red
Peruvian peppers, grown in the mountains of Peru, are often overlooked (and
often mistaken as a pepper at all) and
don't require chopping. And no kitchen
should be without cans or jars of banana
peppers. Just be sure your employees let
customers know if you're serving the hot
kind or more milder vinegary version.
Mixed peppers can also be found jarred
and canned.
* CANNED TOMATOES. Most of you
are familiar with the can opener when it
comes to making your sauces. Even the
best canned sauces need a bit of doctoring if you want to make sure yours doesn't
taste like the guy's across the street.
Canned tomatoes are packed at the peak
of their freshness and are economical and
more consistent than their fresher counterparts, which can range from "awesome"
to "awe no" from one delivery to the next.
Remember, tinned ingredients need extra
cooking time to reduce the metallic taste
from the cans.
* DESSERTS. If you're not making
your own, make sure what you sell is top
notch. Partner with local purveyors of ice
creams or a local bakery to serve the best.
And if you want to try your hand at your
own dessert, purchase prepackaged cannoli shells and make the fillings yourself.
These are easy to make ahead of time and
travel fairly well.
Chicken and Sun-dried
Tomato Pesto Pizza
Yield: one 12-inch pizza
Prepared sun-dried tomato pesto
1 chicken breast, chopped or shredded
3 tablespoons sweet Peruvian peppers
3 roasted garlic bulbs, chopped
¼ cup banana peppers (mild or hot),
chopped
¼ cup red onion, sliced thinly
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
¼ cup mozzarella cheese
Toss pizza dough to desired size.
Thin prepared sun-dried tomato pesto
with a few tablespoons of water or extravirgin olive oil to make spreading a bit
easier (and make the pesto last a little

longer). Spread pesto lightly on dough.
Top pizza with chicken breast, peppers, chopped garlic and red onions. Add
cheese and bake at 450 F until dough is
browned.
Once removed from the oven, add fresh
basil leaves. Cut and serve.

Italian Beef Pizza

Yield: one 12-inch pizza
¼ pound Italian beef, shaved to medium
thickness
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup beef stock
¼ cup sweet yellow onion, sliced into thin
rings
½ cup prepared giardiniera
¼ cup sliced mixed mushrooms
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon chopped garlic
Shredded provolone
¼ cup shredded or torn basil
In a skillet, melt butter and cook onion
until slightly translucent. Add garlic and
basil, then giardiniera. Cook slowly until
the giardiniera softens. Add mushrooms,
oregano, stock and beef. Cooking on
medium heat slowly, mix until the flavors
meld. Allow to cool slightly.
Toss dough. Add beef mixture and top
with provolone. Bake at 450 F until dough
is browned.
Once removed from the oven, add fresh
basil leaves. Cut and serve. ■
MANDY WOLF DETWILER is

editor at Pizza Today.

managing

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 5 5
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - March 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - March 2018
