Pizza Today - August 2019 - 37

L

et's set the record straight. Mortadella is not an Italian version of
that famous American lunchmeat.
Traditional Mortadella is made
with finely ground pork, high-quality pork
fat (typically from the throat), peppercorns,
blend of spices, myrtle berries, pistachios
and stuffed into casing. Its slices have a
distinctive look of pink sausage with visible
peppercorn and lardon shapes throughout.
A minimum of 15 percent of the sausage's
weight comes from the lard.
Originated in Bologna, Italy, Mortadella
can be traced as far back as the 1200s, but
the first known scribed recipe appeared in
the 1600s. The Romans called it "farcimen
mirtatum" (Myrtle sausage) and it was
ground with a mortar.
The Emilia-Romagna region is so
enamored with its prized product that
the town of Zola Predosa even holds the
International Festival of Mortadella each
September to celebrate the "Pink Queen"
and its production in the region.
You may notice packaging labeled with
IGP (Indication of Geographic Protection).
This ensures it originated from the specific
region.
You can find mortadella by the slice or
in a large log. "When sourcing mortadella,
mortadella should be a nice blend of meat
versus fat," says Nicole Bean, owner of
Pizaro's Pizza in Houston, Texas. "Too fatty
= less flavor, also reduces quantity in my
opinion. I prefer mine without pistachios,
but if you want authenticity then you must
have pistachios."
Lars Smith of State of Mind Public
House and Pizzeria in Los Altos, California, has added mortadella to his summer
pizza menu and has competed with a pizza
featuring mortadella at this year's Pizza
World Championships in Parma, Italy. He
says he looks for nice pink color and large
pieces of fat within the mortadella. "I love
pistachio in the mortadella but that's not a
requirement. Like all meat there are a few
companies I know make quality products
and I buy my mortadella from them."
LIKE OTHER ITALIAN CURED MEATS,
MORTADELLA CAN BE USED ACROSS THE
MENU IN APPETIZERS, SANDWICHES, SALADS AND PASTAS.

Mortadella has been paired with a variety
of ingredients. Cheeses include Pecorino

Romano, Burrata, ricotta, Stracciatella and
fresh mozzarella. Toppings vary, from pistachio, artichoke and garlic to pesto, arugula
and Peruvian peppers. One popular item
is a Charcuterie board with other Italian
meats. There is also the New Orleans' original Muffaletta sandwich which includes
mortadella, accompanied by Genoa salami,
Capicola or ham, marinated olive salad,
Swiss cheese and provolone.
For pizzeria application, mortadella is
often thin-sliced or cut into cubes. There is
a bit of a debate whether to cook mortadella or serve it as a post-baked finishing
ingredient. Each perspective has its merit.
"For me the only way to apply mortadella is
after the pizza is baked," Smith says. "I like
it sliced very thin, that way it sort of melts
on to pizza a bit but maintains its flavor
and soft texture."
But Bean hopes to change hearts and
minds on heated mortadella. "Cooked
mortadella gives me a warm and fuzzy
feeling, like when I was little and my mom
made me bologna sandwiches for lunch,"
she says. "But the crisp edges and tender
interiors really drive home the textures
of a simple "left over" meat. Especially if
cooked in a brick oven, the pistachios take
on a roasted flavor that enhance the flavor
profile."
It really comes down to preference and
testing the various ways. Mortadella is a
versatile pizza topping. Bean incorporated
the meat on Pazaro's menu. "We've used it
with delicious artichoke and olive blend,"
she says. "That's been my favorite so far,
reminds me of New Orleans."
Smith's competition pizza and new
menu item is his current favorite way to use
mortadella. "It features summer squash, red
onion and fresh cream. After it is baked I
add mortadella and a mint-pistachio pesto."
Pizza maestro Luke Davis in Charleston,
South Carolina uses mortadella. "I think
my favorite I've done with mortadella was
creamy ricotta base, mozzarella, asiago,
mortadella and house-made spicy honey,"
he says, "very simple but well balanced.
You've got the creamy/milkiness of the
ricotta and mozzarella, sharpness from the
Asiago, rich/fattiness of the mortadella, and
sweet/spicy from the spicy honey.
Instead of thin slices or cubes, Davis says,
"My favorite way to use mortadella is to
julienne or battonet. You get a slight crisp-

ness on the outside with the middle staying
tender and it renders some of the fat, but
not as much as if it was thinly sliced. It's
also quicker to evenly distribute on the
pizza. I've found fatty meats that are sliced
thin and cooked on the pizza shrivel up too
much and render the fat too quickly making the pizza overly greasy."
Now that you have your creative culinary
juices flowing, here are two basic recipes
(one with mortadella as finishing ingredient, the other baked) to expand upon:

MORTADELLA AND PISTACHIO PIZZA
9-12-ounce dough ball
6 or 8 thin slices Mortadella
6 ounces burrata
6 slices whole-milk mozzarella
Extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons crushed pistachio nuts
Basil, chiffonade
Drizzle of chili oil
Stretch dough to desired size. Drizzle
and spread olive oil. Evenly distribute
mozzarella slices. Bake until golden.
Remove from oven and cut into desired
slices. Fold 1 piece of mortadella for each
slice. Tear burrata into bite-sized pieces
and evenly distribute around pizza.
Sprinkle pistachios then basil. Drizzle chili
oil. Serve.

NOLO MORTADELLA PIZZA
9-12-ounce dough ball
6 slices mortadella, cut into ribbons
2 tablespoons olive tapenade
Extra virgin olive oil
½ pound 50/50 mix of shredded mozzarella and provolone
Grated Parmesan
Stretch dough to desired size. Drizzle
and spread olive oil. Distribute ¾ of the
shredded cheese mix evenly around pie,
leaving 1/8 inch border. Place mortadella
ribbons around pizza followed by remaining ¼ cheese mix. Bake until cheese is
melted and mortadella edges are crispy.
Remove from oven and sprinkle tapenade
around pizza, then grated Parmesan.
Serve. n
DENISE GREER is

Pizza Today.

Executive Editor at

A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 3 7
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - August 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - August 2019
