Pizza Today - March 2020 - 36

roasted jalapeños and garlic.
You could say I'm somewhat of a
purist when it comes to meat on pizza.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm all about
flavor ... and most meats carry a heavy
hit of it. In my opinion, it should be salty,
fatty, delicious and celebrated on the
pizza instead of just buried in. It is something that I like to highlight; whether
that means how it is cooked or what
specific farm, shop, region or country it is
from. I know a lot of pizzerias that focus
on making everything in house, others that are driven from locally sourced
ingredients and even more that import
most of their ingredients from Italy. All
of these are amazing but change the type
of menu that you will have and the meat
that is offered.
Even something as seemingly simple
as pepperoni has multiple dimensions.
There is natural casing that curls up and
others that lay flat. There is thick pepperoni and paper thin. Some are spicy
and others much more mellow. There are
commercial brands and more boutique
companies. What you choose all depends
on what flavor profile you are going for.

Let's talk about sausage. It
is an ingredient that I feel is often taken
for granted at pizzerias, yet one that you
can really make into a signature item.
We make our sausage in house and use
it on a variety of different specialty pies.
One of them, our Italian Mamma, has
sausage, lacianto kale, sauce, caramelized
onions and shaved Parmesan. It is so easy
to make and a great selling point when
you do make it in house. You can vary the
flavor profile by shifting just a few simple
ingredients around. For example, add
honey for some sweetness, hot peppers
for heat or choose from tons of different
herbs and spices. You can also swap out
the type of meat to create specials. A few
ideas to play around with include:
* Lamb sausage with cumin, oregano
and smoked paprika. Accompany it on a
pie with charred radicchio and an aged
balsamic.
* Chicken sausage with roasted sweet
peppers, garlic and basil. Top the pie with
spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.
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* Pork sausage with green chilies,
roasted garlic and onion powder. Add
some caramelized onions, a leaf of rainbow chard and an over easy egg on top
with some shaved piave.
Sausage can also be a textural thing
depending on how you cook it. I love
how sliced links caramelize in the oven
and how juicy, freshly pinched sausage
taste on a pie. They can be composed of
the same ingredients but taste totally
different depending on how they are
prepared.
I feel that people often get stuck on
the standards. They eat what they know.
And I'm not telling you to get rid of the
classics. 'Cause, I mean, is there really
anything better than a perfect pepperoni
slice? But it's also fun to offer things that
go outside the box. That's what makes
independent pizzerias so special. They
are a reflection of the owner - who they
are, where they're from and what they
love to eat. In addition to the essential
(at least at a slice house like mine), don't
be afraid to branch out. Do you have a
strong background in barbecue? Do you
make the best Porchetta around? Is there
a plethora of wild boar in your area?
Well, put it on a pizza! I've found that
customers love to see something unique,
as it creates a story.

Our meatballs are one of
our most popular menu items.
We dish them out as a side, serve them
in our homemade rolls as a grinder and
also slice them up on pies. I make them
as my mom always has, and my grandma
used to. It is a family recipe - and now a
customer favorite.
Cured meats are also a staple. They can
be used in so many different ways, and
how you top the pizza with them might
be just as controversial as ranch! Well,
maybe not that heated of a topic. But,
really. Do you cook them on with the
other toppings or use them as a finisher
at the end? For me, it depends on the
cured meat. Prosciutto should always go
on after. Always. Why would you ruin
its translucent beauty by drying it out in
the oven? Mortadella is another, and one
I learned by error. There is a ton of fat

that needs to remain intact and contributes to its flavor profile, so it should also
be topped after. One of my favorites is
Calabrese salami. Big surprise, I know.
It's spicy. I cook it onto the pizza and
afterwards top it with Calabrian chilies
and shaved Parmesan for our Diavola pie
or our house-made Calabrian chili honey
and basil for our Hot Disco Honey Pie.
The Disco offers up all of those sweet
and salty elements that I crave.
Why do you think the Hawaiian is
such a popular pizza? The saltiness of the
ham and sweet, juiciness of the pineapple
appeal to your taste buds. Now, I'm not
going to debate the merits of pineapple
on pizza here, but I will say that you don't
have to make this exact pizza to create
the sensation it causes - especially when
it comes to meats. There are endless possibilities. One of my new favorites that
I just added to our menu is called the
PB & AJ. It's prosciutto, burrata, arugula
and jam. Other great fruit and meat
combos are: bacon and apples, peaches
and prosciutto, pork sausage and cherries,
lamb and pomegranate, and chicken and
grapes.
There are so many different ways to
prepare and utilize meat as a pizza topping. Don't get rid of your customers'
favorite classics; but also don't be afraid
to be creative and play around outside of
your comfort zone.

Lamb Sausage
2 ½ pounds ground lamb
½ pound ground pork fat
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt, more as needed
½ teaspoon cayenne
4 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until
combined. Fry a small piece and taste.
Adjust salt as needed. Q
AUDREY KELLY is the owner and pizziola
at Audrey Jane's Pizza Garage in Boulder,
CO.
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - March 2020

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