Romancing the Chicks: Stories, Recipes and Thoughts by Mandaar Sukhtankar

Author:Mandaar Sukhtankar [Sukhtankar, Mandaar]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Westland Ltd
Published: 2016-12-31T18:30:00+00:00

Margherita’s Muse

With colours evoking those of the Italian flag, the pizza topped with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil won the heart of Queen Margherita. Legend has it that pizza Margherita was named in her honour. The legendary pizza today, is a multibillion-dollar industry.

Have you ever wondered what she would have given to have a patent on her name?

My search for a great pizza took me to the city of Turin, to an old focacceria that followed the Ligurian tradition. I ordered the speciality of the house, recco, which was a thin pizza stuffed with Stracchino cheese. Didn’t seem much to look at, just simple pieces of bread sandwiching a thin layer of cheese, but one bite and I had the goddess of purity waltzing on my tongue. Every flavour was easily identifiable, the flour, the cheese, the subtle salt and the sweetness that came through on chewing. Simple jobs done in the truest manner lead to extraordinary class.

The pizza bread was wafer thin but not wafer crisp. It was soft and chewy. The recco was delightful and I was hungry for more. I ordered another slice with zucchini, tomato and aubergine. This one was a lot ‘breadier’ but there was a light airiness to the bread. I went through the top of the vegetables and fluffy bread and as I bit through, there was a crunch at the bottom. I was amazed at what a fine art ‘focacceria’ is. Two simple textures in one piece of pizza: top airy and fluffy; bottom soft and crunchy. Mind you not crisp and crackling—the base didn’t snap in the mouth, it crunched!

The vegetables were not chunky but thinly sliced and it was all held together with a formidable amount of cheese. And the cheese was soft, creamy, milky, dreamy Mozzarella. The kind that makes you want to go out to the pastures and thank the cows!

Ever since Margherita, the pizza family has expanded to include other classics but notable in these are the stromboli which are rolled, the piadines which are topped with salads and the calzones which are folded and resemble pockets.

Making pizzas at home can be very exciting and I will share with you the recipe for a lovely base. And apart from this, all you would need is a good tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and loads of imagination.

I think Margherita would have given her kingdom!

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