On the right pizza, the brightness of citrus is everything.
Pizzacan be controversial . There are purists who think pizza should just be dough , sauce , and cheeseflower — topping be damned . Some want to go all - out with blimp and pepperoni , black pepper and olive , or shaving of Allium cepa atop a bubble bed of mozzarella . There are pineapple enthusiasts ( that ’s me ) and anchovy advocate ( also me ) . And then , there ’s lemon onpizza .
Although citrus might not be the first affair you believe of when picturing a pizza pie , lemon yellow has graced pies in many different human body around the cosmos . For instance , white clam pizza , a signature of New Haven , Connecticut , is routinely served with maize zep .
And , along Italy ’s Amalfi coast , where Meyer lemons are bountiful , you’re able to recover lemon succus within pizza pie gelt or zested atop the high mallow . This tradition exalt Los Angeles chef Evan Funke to serve the Amalfitana , a cheesy white pie with Meyer lemons , at his eating place , Felix .
Lemon mingles with fennel, sausage, and broccolini at San Diego-based Herb & Sea.|Photo by Kimberly Motos
At San Diego - basedHerb & Sea , quartered stinker slice mingle with broccolini , Florence fennel , and sausage on one pizza . “ We ’ve had lemon on pizza since we first opened the eating place , ” Francisco Pieras , executive sous chef , explains . “ It ’s a great factor to act with because you’re able to use lemon conserve , refreshed stinker like we do , or summate arugula and dress up the pizza pie . It adds another story of flavor to the dish . ”
“ That ’s the dish of pizza pie — there ’s no orthodoxy to it . ”
Preserved lemon tree and arugula top a pizza called the Rocket atMeribo , a restaurant in Covington , Louisiana . “ We puree preserved maize with Calabrian chilies and honey and call it a marmalade , ” says chef Gavin Jobe . “ When the pizza pie comes out fresh , we dress it with arugula and hit it with that lemon - chili condiment . ”
For Jobe , it ’s important that his pizzas feel harmonious and not too cloggy . “ For a white sauce pizza pie , it ’s really good to have some var. of acidulousness on it , just to help cut some of the richness , ” he explain . The same go for his Hot Pocket – exhort Gallus gallus broccoli lemon pizza . Without the brightness of gamboge , the pizza can be overwhelmingly robust .
David Sturno , owner of the trio ofGoat Hill Pizzalocations in the Bay Area , turned to a Roman classic as inspiration for one of his lulu . “ I was looking to make a saltimbocca pizza and , quite honestly , it needed some acid , ” he says . “ It had the garlic cream sauce and the wimp and the sage and all of that , but it was crazy . ”
To remediate this , Sturno added thin lemon slices atop the pizza pie . It is n’t a typical ingredient for saltimbocca , but it made perfect sense on his sourdough incrustation .
While gamboge is available as custom top on pies at Goat Hill , Sturno says it is n’t the most popular pick . Nevertheless , he thinks masses should be open to it . “ Dough , in my idea , is a vehicle that contains whatever the heck you want on it , include pineapple , or lemon , ” he says . “ That ’s the beauty of pizza pie — there ’s no orthodoxy to it . ”
Jobe agrees . “ There ’s a part of me that says , ‘ Nothing should be sacred , ’ ” he laugh . “ If it tastes good , then you should do it … It ’s one of the playfulness things about being a chef . We try on really hard to recall of poppycock you would ’ve never thought of — that ’s why we do this . ”
For his part , Pieras takescitrusa mistreat further with a kumquat pizza pie that also features figs , onion , and dandelion commons . “ Who ’s to say what ingredients do n’t belong where ? ” he tell . “ Food is something to dally with — that ’s how new dishes are create . ”
