Nontraditional Neapolitan toppings ideas

[scottfsmith]

I have been working on improving my toppings lately, since I finally feel like I have the Neapolitan crust down.  I find that I prefer non-traditional toppings on a traditional Neapolitan crust, but I have not carefully thought about what do put on; I often just throw on whatever is in the fridge.  I would be interested in some "killer" nontraditional topping combinations.  Here is my current favorite for starters.

Before baking, brush with olive oil.  Thats it.
After baking let cool for 5 minutes
spread on small dollops of cream cheese
add small pieces of smoked salmon, capers, and bits of raw red onion

I did this for a joke but I could not believe how good it was.  It is much better than the bagel version of same, and is my favorite pizza every time I make it.

Another one I like a lot is the quattro formaggi - lots of sauteed garlic plus a soft cheese like ricotta or a goat cheese, a blue like gorganzola, reggiano, and gran padano or similar.  I got this idea from our local pizza joint, Iggies (which has great toppings on very average crusts).  I haven't figured out the best cheese combination yet, sometimes its good and sometimes its great.

I am now working on a master list of potential toppings as well, if for no other purpose than to have something to give to my wife when she goes shopping:

tomato sauce

olive oil
balsamic vinegar reduction

mozzarella
parmesan
gorgonzola
ricotta
feta
grana padano
goat cheese

basil
oregano
fresh dill

arugula
mushrooms
artichoke hearts
olives (green, kalamata, gaeta, black)
sun-dried tomatoes
roasted peppers
chiles

red onions
spring onions
garlic

ground pistachios

prosciutto
sopressata (salami)
speck (an Italian ham)
pancetta (a bacon-like ham)
fennel sausage

anchovies


Scott

[ThunderStik]

While im not makeing Neo's one of my faves is lump crab and prosciutto with a garlic butter sauce. Damn that is good.

[SELES]

...lump crab and prosciutto with a garlic butter sauce. Damn that is good.

That sounds really good. Too bad my wife hates fish!

[SELES]

a few of my favorites:

cashews under the cheese (walnuts and pine nuts are also good, in the south the cashews get a little soft)
motz
asiago
roasted/pulled pork with dry adobo seasoning
fresh pineapple
fresh jalepeno
marjoram
olive oil and kosher salt on the crust



pine nuts
motz
pepperoni
thyme
olive oil and kosher salt on the crust



cashews under the cheese (walnuts and pine nuts are also good, in the east the cashews get a little soft)
motz
cheddar
italian sausage
avacado
marjoram
olive oil and kosher salt on the crust

[pizzablogger]

Nice working list of ingredients you guys! I use and/or have tasted pizza with the following and enjoyed them:

There's parmesan and then there's Parmigiano-Reggiano. Accept no substitutes! 
Pecorino Romano
Montegrappa (not as salty as Pecorino, less nutty than Parm-Reggiano, earthier than both. A nice cheese)
Piave
Mascarpone

Smoked Mozzarella (http://www.mountainmozzarella.com/products-smoked-mozzarella.htm) pairs with red onion very nicely

Porcini Mushrooms (particularly good with Thyme. The water from steeping the shrooms can be interesting when added to the dough itself when kneading)
Hen of the Woods Mushrooms
Grilled/Marinated Portabellas

Roasted Corn (good with goat cheese and another, saltier cheese)
Squash Blossoms
Sauteed Eggplant
Leeks
Eggs (sunny side up)
Quail Egg

Figs! (Paulie Gee's marscapone and sliced fig pizza was one of the biggest pizza eye openers of my life)
Orange Blossom Honey (again good paired up with marscapone and/or goat cheese)
Nutella (I had this with fresh pears on a pizza while in Italy....very good)

Speaking of seasonal, the Dolce e Salato (pumpkin, ricotta, sage, amaretto, sausage and parmesan) at Iggies is not too shabby

http://www.iggiespizza.com/

Speck (smoked bacon)
Guanciale (pork cheek. quite tasty)
Culatello
Mortadella (needs to be shaved thin on pizza)
Soppressata
Bresaola (beef salumi product aged with cloves and laurel. had it on a pizza with shaved Pecorino and a drizzle of aceto balsamico tradizionale added post bake back when I ate meat. Very good and the dough was nice on this pie)

[scottfsmith]

Thanks guys, great ideas!  pizzablogger, I see you are in Baltimore like myself.  I thought I had eaten every pizza on Iggies menu but I never tried the pumpkin one -- will have to check it out.  The unusual mushrooms is something I have also wanted to try.  If you ever ate at Famous Yakitori One on Maryland Ave they had these killer yakitori (grilled skewers) with those long-stemmed enoki mushrooms and bacon -- a perfect combination to put a pizza crust under!

Scott

[Bill/SFNM]

Here are a couple of non-traditional pies I made today.

#1:
Carbonara sauce
Sautéed Leeks
Garlicky shrimp
Piave cheese

#2
Peruvian duck stew
Piave cheese


 

[scottfsmith]

I'm drooling all over my keyboard! 

Hey another awesome ingredient I just added to my master list: fresh cilantro.  I had some pizza at a friends last night and the fresh cilantro really made the flavors pop out.  Put it on after the pie is cooked.

Scott

[Bill/SFNM]

I've posted about this one before, but made this today and it is quickly becoming a family favorite:

Machego cheese
Piquillo peppers

After pie is baked, add:

Serrano ham
Arugula
Olive Oil
Balsamic vinegar

[David]

Bill ,I can't see much evidence of the peppers apart from possibly a few red flecks with the manchego?Is it added as an oil,seeds or some kind of reduction? I've not used them,so don't know about the potency.
I just returned from Madrid,where i didn't even try to find pizza,but over indulged in Pata Negra

[Bill/SFNM]

I had run out of piquillos before baking this particular pie. I cut whole piquillos into strips. They have no heat, just a very nice piquant flavor. Several years ago I could only find them at specialty suppliers such as La Tienda or Spanish table. Now they are everywhere - Albertsons, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, etc.

[andreguidon]

nice combo bill !! looks very tasty !!
 i don't get serrano here, but we do get pata negra... next bake ill try, and also want to try the coppa on pizza...