spring / summer food

Question 1

Caponata

Answer 1

Eggplant Caponata with pine nuts and black olives
A sweet and sour Sicilian relish made with tomato, red wine vinegar, sugar, red onion, celery, capers, garlic, anchovy, oil cured black olive and pine nuts.

Question 2

Fior di Latte Mozzarella

Answer 2

o All of our mozzarella is made at Belfiore Cheese Company in Berkeley
Fior di Latte, meaning “flower of milk,” is a cow’s milk mozzarella
o The mozzarella is made with vegetable derived rennet which is added to the
heated milk which along with some vinegar, which causes the milk to coagulateand form the curd.
o Rennet is an enzyme that breaks down milk protein, usually derived from a cow’s stomach. Belfiore uses a celery based rennet so its Vegetarian!
o We also buy the curd itself which we stretch daily by hand and serve as an antipasto
o All of our mozzarella is pasteurized.

Question 3

Burrata

Answer 3

Burrata is a mozzarella shell stretched around a center of curd and cream
o The mixture of curd and cream is often referred to as “stracciatella” which means “little shreds.”
o Note that stracciatella can also refer to gelato or soup.

Question 4

Mozzarella di Bufala

Answer 4

o Mozzarella di Bufala is a typical Italian mozzarella made from the milk of water buffalo. It has a much higher acidity and must be eaten extremely fresh.
o The only buffalo mozzarella we use is made by Ramini Mozzarella based in Petaluma.

Question 5

Ricotta

Answer 5

o Most of our ricotta is also made at Belfiore.
o Ricotta, literally meaning re-cooked, is made by reheating the whey from the mozzarella, adding vinegar causing the rest of the milk solids to curdle. It is then
strained.

Question 6

Whole milk Ricotta

Answer 6

We’re getting a whole milk ricotta from Bellwether Farms in Sonoma, which is made from whole milk (not from whey)

Question 7

Ricotta Salata

Answer 7

o Is ricotta that has been salted and pressed, leaving a crumbly salty cheese that isgreat to finish dishes with.
o It can be made with cow’s milk or sheeps. We usually use sheep’s milk ricotta salata

Question 8

Parmigiano Reggiano

Answer 8

o Probably the most well known Italian cheese, this is an aged raw cow’s milk cheese produced in Parma, Reggio Amelia, Bologna, and Modeno.
o This is a DOP product. DOP is an acronym for Denominazione di Origine Protetta, which more or less certifies that a product was made in strict ordinance
the local tradition and with local product. Think Champagne.

Question 9

 Provolone

Answer 9

o An Italian cows milk cheese. Ours is slightly spicy and aged 9 months.

Question 10

Caciocavallo

Answer 10

An artisanal provolone style cheese from southern Italy. Made from cow’s milk, it is aged by tying a ball to each end of a rope and hung across a rafter. It’s name
literally means “horse cheese” because it resembles saddle bags.

Question 11

Fontina Val D’aosta

Answer 11

A rich fatty and somewhat pungent cheese made in Val D’aosta from raw cows milk. It melts beautifully and pairs well with mushrooms, hence being used on our funghi pie.

Question 12

Fontal

Answer 12

Often referred to as a ‘mock fontina’, fontal is made in the same fashion, yet is generally much milder than fontina.

Question 13

Grana Padano

Answer 13

Grano Padano is a parmesan that is subtler and less nutty and salty than Parmigiano Reggiano. It is made in the same fashion, but over a much wider area and under different regulations.

Question 14

Pecorino Romano

Answer 14

A DOP sheeps milk cheese made in a similar fashion as Reggiano or Grana Padano, but with pasteurized milk. It has a distinctive sharp and nutty flavor.

Question 15

Pecorino Perfetta

Answer 15

A fresh sheeps milk cheese, milder and with great melting ability, this is one of the pecorinos we use on our pizzas

Question 16

Pecorino Toscano

Answer 16

Another aged sheeps milk cheese, also made with pasteurized milk, is also nutty and crumbly, however much milder than Pecorino Romano. Aged 4-6 mo

Question 17

Fresh Milk Cheese Vs Pastuerized:

Answer 17

o It is illegal to produce fresh milk cheese in the U.S. So any domestic cheese we use is pasteurized milk (Belfiore, bellweather farms, Ramini)
o In order to import cheese it must be either pasteurized or aged a minimum of 60 days. The aging with make sure the cheese is free of Listeria. Cheese’s that are made with unpasteurized milk then aged include Parmigiano Reggiano & Grana Padano
o The 4 cheese mix is all made from pasteurized milk cheese barring the Parmigianno which can be omitted.
o Pecorino Romano and all Pecorino’s we use are made from pasteurized milk.

Question 18

Extra Virgin olive oil vs. Pure olive oil

Answer 18

Extra Virgin oil is from the first pressing of the olives. It usually has a fruitier, more grassy and astringent flavor. It loses its flavor as it is heated meaning we generally don’t cook with extra virgin. We use it when we’d like the flavor of the olive oil to be a large part of the final dish, such as in a marinade.
o Pure olive oil is from the second pressing of the olives, meaning the mash from the first pressing may be heated slightly, and pressed again to get any remaining oil out. It generally has a much lighter flavor and a higher smoke point, meaning it won’t burn when heated to extreme temperatures and also won’t overpower other flavors in a dish, making it a great oil for cooking with.

Question 19

Where do the olive oils come from ?

Answer 19

Francesco de Padova in Puglia

Question 20

Finishing Oil

Answer 20

is from Frantoio Olivestri (or simply “Olivestri”) and is produced on the border of Tuscany and Umbria.

Question 21

Tigre

Answer 21

an extremely mild pure olive oil that we use for aioli. It’s clean and let’s the lemon and garlic come through without being too strong.

Question 22

Lemon Oil

Answer 22

Asaro Lemon Oil from Castellvetrano region of Siciliy

Question 23

Meatballs

Answer 23

These are veal, beef, and pork meatballs that have been braised in tomato with pork spare ribs and served with crostini and pecorino romano
o Veal, ground
o Beef, ground
o Pork, ground
o Onions and garlic, cooked in olive oil until tender
o Breadcrumb, soaked in milk
o Ricotta
o Egg
o Pecorino romano
o Oregano
o Parsley
o Salt
o Pepper
 We mix all of the ingredients, briefly fry them to caramelize, then braise them in a cooked plum tomato sauce with pork spare rib that has been pulled and worked back into the sauce.
 Portioned into 3 3oz. balls per crock, served hot with pecorino romano and crostini

Question 24

Fennel Sausage

Answer 24

o We almost exclusively use Berkshire Pork. Berkshire pigs are a heritage breed, meaning they are not crossbred for specific cuts or uses, and are known for their well marbled meat.
o We currently get most of our pork from Eden Farms which is a family owned farming cooperative in the Midwest. They all raised without hormones on an all vegetarian feed, in a sustainable and humane environment.
o Fennel Sausage
o Pork Shoulder
o Fennel seed and top
o Salt
o Pepper
o Chili flake
o Garlic
o Parsley
o Ground ginger
o Curing salt (Nitrates)

Question 25

o Pizza Sauce

Answer 25

We use DiNapoli Raw Ground tomatoes, which are grown in the central valley (los gatos, CA) and are harvested and processed all in a 14 hour period giving us an extremely fresh tasting tomato.
o When listed on our menu, we simply write tomato since we really don’t do much to the product after opening the can
 Ingredients
o DiNapoli tomatoes
o Salt
o Pure Olive oil
o A splash of water

Question 26

Cooked Sauce

Answer 26

Our cooked tomato sauce has a wide variety of uses and acts as a base for several dishes on our menu.
o We use Alta Cucina Plum Tomatoes, also grown in the central valley(near modesto).
o We cook the sauce on high heat for a short amount of time so it cooks just enough,
yet retain the bright acidity from the tomatoes.
o When this is used on a pizza, it is listed as “Tomato Sauce”
o This sauce is used on the “Panna” pizza, meaning we’ll sometimes call it “Panna
sauce” in the kitchen, even though “panna” is cream in Italian.
o Ingredients
 Alta Cucina Plum Tomatoes
 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pizzeria Spring/Summer Food Packet
 Garlic
 Salt
 Pepper
 Chili flake
 Fresh Basil
Garlic

Question 27

“White sauce”

Answer 27

o This mixture of cheeses and cream is the base of both the Prosciutto pie and Raab pie, as well as some of the rotating pies.
o On the menu, it’s simply listed as a couple of the ingredients such as “mozzarella, caciocavallo…”, or “panna, mozzarella,…”
o All ingredients in this sauce have been Pasteurized
o Cream
o Caciocavallo
o Buttermilk
o Whey

Question 28

“Do’s and Don’ts”

Answer 28

Meatball Calzone is always available $13, fried when we can… Not when its crazy busy and NEVER offer!
 Kid’s pasta- always available except on 18 th st. Available w/ butter and cheese, or tomato sauce
$6
 Most toppings may be added to all or half of a pie for an additional charge.
 Most items can be omitted from all or half of a pie
 We sell our dough to go. $3.50 ea.
 We can cut pies into 8 upon request
 We cannot add mozzarella cheese to a panna pie
 Eggs can be added to any pizza, they are $2 each and no more then 2

Question 29

Not Available

Answer 29

Side of garlic, 1/2 and 1/2