Pizza Talk - Toto' Sapori- Quarto (Na)

-
Pizza.  In the Naples area , there is a pizza parlor on every corner.  Sometimes two. But not every neighborhood has a pizzeria run by one of the top instructors from the AVPN -Associzione Verace Pizza Napoletana. Quarto, a small but busy suburb about 11 km northwest of Naples does.  It was there, at Via Dante Algheri, 6 where I had an appointment one sunny Friday afternoon with pizza maker Salvatore Santucci for a little pizza talk.
Salvatore is the owner of his family owned and operated Toto' Sapori Pizzeria.  A small pizzeria with a few small plastic tables that sprinkle the sidewalk out front.  Just a few.  A few for those who wish to sit down in nice weather and enjoy their pizza fresh from the oven.  The rest?  D'asporto...carry out.  Take away.  Either way, all guaranteed an amazing Santucci pizza.
Back in 1984 Salvatore decided that he wanted to make pizza.  A good, no great pizza.  So after years of working around the Naples area, he opened up Toto' Sapori in 2007.  And inside this little family restaurant I found a family.  Wife Linda in the kitchen and at the register and two young but talented pizza makers; 12 year old Enrico and 7 year old Diego.  A team that was ready and willing to perform a little show and tell on pizza dough, pizza making, and of course pizza eating.  A little pizza talk.
Salvatore Santucci

A great pizza begins with a great crust.  And a great crust needs a great pasta dough.  Santucci's pizza dough  rises for 10 hours and then matures for at 24 to 72 hours.  Why so long?  Easy.  The dough needs that maturation period.  If it doesn't mature before he uses it for a pizza, it will after...in your stomach.  That's what gives you that bloated full feeling.  Uncomfortable.
I thought about that as I watched Santucci and his sons form each individual portion of pizza dough and place it in a woodedn rectangular container so that it could rest.




And once the dough is ready, it's time to think about what to put on top.  Quality, what else. And that makes sense considering all the effort that went into making the pizza dough.
I wanted a Margherita.  One with piennolo tomatoes from Vesuvius.  Santucci added fresh mozzarella Campania Dop.  My son David?  A Marinara.  Simple.  With tomato sauce, a few slivers of garlic and a sprinkle of oregano.




Enrico Santucci

Diego Santucci

Then?  A minute or two in a  hot 485 degree Celsius wood burning oven (Santucci's is made by Stefano Ferrara whose small factory is just around the corner).


A minute or two for the flavors to meld, fuse, blend together.  A minute or two for the sugar in the dough to caramelize...to make the crust soft, soffice.




After the lunch rush,as Enrico played a few games on the computer, as my son helped Enrico with his Grammar homework, we continued tot talk.  About Santucci's plans to expand ...about upcoming AVPN events in Northern Italy.
About quality...
About dedication...
About his Celiac friendly pizza dough...
About soccer. Naples, of course.
About art...the murals on the wall are his...


And about pizza..

pizza talk...




Pizzeria Toto' Sapori
Via Dante Algheri, 6
Quarto (Na)
081 19913903 Fax 081 19913903

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to My Home - Lunch at Antica Osteria Nonna Rosa with Chef Peppe Guida

-
Image
I've lost count as to how many times I have seen Chef Peppe Guida since we met for the first time last April .  On every occasion, from dinners at Pastifcio dei Campi to visits to Marina Yacht Club , we always ended our conversations agreeing that I needed to visit him a casa sua ...his home, his restaurant, Antica Osteria Nonna Rosa in Vico Equense (Na). I chose a Saturday afternoon to visit the chef's home, which really was just that...a home.  A renovated house dating back to the 17th century.  Chef Guida took me on a little tour pointing out where the pizza oven used to be, for example, which now is a small corner intimate dining room/wine cellar.  My eyes, however, were drawn to the family room where among antique furniture and plants hanging from the ceiling was a comfortable couch. I sat down for a while to relax,  discuss the latest news from Napoli, and talk about Guida's menu over a glass of spumante and a soft warm slice of casatiello with walnuts.  M
Read more

La Scarpetta, Pepe in Grani, Caiazzo (Ce)

-
Image
Scarpetta. ..the word alone makes one's taste buds jump for joy.  Scarpetta, little shoe, is an act of love at the end of a meal. A show of respect and admiration performedw ith a piece of great bread and the remnants of a fantastic sauce left on the plate at the end a a course. That is the spirit behind Franco Pepe' s latest pizza - La Scarpetta.   Pepe's soft pizza dough paired with an amazing ragu tomato sauce.  For the sauce, Pepe chose three tomato varieties and slow cooked them so that they fused together to make an incredible tomato sauce. This sauce is not cooked in the oven with the pizza dough, but added on top afterwards.  Then a couple of shavings of Grana Padano cheese (aged 12 and 24 months) Just one more taste of happiness courtesy of Pepe in Grani.. .
Read more

The Trailer for Episode 1 of "In the Kitchen Campania" is Out Featuring Chef Luigi Coppola of Casa Coloni, Paestum (Sa)

-
Image
If you're a foodie, then "In the Kitchen Campania" is the perfect show to satisfy your cravings. This upcoming culinary series will feature some of the most talented chefs in the Campania region of Italy and is a celebration of the rich flavors and traditions of Italian cuisine.    You won't want to miss Chef Luigi Coppola of Casa Coloni Restaurant in this episode, which premieres on my YouTube channel on January 30th .  Be sure to save the date, watch the trailer, and subscribe to our channel to stay up-to-date with all the latest culinary excitement.  Ci vediamo in the kitchen!
Read more