A recipe for super pistachio-packed montanarine, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside!
Today we're looking at a moderately easy recipe to make spectacular pistachio montanarine at home! A montanarina is made by frying a piece of Neapolitan pizza dough instead of baking it.
PREFACE:
I am not a professional pizzaiolo and I have no intention of claiming this is the recipe of the century! I simply studied a few recipes from various sources and experimented, so go easy on the criticism and have fun with it yourself.
DOUGH:
I refer you to THIS RECIPE OF MINE to make a Neapolitan pizza dough with 65% hydration, which is very light and tasty.
Once you have finished preparing the dough, come back to this page.
COOKING:
- Let's assume you have dough balls of about 60 g, as explained in the recipe mentioned above.
- Heat the oil in a fairly deep pan or pot and wait until it is piping hot.
- Gently press the center of the dough ball to form a sort of mini pizza.
- Submerge the montanarina; if the oil is at the right temperature, it should sizzle!
- Turn the montanarina from one side to the other to cook it evenly.
- If the temperature is correct, they will cook in just over 1 minute. They should puff up and turn a beautiful golden brown on the outside.
If you have prepared the dough and cooked it well, you will have wonderful montanarine, golden and crispy on the outside, super fluffy on the inside!
TOPPINGS:
The montanarine should be topped fresh, after having been well-drained, while still warm.
You can let your creativity run wild, but here is the topping combination you see in the photo:
- Pistachio pesto (find it here)
- Prosciutto crudo
- Robiola
For the first layer, I used a very thick pistachio pesto, obtained by removing the excess oil and mixing it further in a pan with a knob of butter. Keep the heat low so it doesn't burn! I also added a pinch of pepper, since this pesto didn't have any (check the label first!).
On top, I placed a rose of prosciutto crudo for contrast and some robiola for freshness.
Finally, I garnished with a drizzle of very liquid pistachio pesto.
VARIATIONS:
For the base, you can also make a thinner cream by slightly diluting the pesto with a little hot water or heavy cream.
For the top toppings, you can experiment with other cured meats (like mortadella) and other cheeses (like Philadelphia or ricotta).
To garnish, you can also add a sprinkle of chopped pistachios or pistachio flour!
Happy cooking, everyone!
