Montanara Pizza 

Montanara Pizza is a mouth-watering, crispy fried pizza dough with its origins in the mountains of pizza heaven – Naples. Be warned, the textures on your tastebuds might just go into melt down when you take a bite of this one! The fried mountain pizza is different from the classic fried pizza because it does not include filling, if anything a sprinkling of cheese and a little sauce.

The fried mountain pizza is a typical dish of traditional Neapolitan cuisine, properly also called "poor" dish. After preparing the basic pizza dough, after the leavening time, you can proceed with the preparation of fried pizza: frying and seasoning it. The original recipe, as far as the seasoning is concerned, includes very simple ingredients. The latter are: San Marzano tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese and a few basil leaves. In its simplicity it represents one of the Neapolitan products of excellence, we could say a symbol of the Neapolitan culinary tradition.

If today we want pizza, but not the usual pizza, here is a delicious and quick dish to prepare. Good as an appetizer, or to be proposed in an aperitif, there is always room for fried mountain pizza. And yes, it is not enough to talk about fried pizza, because in reality we refer to two different preparations. Both were born in the Neapolitan post-war period, from the need to make do with the means that remained, the master pizza makers of the time, began to fry the pizza dough, no longer being able to use wood-burning ovens. The fried mountain pizza, whose name is linked to the peasants from the mountains, who used to eat sandwiches with tomato, basil and cheese, is the unstuffed version. It is in fact fried round pizzas, and seasoned still hot, with simple tomato and Parmesan, and wanting good mozzarella in chunks. If we talk about fried pizza we refer to the panzerotto always made with pizza dough, then stuffed with ricotta, tomato and salami, and then fried. 

Two different preparations that have in common the dough, cooking and goodness. We can easily reproduce them at home, both to practice and become good homemade pizza makers, but also to feed the most uncontentable. The fried mountain pizza is already good on its own, with a sprinkling of salt, but we can season it to our liking, with what the fridge offers us. And why not, even with a little good hazelnut spread! Did I make you hungry? So let's roll up our sleeves.

Ingredients

600 g Ready pizza dough

400 g Peeled tomatoes or tomato puree

Fiordilatte to taste

8-10 Basil leaves

Parmigiano Reggiano to taste

Salt to taste

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

1 onion

1 clove Garlic

Peanut oil to taste

Preparation

The pizza dough should be divided into about 8 balls. Fry the pizzas in a high-sided pot with plenty of oil. The pizzas must be covered for about 3/4 with oil to be cooked optimally. Let them fry about 2 minutes per side or until they turn slightly golden. Remove the pizzas from the heat by taking them with tongs, so that part of the excess oil can directly fall back into the pot. Place the pizza on absorbent paper so that it gets rid of excess oil. Just leave them for a few moments. For the seasoning, the advice is to prepare a classic fresh tomato sauce or use a tomato puree. Sauté a little onion in olive oil with a clove of garlic. Then add the fresh tomatoes or the tomato puree, a pinch of salt and cook until the sauce has become thick and creamy. Take the sauce with a spoon and spread on the pizza still hot, add the fior di latte mozzarella cut into strips and a fresh basil leaf to garnish. Finally sprinkle with a little parmesan. Enjoy your meal.