Pizzais typically view by the eat public as an edible table on which to stack raft of pepperoni . But there are so many more foods you could be deliciously jam onto pizza , and they have nothing to do with faux - gaga toppings like pineapple , which is boring as nether region .
We surveil some of the best pie - makers in the country to see what topping people do n’t habituate enough of at abode and when they go out . Find out which toppings should be on your next pizza , ranging from the exotic to random stuff you have taking up space in your fridge .
Sun-dried + roasted peppers
" One of the most underused ( and good ! ) topping is sunlight - dry and roasted peppers . multitude are familiar with a regular sweet peppercorn or a roasted capsicum pepper plant , but what we offer is a sun - dry out , roasted pepper – it ’s a different process [ to create it ] and the savour is unbelievable . It has some sweetness to it , so anything you pair it with will be good , but we recommend it with Kalamata olives , because the salt of the olives and sweetness of the pepper makes for a neat combo . " –Margaret Mieles , Di Fara Pizza(Brooklyn , NY )
Leftovers
" I ’m a grown devotee of leftover pie , [ which are ] PIE made with leftovers from takeaway . Perhaps the best is char siu from the Formosan place up the street . I mean , char siu , Formosan broccoli , and chili paste is a hearty pie . " –Tommy Habetz , Pizza Jerk(Portland , OR )
Potatoes
" A raw material on traditional Italian pizza , potatoes do n’t occur to most habitation chef as a topping . slice thinly with olive oil and herbs , or on a breakfast pizza pie with eggs and guanciale , potatoes add a creamy and indulgent bed . " –Emily Blount , Saint Leo(Oxford , MS )
Root vegetables
" I ’m a fan of seasonal pizza , but I always get stuck [ on what to make ] in the winter . That is , until I tried Apium graveolens dulce root and babe turnips , combine , in a pizza pie I came to call The White Owl . It ’s one of [ our ] top - selling whole pies : a layer of mozzarella topped with shredded celery root and sliced whitened babe turnips tossed in olive vegetable oil – nicely balanced and just enough gooeyness . You do n’t see a lot of root vegetables on pizza pie , but they work amazingly well . " –Ken Forkish , Ken ’s Artisan Pizza&Trifecta Annex(Portland , OR )
Gravy
" Tomato is n’t your only sauce alternative for pizza pie ; gravy is awesome ! We expend sausage gravy on our brunch pizza , and when it ’s top with a poached egg : you ’ve get a meal . " –Nate Cayer , Dolce Italian(Chicago , IL )
Brussels sprouts
" I never had Brussels stock before I came to California because they were n’t available in Brazil , where I grow up . I fell in love with them the minute I tasted them for the first metre . Crispy and slimly sulfurous , they are utter for a pizza . We combine them with anchovies , capers , and garlic confit . " –Fernando Darin , Ray ’s & Stark Bar(Los Angeles , CA )
Garlic
" There are oh - so -many underused pizza topping by people at home and at pizzeria . This may seem pretty mainstream and obvious : fresh chopped ( or whole - clove ) Allium sativum ! Goddamn it , citizenry just do n’t fuddle enough of it on their pizza pie ! It makes me so fucking upset ! It is such an unbelievably fucking delightful add-on to your home pie .
" It goes with intimately everything you could ever want to top your pizza with ! It pairs dead with every ding - dang pork topping ( and there is ordinarily freight of garlic in that pork ) , and will make even the most bland veg taste like heaven … even thoughhellis coming out of every one of your pore after . I take on that since garlic powder is used with most ( let ’s just say all ) pizza pie sauces , hoi polloi be given to neglect baking the fresh stuff and nonsense on top . Classic friggin ' garlic ignorance ! " –Dave Bonomi , Coalfire Pizza(Chicago , IL )
Sweet ingredients
" Balancing seraphic and savory on a pizza pie is always fun , and offers a alone alternative to the criterion ( although delicious ) classic savory pizza . summate aged balsamic , really fresh tomatoes , or caramelize onions can take a pizza to an full unlike stratum , and is so dewy-eyed . One of my pet pizza pie we do at Milo & Olive when the endocarp fruit commence to hit the markets is the nectarine tree , braised bacon , and fontina pizza pie with fresh thyme and aged balsamic . The combination of sweet , savory , nuttiness , herbs , and sour is so cheering , peculiarly on top of a crispy , chewy pizza pie impertinence . All the matter in one – that ’s what I ’m talk about . ” –Erin Eastland , Milo & Olive(Santa Monica , CA )
Corn
" corn whisky is an underappreciated pizza pie topping . It ’s fantastic with many different cheeses and other toppings , and it ’s improved greatly with a charred cookery proficiency . We offer charred organic clavus and feta on our seasonal pizza , Pesto Primavera . " –Nicholas Eckerman , PizzaRev(Studio City , CA )
Anchovies + artichokes
" anchovy are surely the most underused / least pop . globe artichoke are underutilized , but are very free to many case of pizzas . They mould well with chicken , prickly-seeded spinach , and tomato. " –Jeffrey Kalt , Pizza Lotto(Las Vegas , NV )
Butternut squash
" Butternut squelch is groovy on pizza pie because it can be used so many different ways . Roasted , sliced thin , or strain into a creamy sauce with sage and toasted pine nuts . We sport a butternut crush pizza on our carte du jour when it ’s in season . " –Burton Koelliker , Osteria Marco(Denver , CO )
Tuna
" I like continue tuna , [ which is ] fundamentally making my own canned tuna , and I bonk help it chance its way onto a blistered wood - fired pizza pie . [ It can be accompanied by ] the addition of a skillful and brackish Gaeta olive , some bitter special K like dandelion or Castelfranco , and naughty Calabrian chili rock oil , with a idle sprinkle of fume provola or Grana Padano to complete . " –Chris Thompson , Coda di Volpe ( Chicago , IL )
Clams
" Clams are a classic topping typically used on a white pizza pie in my hometown of New Haven . ( See : Pepe ’s , Sally ’s , or Modern Apizza . ) It ’s probably underused at home only because most of the country just is n’t familiar [ enough ] with buck to call up about using them . My suggestion , as is with most of our pies , is to keep it simple at house , using just olive oil , pecorino , or Parmesan , with or without bacon . " –Bill Jacobs , Piece Brewery & Pizzeria(Chicago , IL )
" dinero can be consider placid succeeder , but they are the arrant pizza pie topping if made with freshly shucked lettuce ; attendant , deliciously briny , and naturally gamy , they match absolutely with a garlicky blank pizza pie substructure ! I love using freshly shucked littlenecks . " –Mike Price , The Clam(New York , NY )
Roma tomatoes
" We are pretty traditional when it comes to toppings , but one topping that I find is totally underrated is slice Roma tomatoes . We use it as a key ingredient on our signature pizza pie , The Lou . But aside from The Lou , we do n’t see a wad of people order it . Personally , I conceive it pairs really nicely with our pepperoni . ” –Marc Malnati , Lou Malnati ’s Pizzeria(Chicago , IL )
Canned seafood
" Being a part of the Blue Ribbon Task Force for theMonterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch , I am all about can seafood as a pizza pie topping flop now , but it has n’t totally caught on in the mainstream quite yet . chuck the anchovy ; sustainable give the sack seafood – such as pilchard , octopus , cockles , and smoked trout – is the future . [ It ’s ] delicious and good for the planet . you may add any of these to a pizza atCart - Driver , and we serve terminate sardines at Basta on the marine pizza , with Lycopersicon esculentum sauce , garlic confit , thyme , and Calabrian chili . " –Kelly Whitaker , Basta(Boulder , CO )
Broccoli rabe
" Broccoli rabe is an underrated pizza topping . When immix with guanciale and fresh mozzarella , there ’s nothing better . ” –Tony Mantuano , Bar Toma(Chicago , IL )
Figs
" The combination of sweet and salty with pizza is a staple , but you’re able to think beyond your typical Hawaiian pineapple / ham toppings . Figs are a great seasonal topping that adds a sweetness and earthiness that twin utterly with the richness of gorgonzola cheese and the acidity of the pickled red Allium cepa [ in our Figura pizza ] . " –Mike Randolph , Randolfi’s(University City , MO )
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Courtesy of Ray’s & Stark Bar
Di Fara pizza|Flickr/Guian Bolisay
Brunch Pizza|Courtesy of Dolce Italian
Pesto Primavera|Courtesy of Pizza Rev
Clam & Shrimp White Pie at Brothers Pizza|Flickr/Jazz Guy
