Follow By Email: Roman Pizza Is Ever-Changing but Always Itself

Roman Pizza Is Ever-Changing but Always Itself

By: ALIZA ABARBANEL

All pizza is good pizza, at least in my book. I'll happily inhale singed Neapolitan pies alongside gooey dollar slices (more like $2, these days), always finding something to appreciate in the layers of crust and cheese. But I'll admit it: There's something about Roman pizza.

The aggressively crisp style is known as "scrocchiarella" (translation: crunch), but as Sara Jenkins writes this week on TASTE, Roman pizza has evolved a lot from her childhood in Rome. "Smart pizzaioli play with superior ingredients, long fermentation of doughs made with high-quality flours, and novel combinations. Some are even making sweet dessert pizzas composed of cinnamon cream, apples, and pine nuts—which may sound weird but can be very, very good."

Sara's trip through Rome in search of new and old standouts is well worth a read, but be warned: You won't make it through without craving a slice.

READ:

Flaky, in a great way: Croissants are the perfect pastry item that keep evolving, from croissant cereal to laminated baguettes.
During Ramadan, a legendary monthlong iftar feast pops up in Hyderabad, India, with a special focus on a savory, meaty stew called haleem.
Spring vegetables are coming. Are you ready?
I devoured this feature on the last stand of the hot dog king—a lone-wolf vendor fighting off permitting and fees to sell on the highly lucrative sidewalk outside the Met.
A pinch of salt and a dash of . . . Angostura? The case for cooking with bitters is clear—as in, clearly delicious.
Pour some tea and settle in with a piece from Vittles newsletter on Japanese food told through four arts: pottery, manga, literature, and printmaking.
Spring is cookbook season, and there's a wealth of new titles worth adding to your cooking rotation.
Would you drink a Jägerita? PUNCH argues that the Jägermeister-based spin on the Margarita is becoming a modern classic.

COOK:

What makes a great meatball? Fat, aggressive seasoning, and a light touch, to start.
Brown butter chocolate souffle is the showstopping gluten-free dessert your Passover table has been waiting for.
Turn tiramisu into tearamisu by swapping coffee for matcha, for a floral, herbaceous dessert that's all dressed up for spring.
Give your beans and greens the chorizo treatment to enter into a brave new world of craveable smoky flavor.
Hawaiian pizza haters, look away! Everyone else, take a page from Eric Kim and combine ham and pizza for an Easter feast.
Thinly sliced and accordioned in a skillet, potato ribbons are a fancy-feeling starchy side that come together with ease.
These whipped tofu bowls crowned with chile-crisp-sizzled chickpeas are at the very top of my "to make" list.

WATCH, STREAM, LISTEN:

It's been a big week on the TASTE podcast. First up, it's Maya Kaimal! You may know Maya's excellent eponymous brand of premade Indian food, and now she has a new cookbook to discuss, Indian Flavor Every Day.
Also Rich Torrisi, of NYC's very major Major Food Group, came by to talk about launching iconic restaurants like Carbone and the return of the city's late-night dining scene.
Finally, novelist and Vanity Fair writer Delia Cai stopped by the studio to talk about how food plays a role in her new book, Central Places.
If you aren't subscribing to the TASTE Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon, click that button now. It's the best way to ensure you won't miss an episode, and we have so many good ones in the works.
Ten out of ten, would fly to Korea to try these Chinese-style spicy beef noodles.
Mint. Chip. Ice. Cream. Cake. Direct from Alison Roman's new book, Sweet Enough.
Music to cook to: Portuguese goodness, selected with love.

FOLLOW THE EDITORS OF TASTE

Follow along with our cooking (and let us know about your cooking) on Instagram. You can follow us at @taste and see what the editors are up to at @mattrodbard, @elorasharon, and @alizarae.

If you like this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. If you aren't subscribed to this newsletter, you can sign up right here.