Pizza Margherita Day: 4 Chefs share how you can elevate the humble cheese pizza

From fresh truffle shavings to adding an entire burrata or switching up the pizza sauce, follow these tips on how you can better your pizza game

Who can say no to pizza? What was once an Italian street food has become one of the most loved dishes enjoyed globally. The Margherita pizza, linked to Queen Margherita of Savoy, usually forms the base of several pies. It was created with red tomatoes, white mozzarella, and green basil to symbolise the colours of the Italian flag and presented to her.

The Margherita pizza was created as a special tribute to Queen Margherita of Savoy (unsplash)

On Pizza Margherita Day today, chefs share tips on how you can elevate this delicious pizza:

A splash of truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil will elevate your Margherita pizza (unsplash)

• Before serving the pizza, finish it with a splash of extra virgin olive oil on the edges to add richness.
• Top the pizza with creamyburrata or torn pieces of mozzarella cheese.
• Try seasonal toppings like roasted cherry tomatoes, sautéed wild mushrooms and zucchini.
• You can’t go wrong with adding truffle to your pizza — a drizzle of truffle-infused oil or shave some fresh truffles for a luxurious touch.
• Texture is important for a good pizza; crumble on soft feta or blue cheese, pineapple pieces and add a walnut crumble for a sweet and salty hit. An unexpected yet yummy topping is a 24-hour cured egg yolk.
• Instead of traditional tomato sauce, explore bases like pesto, mushroom cream, roasted bell pepper sauce, beetroots, miso or caramelised onion butter.
• Usually, fresh basil leaves that have been smacked to release the flavour are added to pizzas. However, you can also top it with arugula, marjoram, sage, and dill leaves.
• A touch of aged balsamic or even a little lemon zest will cut through the sharpness of a cheesy pizza.
• Layer on delicate slices of prosciutto after baking the pie. Chop pieces of ham and bacon, and sprinkle it over the pizza.

Inputs by Chef Shahbaz Shaikh at Lil Gamby in Mumbai; Chef Gracian Desouza at Fiori in Lonavala; Chef Ayush Khandelwal at Journal; Chef Vinayak Patil, The Bigg Small Cafe + Bar in Mumbai