Who doesn’t like a fresh hand tossed pizza done exactly the authentic way. It was few days back when Pondicherry-based Italian chef Antonello Giglio was in the capital giving us a taste of some really fresh hand tossed pizzas. Pizzas are Italian comfort food and when made the perfect way can be surely delicious and tempting.
Born in Turin, Italy, his interest in Ayurveda got him to India as he settled here in 2014. But with his passion for cooking, he started an eatery and currently runs Gastronomica in Auroville, Pondicherry which is all about fresh pizza, pasta, gelato, breads, pastries and more. His eatery gets the name from the Italian word "gastronomia" which means small stores in Italy that are known to sell fresh, high-quality, preservative/ chemical-free ready-made foods along with some packaged products. His Napoletana pizza are a hit.
In Delhi he was tossing up some great pizzas at MKT, Chanakyapuri. He says “he loves his pizzas simple and straight just like in Italy”. And this is totally visible in his cooking. All the pizzas that were tossed saw the use of simple, fresh ingredients and even the sauces are made from scratch from fresh tomatoes. So much so he is particular about perfection that he made sure his flour is rich protein. He loves his loaves of ciabatta and multigrain for pizzas. And yes, all of this ended up making some of the most delicious Neapolitan-style pizzas, where the crust is not too paper thing and yes not thick of course. The sides were nice and fluffy and saw the perfect brown texture that moment it came out of the oven. These hand-shaped pizzas were indeed a delight. He makes sure in focussing and creating an high quality food and loves his old school techniques the way it is made in the South of Italy, with organic wheat from where he belongs.
Some of the favourite’s fir the non veg section was-
• Salami And Gorgonzola- Spicy salami Napoli with blue cheese,
• Cacio-e-pepe- Mozerella, Goat cheese ricotta, black pepper, egg yolk and fresh basil
• Ham and Pista- Fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh cold ham and pistachios
• Parma ham calzone- Fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, arucola, parmesan flakes and parma ham.
While the veg section saw names like
• Bianca- Ricotta, mozzarella, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, along with some balsamic vinegar reduction
• Heaven seven – Mozzarella, Artichokes, bell pepper, mushrooms, onions, olives, and jalapenos.
• Panuozzo (pizza sandwich)- Fresh buffalo, mozzarella, pesto with pine nuts and cherry tomatoes
As you dig into these lovely delectable hand tossed delights trust you me you would hardly crave for any seasoning. He surely knows how to elevate a meal experience with simple, bare minimum ingredients.