Back during the days of wine and roses, Jonny Mangia and myself ventured upon one of the most eclectically delicious slices of pizza while on vacation in the mother country, and specifically, in Florence. While walking hand in hand upon the cobblestone streets of that richly historic slice of the world, we wandered into one of those bustling pizzerias that had sheet after crunchy sheet of pizza with different toppings. Because we were so hungry at the time (what's new?) we quickly decided on a slice of the pizza alla tonno. As we stood there in the street, we took one hungry bite after the next of the same slice of pizza (how romantic), the crunchy crust, the zesty tomato, the oil of the fish dripping down the sides of our mouths... it was pure heaven. Years later, I knew trying to replicate those flavors on this side of the pond would be close to impossible, but if I could just get close... Then I had an idea.
Pizza alla tonno
I've been making amazing Italian tuna sandwiches for years now, after Mom B. told me about Genova brand "tonna", or Italian tuna, which is premium yellowfin tuna in olive oil. Although the cans are more expensive than your run of the mill Chicken of the Sea, they are worth every penny. The olive oil is of an obviously higher quality and the tuna is fresher and tastier. Usually, I prepare it in the Italian tuna tradition, which is mixing the tonna with its oil with a little salt, pepper and chopped onion and spreading onto Italian bread. If I'm feeling ambitious, I may add chopped olives or capers to the mix, but it is just as good straight out of the can. So one night, I tried to replicate the famed pizza alla tonno in Florence by dolloping some of the Genova brand tonno on a grandma slice (its crust was sturdy enough to hold the oil of the tonna) and presto! I had the tastiest tonna slice that I've had here in the states. Thought I'd share with any tonna fans out there!
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