Let’s talk about pizza crust.
Pizza crust is by far the most forgotten, most neglected part of the pizza. In fact, many people go so far as to discard it entirely, eating the soft cheesy interior and leaving behind sad semi moons of pizza perimeter.
I am guilty of this crime against pizza. Stomach real estate is a precious commodity when you’re facing off against an entire large pizza and so you can’t afford to stuff your belly with bland, bready crust.
The sausage crammed or cheese-filled crust was some pizza houses answer to this global tendency towards crust wastage. At 95 at Parks in Constantia, Cape Town, Milanese Chef-proprietor Giorgio Nava’s answer is to craft pizzas that are – crust to cheesy centre – so absolutely delicious that not even a crumb is left behind on that plate.
How does he do this?
Quality pizza = quality ingredients
The not-so-secret is the freshness and fine artisanal quality of the ingredients. Forget processed mozzarella cheese, tinned tomato sauce, and mass, factory-produced dough. Within the kitchen at 95 at Parks, pizza is made the Italian way: with fresh, quality ingredients and components, sauces, and stocks that are lovingly and patiently hand-made.
“Our pizzas have been leavened with a mother yeast and beer and then left for 48 hours,” says Chef Giorgio, who has received nothing but praise for the 95 at Parks pizza menu from his Italian friends. “Resting the dough for two days, makes the pizzas much easier to digest and will never leave you feeling bloated.”
Pizza menu of Italian classics
Starting with these flavoursome and crisp foundations, Chef Giorgio layers lashings of rich tomato sauce made from pomodoro san Marzano (plum tomatoes), extra-virgin olive oil, and fior di latte cheese, a traditional semi-soft and creamy Southern Italian mozzarella.
From here, it can go one of six ways:
It can be crowned with a bushel of basil for the simple, yet trusted Pizza Margherita; scattered with olives, grilled broccoli, spinach, and mushrooms for the Pizza Orto (vegetarian); dressed with olives, anchovies, and capers for the Pizza Siciliana; swathed with prosciutto crudo di Parma (Italian dry-cured ham) and rocket for the Pizza Prosciutto Crudo; layered with prosciutto cotto (cooked ham), basil leaves, and Grana Padano cheese for the Pizza Prosciutto Cotto; or prepared with mortadella sausage, basil, and grana Padano for the Pizza con Mortadella.
Nea-poli-tan Mon-tanaa-raaa
The crowning glory of Chef Giorgio’s small but authentic Italian pizza menu is the Neapolitan Montanara. Say it slowly: Nea-poli-tan Mon-tanaa-raaa. The very words sound edible, right?
This is, essentially, a Margherita pizza but instead of getting baked in the oven as is usually the case, the pizza dough is quickly deep-fried and then layered with that wonderful plum tomato sauce, creamy fior di latte cheese, fresh basil, and Grana Padano shavings. The result is a pizza that is, from crust to cheesy centre, eye-closingly delicious and satisfying.
The crust of Chef Giorgio’s Neapolitan Montanara can be likened to vetkoek: savoury, flavourful, and crisp on the outside, yet soft and steamy on the inside. And if that’s not enough to convince you to polish off the entire thing, you can always drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar on your plate and eat the crust with that!
Pizza for lunch
Truth be told, our lunch at 95 at Parks was the first time I’d ever heard of the Neapolitan Montanara pizza and yet, it is apparently a culinary creation of legendary proportions. After browsing my way through one with a glass of the Terra Del Capo Sangiovese (when in Italy, right?) I can fully understand why it has achieved this status.
The Neapolitan Montanara is sensational.
But just to make sure that Chef Giorgio Nava’s other pizzas are as authentically Italian and, ergo, delicious as promised, my plus one and I shared a Pizza Orto and Prosciutto Crudo over a bottle of the Muratie Melck’s Blended Red 2015. I’m proud to say that while we didn’t finish everything on the plate, all leftovers were bagged and enjoyed later for dinner. The wine, however, didn’t stand a chance.
Tip: if you ask for fresh chilli or garlic with your pizza at 95 at Parks, they will chop it fresh for you in the kitchen and then serve it to you swimming in extra virgin olive oil. Bellissimo!
By the way, 95 at Parks also offers a regular à la carte menu so if your partner is on some boring diet, you can still indulge your pizza fantasy.
Highly recommended
Since 2017, 95 at Parks has been the Southern Suburb’s go-to authentic Italian eatery and now they are placing a renewed focus on that most famous of Italian dishes: the pizza and in particular the Neapolitan Montanara. So if you love your pizza – and would like, for a change, to enjoy your pizza crust – I can ardently recommend that you pay 95 at Parks a visit.
Priced from R100 to R140, 95 at Parks’ pizzas are available for dinner, Mondays to Saturdays (18:00 to 22:00), and for lunch on Thursdays and Fridays (12:00 to 15:00). For bookings and enquiries, call +27 (0) 21 761 0247 or email parks@95keerom.com.
This blog article was originally written for Southern Vines magazine, the largest lifestyle and leisure magazine in the Western Cape of South Africa: https://www.southernvines.co.za/2019/06/18/live-your-pizza-fantasy-with-95-at-parks-real-italian-pizza-menu/
Wander Woman Thea 