Fried Pizza with Mortadella and Fiordilatte

Fried pizza with mortadella and fiordilatte is a delicious variant of the more traditional Neapolitan fried pizza. It is a very rich and tasty dish, a true delight for lovers of bold flavors. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 250 g pizza dough (you can make it yourself or buy it ready-made)
• 150 g fiordilatte
• 100 g sliced mortadella
• Oil for frying (preferably seed oil)
• Salt
• Pepper (optional)
• Lard or extra virgin olive oil for greasing (optional)

Preparation

1. Cut the fiordilatte into cubes and let it drain to remove any excess whey.
2. Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured work surface, forming disks about 10-15 cm in diameter. Do not overwork the dough to prevent it from becoming too elastic.
3. Heat plenty of oil in a wide, high-sided pan. The oil should reach a temperature of about 180 °C; you can test it with a toothpick: if small bubbles form around the wood, it is ready for frying.
4. Fry the dough disks one at a time, turning them with tongs until golden on both sides.
5. Drain the fried pizza of excess oil and place it on kitchen paper towels to remove additional grease.
6. While the pizza is still hot, brush it with a thin layer of lard or extra virgin olive oil, then lightly salt it.
7. Add the fiordilatte cubes and mortadella slices to the still-hot fried pizzas so the cheese softens with the residual heat.
8. If desired, add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper to further enhance the flavor.
9. Serve the fried pizza with mortadella and fiordilatte immediately.

Fun Facts

Fried pizza is a typical dish of Neapolitan cuisine and can be filled in various ways. The version with mortadella and fiordilatte is a more modern variant that combines the tradition of fried pizza with the unique flavor of mortadella, a cured meat very popular in Italy. In some variations, a bit of ricotta is also added to make everything even creamier.