Italian cuisine is famous all over the world, but there has never been just one. From north to south, each region has developed its own ingredients, cooking methods, and ways of understanding food, reflecting a history shaped by strong local identities and a country founded just over 160 years ago.
In every region, Italian cuisine takes on Different shapes, flavors, and characteristics, and it is precisely this diversity that serves as the starting point for Gennaro Contaldo’s work. The idea is not to reinvent Italian cuisine, but to take two great classics—originating more than a thousand kilometers apart—and bring them into a new context without compromising their identity. The common thread is the pinsa, which originated in Rome and therefore, ideally, at the heart of this geography of taste.
From Piedmont to Naples: Two Extraordinary Ways to Experience Italian Cuisine
Putting veal with tuna sauce, sausage, and broccoli rabe in the same article seems almost like a provocation, because it is It's hard to imagine two dishes that are more different.
- On the one hand, we have Piedmont, where the cuisine emphasizes balance, moderation, and an elegance born of subtle nuances. The veal is delicate, the sauce complements without overpowering, and the capers add that a touch of savory flavor that ties it all together.
- On the other hand, there is Naples, which, in this recipe, showcases one of its most fascinating aspects: a cuisine made up of just a few ingredients, distinct flavors, and contrasts that create a sense of balance.
Pinsa doesn’t replace the original dishes: it changes the context and, as a result, the way the flavors are perceived. While Pinsa adds flavor and texture to vitello tonnato, in the dish with sausage and friarielli, it helps balance intense flavors: its structure and lightness help distribute the flavors evenly, allowing both the savory richness of the meat and the vegetable component to shine.
This is the basis for the two interpretations by Gennaro Contaldo, which differ in atmosphere and character but are united by the respect for the original dish and a desire to discover a new perspective.
Pinsa with veal in tuna sauce: the pleasure of things done in moderation
In this version, vitello tonnato retains everything that has made it a classic of Italian cuisine: delicacy, balance, and a flavor to be discovered little by little.
This is certainly a different kind of pinsa—designed for those lunches where you don’t need to impress at all costs, but rather want to create something modern and innovative (because with pinsa, it becomes just that) to share and A pleasure to savor at a leisurely pace.
Ingredients
- Veal shank
- Salt
- Aromatics (carrot, celery, onion)
- 200 g of tuna in olive oil (drained)
- 30 g of desalted capers
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 250 g of high-quality mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon of veal cooking juices (if available)
Preparation
Veal
- Season the veal with salt, seal it with the herbs, and cook sous vide at 58 °C for 12 hours.
- Cool in an ice bath, then slice very, very thinly using a slicer (about 1 mm thick).
Tuna Sauce
- Blend all the ingredients until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Transfer the sauce to a pastry bag.
Composition and Finish
- Let the veal come to room temperature.
- Arrange the slices so they are slightly folded.
Baking and Assembling the Pinsa
- Bake the pinsa with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and salt.
- Arrange the veal slices so they are slightly folded rather than completely flat. This creates more volume and adds depth and texture to the pinsa.
- Spread the tuna sauce in small dots or thin strips.
- Top with capers, chopped parsley, and extra virgin olive oil.
Pinsa with sausage and friarielli: the taste of togetherness
In this interpretation, sausage and friarielli remain the great symbols of Neapolitan tradition: Just a few ingredients, distinctive flavors, and a balance born of contrast. This Pinsa is designed for those moments when The joy of food also comes from sharing: A table full of food, conversations that go on and on, and generous portions that invite you to take another slice.
Ingredients
- Fresh Friarielli
- Pork sausage
- Mozzarella
- Garlic
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- Chili flakes
- Salt
Friarielli
- Heat a a generous amount of extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet, then add garlic and chili pepper.
- Add the friarielli without blanching them first, so as to preserve their characteristic bitter flavor.
- Cook over high heat with the lid on for the first 5 minutes, then remove the lid and continue cooking until they are wilted but still bright green.
- Season with salt.
- Finish cooking them so they're still slightly al dente (they'll continue to cook later).
Pinsa
- Remove the casing from the sausage and cut it into small, irregular pieces.
- Cook the pinsa with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for 2 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
- Spread the mozzarella, friarielli, and sausage evenly over the pinsa.
- Continue cooking for another 4 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
Complete with
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- Chili flakes.
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