Pizza Today - June 2022 - 37

I
t's the heat of summer. Does your
menu off er items to beat the heat?
A seasonal salad can hit that mark
while also taking advantage of the
abundance of summer veggies.
Before we talk salads, let's dive into
sizing options. What fi ts your menu?
Individual sized, small plate appetizer or
family-style sharable. You have options.
Evaluate how other items sell and what
makes sense for your customers and your
bottom line.
Th ere are some salads that naturally pair
well with pizza: panzanella, caprese and
Caesar. Let's get into these salads.
Panzanella
Th is Italian chopped salad is best served
as an appetizer. It features Italian bread,
tomatoes, capers, onion, celery, basil and
chickpeas. Don't be afraid to change up
the veggies in this salad based on what is
available in your area. Blend parsley, garlic,
oregano, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
to create the dressing. Th is is another
area where you can apply some creativity
by choosing another vinegar or adding
diff erent herbs and spices like crushed red
pepper or thyme. We've even seen recipes
incorporate Dijon mustard.
Caprese
It's classic and light. You can't go wrong
with sliced summer tomatoes (especially
those beautiful and colorful heirloom
varieties), sliced fresh mozzarella, fresh
basil, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and
pepper. We often see this salad topped with
a drizzle of balsamic reduction.
But, let's get your wheels turning about
all the tasty twists that can give you a
unique option and wow your guests with
the season's best. Here are some other
simple caprese remixes:
* Roasted red pepper, burrata, basil, EVOO
* Strawberries, cherry tomatoes, Perlini
mozzarella, mint, honey drizzle
* Cucumber, avocado, sliced tomato and
balsamic drizzle
* Green apple, fresh mozzarella, blueberries,
basil and balsamic
* Peaches, fresh mozzarella, fresh mint,
olive oil and hot honey
Let's explore a recipe for one of these
delicious caprese remixes. You can't go
wrong with peaches in the summertime.
Choose your favorite peach variety - the
juicier, the better, and play with this recipe.
PEACH CAPRESE
One peach, thick sliced
6 ounces buff alo mozzarella, sliced
Fresh mint
2 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces hot honey
Sea Salt to taste
Layer peach and mozzarella slices. Top
with mint. Drizzle olive oil and hot honey.
Finish with sea salt.
Caesar
Hail to the classic Caesar, a great option
as an individual salad, family-style portion
or entrée with an add-on protein. Switch
up the romaine for a rotini pasta to make
a cool pasta salad. Th ink BLT Caesar salad
with a blended Caesar mayo dressing that
can also we used as a sandwich spread or
reduce as aioli drizzle on pizza.
Corn, one of summer's biggest
bounty
At its peak, producers are practically
giving away corn, whether it's Silver Queen,
Jubilee or Golden Bantam. Try a versatile
sweet corn pico de gallo with fresh roasted
corn, fi nely chopped jalapeno, chopped
tomato, red onion, cilantro, lime juice and
sea salt. Serve over chopped leaf lettuce,
red cabbage and top with shredded white
cheddar, crushed tortilla chips and a drizzle
of Ranch dressing. Th e sweet corn pico can
also be used as a fi nishing topping on a
Southwestern or Mexican pizza.
Go Italian inspired with a summer corn
salad featuring roasted white corn, grape
tomatoes, roasted red onion, roasted garlic,
roasted red pepper, lemon juice, extra-virgin
olive oil, Pecorino, basil, crushed pepper,
cracked black pepper and sea salt.
Thai Smile
Infusing fl avors from around the world
can be a big hit with customers. One of
the most popular international salads is a
Th ai salad. And since Th ai chicken pizzas
are a hot specialty pizza, the ingredients
add versatility. Th ai salads vary but usually
include Napa cabbage, cucumbers, carrots,
sweet peppers, edamame and a peanut
dressing.
Th is salad is an excellent opportunity to
off er a plant-based option with meat and
cheese add-ons for those who want them.
Here's a recipe to get you started and you
can experiment from there:
PLANT-BASED THAI SALAD WITH
SPICY PEANUT DRESSING
¾ cup Napa cabbage, shredded
¾ cup red cabbage, shredded
½ cup romaine lettuce, shredded
¼ cup chopped red and yellow bell
peppers
½ cup shredded carrots
¼ cup Cucumber, thin sliced
¾ cup Edamame
½ teaspoon red pepper fl akes
½ cup chopped scallions
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup peanut butter
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Thai chili paste
To make the peanut dressing, blend
peanut butter, water, soy sauce, rice
wine vinegar, garlic, and Thai chili paste.
Reserve in refrigerator.
In a large serving bowl, add Napa
and red cabbage, carrots, bell peppers,
cucumbers and romaine and toss. Top
with edamame, scallions, cilantro and
crushed red pepper. Serve spicy peanut
dressing on the side.
We have a collection of salads designed
for pizzeria menus online. Browse the
entire collection for more summer salad
ideas at PizzaToday.com.
DENISE GREER is Executive Editor at
Pizza Today.
http://www.PizzaToday.com
Pizza Today - June 2022

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