Pizza Today - February 2025 - 51

Y
our pizza
kitchen is an
experimental
food lab.
Creativity in
pizzerias has
never been
higher, and we love to see it. Mashups
are a perfect way to get outside of the
traditional pizza toppings mindset and
experiment. Inspiration can come from
other cuisines, famous dishes, local
favorites and beyond.
The key to a successful mashup is
to create local and regional buzz and
leave your guests either wanting to
see the special again or see it on the
regular menu. Getting started with a
mashup is easy, you can go with classic
mashup favorites and put your spin on
it or you can drill down to a local focus
and create something unique to your
area.
HERE ARE THREE INSPIRATIONS
TO TEST IN YOUR KITCHEN:
1. COLLABORATE WITH ANOTHER
IN-DEMAND RESTAURANT OR OTHER
FOOD PURVEYOR. Want to create
demand for your monthly or weekly special?
Partnering with another restaurant or
food purveyor can create instant buzz in
your community and help you stand out
from every other pizzeria in the country.
This is also a fantastic way to create a
collaborative spirit within your restaurant
community. Executed effectively and area
restaurants will line up with partner with
you on your next mashup.
Besides your pizzeria, of course, who
has lines out the door for that one
dish? There are restaurants near you
that are the go-to for certain items.
What foods are people in your area going
crazy for on social media? Peruse
review sites for other hot local restaurants
and their popular dishes.
Besides restaurants, there are plenty
of other food purveyors to partner with
for your next mashup. Maybe it's a
farmer's market, butcher, bakery, cheese
shop, specialty grocery, food truck and
more. Take an inventory of what is
available to you and what will work for
your customers.
2. RECREATE A LOCAL FAVORITE.
This can be anything. What is your
community known for. In Baltimore,
it may be crab cakes. New Orleans has
both the po' boy and muffuletta. More
iconic foods include: Cincinnati/chili,
Boston/clam chowder, Chicago/Italian
Beef, Key West/key lime pie, Nashville/hot
chicken, and the list goes
on. Here in Louisville, it's the Hot
Brown. The what? Traditionally served
on toast, it features turkey, a mornay
sauce, bacon, sliced tomato and shredded
cheese baked until golden brown.
Look around your area and you'll find
that it's known for something from
fried chicken or barbecue to perogies
or cheese curds.
3. ADD YOUR SPIN ON SOME OF
THE ALL-TIME BEST MASHUPS. There
are some pizza mashups that have a
proven record to be hits in many markets.
You can lean into these " classics " .
But I encourage you not to go basic.
Let your pizzeria's culinary prowess
shine.
* CHICKEN & WAFFLES. This breakfast
mashup has become a classic with
so many opportunities to change it up,
from using hot chicken to using large
Belgian waffles
* POUTINE. A Canadian favorite of
cheese curds, French fries and brown
gravy has lots options, including adding
brisket.
* PHILLY CHEESESTEAK. With or
without Cheese Wiz, this one is an
absolute favorite and has made many
regular menus.
* TACO PIZZA. This classic mashup
can be altered to any taco style, from
carne asada and chorizo to carnitas
and birria.
* CHICKEN TIKKI MASALA. This
mashup is growing in popularity.
Check out a recipe below for you to
experiment with.
* SMASH BURGER PIZZA. Everyone
knows a cheeseburger pizza, but people
are all about smash burgers. See what
you can come up with here.
* JALAPENO POPPER PIZZA. This
might just be the best appetizer turned
pizza. The addictive flavors have so
many possibilities.
* Italian Beef. The Chicago favorite
is fantastic as a pizza. Offer it with
hot or mild giardiniera.
Chicken Tikki Masala Pizza
This pizza provides the perfect opportunity
for you to partner with your best local Indian
restaurant or specialty grocery. Collaborate
with them on the tikki masala sauce. This
saves on labor and provides a great crosscollaborative
marketing opportunity. Work
with them to find a heat level that works
for your clientele. You can always go lower
on heat and offer to intensify the heat by
request. In this recipe, there is a marinade for
the chicken. This is another area you could
partner with the Indian restaurant, as well.
Experiment with this pizza to find the right
balance. Go as traditional as you want with
the mashup or apply your culinary creativity.
1 pound boneless chicken breast (cut into
bite-sized pieces)
1/2 cup plain yogurt, save 2 tablespoons
for drizzle
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
14-inch pizza dough
1/2 cup tikka masala sauce (partner with
local Indian restaurant or source from
Indian specialty store)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup paneer, crumbled
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Fresh cilantro leaves
Red chili flakes
In a bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice,
ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, cumin,
coriander, turmeric, chili powder, and salt.
Add the chicken and let marinate for 30
minutes (or overnight in the fridge).
Bake or pan fry the chicken until slightly
charred. Set side.
Stretch dough to desired diameter. Spread
tikki masala sauce over pizza, leaving ¼ inch
around edge. Distribute 1 ½ cups of marinated
chicken through out pizza. Top with
mozzarella and cheddar and red onion. Bake
until done and cheese is golden brown.
Top with cilantro and drizzle of yogurt.
DENISE GREER Is Executive Editor at
Pizza Today.
FEBRUARY 2025 / PIZZATODAY.COM / 51
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - February 2025

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