san marzano dop "polpa," fior di latte, basil crumb, basil

Margherita, reinvented. Neo Margherita is Chef Daniele’s tribute to the iconic pizza, reworking key ingredients to offer a fresh experience to a centuries-old tradition. The result is san marzano dop “polpa” – a tomato reduction cooked for 24 hours, enhancing its sweetness and acidity – in place of traditional tomato sauce and crunchy basil crumb sprinkled over every bite. The process of harnessing the flavor of basil in this new format is one of Chef Daniele’s most closely guarded secrets. This pie a must-try for Margherita lovers and adventure seekers alike.

“Does Uditi have a signature pizza? Not officially, although I’m guessing that it will end up being the Neo-Margherita, a take on the Neapolitan classic. There is rather a lot of cheese on a Neo-Margherita, a bit of oil, and a layer of San Marzano tomatoes cooked down to a dense slurry. (Uditi imports the San Marzanos himself.) The top of the pizza is dusted with a green flurry of toasted breadcrumbs infused with herbs. When you bite into the pizza — unlike the last Margherita pizza you had, this one is stiff enough to pick up with your hands — there is a crackle, a crunch, and a blast of fresh basil, that licoricey greenness that never quite comes through from a single raw leaf, right before the caramelized tomato acidity kicks in.” - Jonathan Gold, Los Angeles Times

“[Chef Daniele’s] Neo Margherita is as much of a philosophy as it is delicious sustenance: bready, tangy crust; San Marzano tomatoes cooked down to their essence, covered with fior di latte mozzarella and given a one-two punch of herbaceousness and crunch with basil-infused bread crumbs.” - Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times