Olio di peperoncino piccante. Or more simply olio piccante (hot oil) is the centuries old Italian chilli oil, which I have always loved and considered it to be a love letter to any pizza (pie).
Eight years ago I became a new dad. Being a parent can be very humbling (insert “they teach you more than you teach them blah blah blah”). My biggest realization was discovering the sad state of my genetic predisposition. And how mine, simply put, just sucked.
Every single child that carries my genetic legacy has severe food allergies to what seems like everything when you’re a new parent. This eventually leads to a household with many food limitations, and in my case, many many boring pizza nights. A pizza with no tomato sauce, no cheese, and definitely no pepperoni.
Enter, my take on the olio di peperoncino piccante.
There are many varieties of Italian hot oil. Crushed fresh chilies with extra virgin olive oil and herbs, or months aged and infused olive oil with dried chillies, coriander and fennel. All of it was amazing to me. That’s when I realized that if I can’t make the pizza I love because of my kid’s food allergies, why not top the pizza with the ingredients I love. And that’s when I made my own version of the olio di peperoncino piccante.
The first time I made it, I burned it. Literally. My oil to chilies ratio was way off and during the frying the oil bubbled over, cascading down the side of the pot and started a fiery waterfall. It was scary. It was messy. I wanted to forget about it. But because I didn’t have the conscientious to throw away great ingredients, I put what was left in a jar and tucked it away in the fridge, trying to put it in the past.
Many weeks later, I found the failed batch hiding in the back of the fridge while rummaging for a late night snack. That’s the moment my life changed. When I opened the jar to throw away the contents, I was shocked and overwhelmed by such a strong aroma, I dug my entire nose into the jar wishing I could crawl in and live in that smell forever. I become the moth; the oil became my flame.
That was the start of my journey, my love affair with Italian hot oil. And today, I would like to bring to your table, my own love letter to your pizza. We call it Pizza Love.
Level up your pizza game.
