“Garlic sauce” on pizza is a new one on me. That’s what we found last night at Kircher Sepp Pizzeria in the postcard-perfect town of Barbian in Italy’s Süd Tirol region.
This pizzeria, in a town of maybe a thousand residents, has an extensive menu of hand-made pizzas that are cooked in a wood-burning oven and served in either the folksy “tavern” or on the outdoor terrace perched over the verdant Eisack Valley.
Because “garlic sauce” was part of it, we ordered the Kircher Sepp Pizza. The crust was thin and crackle-edged. The toppings were judiciously applied and included grilled eggplant rounds, grilled zucchini, a few local mushrooms, a bit of tomato sauce and cheese, and, in the middle, a giant plop of white stuff that looked like it could be whipped cream. After schmearing it all over the pizza, we bit in, and were pleasantly surprised by how yummy it was.
The sauce, which our server proudly explained was homemade, consists of mayonnaise, a bit of white wine, very finely minced (almost pureed) garlic, and salt and pepper. I guess it’s the Süd Tirol’s answer to aioli.
I’m anxious to try it at home on a pizza with paper-thin prosciutto and onion, or maybe one of crumbled sauteed lamb and red pepper, or maybe a barbecued chicken pizza. Then again, it’s a natural addition to all kinds of sandwiches, too.
Gasthof Kircher Sepp (a small, family-run hotel) is in the middle of paradise. The Süd Tirol (also called Alto Adige) is a region of deep valleys, high mountains, vast green meadows inhabited by cows with bells around their necks, and a mind-boggling network of walking and hiking paths.
Barbian has a breathtaking view of the Dolomite mountains on the other side of the Eisack Valley. From the geranium-festooned balcony of our room we’re enjoying a panorama that includes rolling hills, emerald green meadows, the wide Grödner and Villnöss valleys, castles and church steeples, and, behind it all, the imposing grey stone spires of the Dolomites.
I won’t be writing for a couple days, as we’re heading into the Dolomites tomorrow for a five-day trek. We’ll hike all day and spend the nights at small “refuges” that are famed for good food (schlepped up the mountain on chair lifts) and even better camaraderie.
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