Once in a while an idea seems so brilliant that I’m amazed it hasn’t caught on everywhere. Also, this earth-shattering idea wasn’t even mine; it belongs to executive chef Rocco Agostino of Pizzeria Libretto. I would imagine it’s quite uncommon for a chef to write an email that says, “we are looking forward to cooking with hot dogs.” I even ate what Rocco created, because it looked so good, and my body has not digested a hot dog in over 20 years. Then I went back for seconds.
Famous for their perfect Neapolitan pizzas cooked in a blistering hot 900-degree wood-fired oven, Pizzeria Libretto changed the humble pie when it opened its first location on Ossington four years ago. Rocco’s genius idea was inspired by the Italian wurstel pizza. “Wurstel” is Italian for hot dog, and along with french fries, it was going to top a pizza. Imagine chunks of beefy wiener, french fries and cheese on top of a perfect pizza crust. I dubbed it the Hangover Helper. It’s a combination of the things you can get at 3 am and want the following day at noon: fries, hot dogs, pizza.
Two pizzas are made: one with tomato sauce and a bit of basil, and a white pizza without sauce. Along with chef de cuisine Tiffany Wong, we declare the red pizza the winner. The tomato sauce subbing for ketchup with the fries and hot dogs seems to make sense to us.
The hot dog genius doesn’t end there. Upon walking into the kitchen I see a bowl of a mystery mixture labeled with my name and the words “Do Not Touch.” It’s an arancini mixture with sautéed hot dogs, olive oil, risotto, rosemary, onions, white wine and Parmesan. Rocco starts making a fonduta, an Italian-style fondue with smoked provolone and fontina cheese. Once the arancini are breaded and fried, the cheesy sauce is poured over them with truly delicious results. Though he won’t put this exact version on the menu, Rocco says it has inspired him to think about making a variation of risotto balls with sausage or pulled pork. It’s amazing what a humble wiener can inspire.
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