UK Pizza Chef of the Year, Marco Fuso is rolling out his recipes in Surrey. Catherine Whyte cuts herself a slice
Surrey chef Marco Fuso has become known in his home town of Lecce in southern Italy as the man teaching Britain how to cook authentic Neapolitan pizza. Why? Because last November he won the coveted title of UK’s Pizza Chef of the Year at the PAPA Awards – the industry Oscars of Italian food.
To meet him, I have come to the modest surroundings of pizza takeaway Baked & Battered – which has branches in Cobham and, more recently, Weybridge – where he works.
“I still can’t believe it’” says Marco with a genuinely humble shake of the head. His delight in winning the industry’s leading accolade is obvious and I don’t just mean the proud display of trophies on the window sill. It is fair to say winning the title has changed his life from being recognised in the street to an increased demand for places at his London International Pizza School, where he trains would-be chefs.
As our conversation progresses, it’s clear that us Brits still have a lot to learn. There’s more to pizza than just throwing the basic ingredients together, he tells me, tossing me a look that suggests he’s seen more than a few dodgy dough balls in his time.
“If it’s been made properly, you shouldn’t feel bloated,” he explains, adding that he leaves his dough to prove for four days so that all the starch breaks down properly. Yes, you read that right – four days!
I can’t imagine anyone waiting that long for a pizza, so does he have any shortcuts for those of us making margheritas at home? “Only buy flour with a low protein content, between 10%-11.5%,” he advises. “Then, leave the dough to prove for as long as possible – at least two hours if you can.”
It is also important to make sure the oven is spanking hot (my words, not his) – your uncooked pizza shouldn’t sit around. It’s not waiting for a bus.
Marco created several pizza recipes during the PAPA Award competition but won with his Sweet Pig recipe, an unusual mix of pumpkin sauce, pancetta, Jarlsberg cheese, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, parmesan and basil. He cooks me up a vegetarian version to try. I love the flavours but it’s the dough that steals the show. It’s crispy, light and airy. I finish off the entire pizza without pause and don’t feel the slightest bit heavy or bloated for the rest of the evening.
Currently, Marco’s recipes from the recent competition only appear sporadically as specials, although the main menu at Baked & Battered includes plenty of great choices, including Pizza Del Campione, Marco’s award-winning recipe from a past competition that includes bresaola, mozzarella and artichokes on a five-cheese cream glaze, topped with cherry tomatoes, sea salt, oregano and extra virgin olive oil.
In a few weeks – just as this magazine hits the streets – Marco will swap his home in Stoneleigh, where he lives with his wife and two children, for the bright lights of Las Vegas to compete for Pizza Maker of the Year in the International Pizza Challenge, the largest competition of its kind in the US.
I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing him the very best of British – and Italian, naturalmente.
Instagram: @marco_fuso_pizza
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