The dough rests for 24 hours in the cold, which makes it possible to eat pizza at lunchtime without feeling heavy. That’s how they do it in Italy, and that’s how they do it at their place on Calle del Mar. The flour arrives from Parma, the mozzarella and the tomatoes come from southern Italy, and the origin of many ingredients is listed on the menu.
The dough-making process
In Spain, pizza has always been bought as a night out: Friday dinner, weekend dinner. In Italy, it is also a midday meal. Al Pomodoro, the pizzeria opposite the Palacio de los Valeriola, has spent years working to make it that here too. Its argument is the dough: it rests for 24 hours in the cold before going into the oven, just long enough to become thin, light and easy to eat.
«We have a little grandmother in the kitchen every morning,» explains Laura Motolese, one of the partners at VICIOS Food, with a wink. The company has nearly three decades of history and runs five hospitality projects in Valencia. This imaginary grandmother kneads the dough by hand, with no trick other than time, and only then does it go into the oven. With a base like this, the myth that pizza isn’t eaten at lunchtime falls apart: for Al Pomodoro, pizza has no set hour.
A pizza that starts more than 1,000 kilometers away
The dough is made with flour from Molino Grassi di Parma, operating since 1934. But this is not the only ingredient that comes from more than 1,000 kilometers away: the mozzarella, fior di latte and buffalo mozzarella D.O.P., come from Campania, and the tomato comes from the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. Three Italian importers based in Spain make sure that Rummo pasta, Mutti tomatoes, and a selection of cheeses and cured meats such as guanciale, prosciutto cotto and prosciutto crudo di Parma also arrive.
Four pizzas that explain the house
The Ragù e Polpette, one of the Top Sellers, comes with meatballs and ragù sauce, buffalo mozzarella D.O.P., 18-month Parmesan, fresh basil and creamy ricotta. The Etna combines tomato, ciliegino, buffalo mozzarella and a cascade of ham. The Mortadella e Pistacchio plays with IGP Bologna mortadella, fior di latte and salted pistachio cream. And the 3 Pomodori features tomato, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, smoked provola, black olives and shavings of grana padano. The pasta is also 100% homemade. The Ravioli Saporiti is fresh pasta filled with ricotta and spinach, with a four-cheese sauce, sun-dried tomato pesto, a light touch of cream, pecorino cheese and basil. The Gnocchi Quattro Formaggi, baked potato gnocchi, come with a four-cheese sauce with a touch of cream. And the Pappardelle al pesto di pistacchio e guanciale combine homemade pistachio pesto with plenty of crispy guanciale.
The Sicilian cannolo
The rest of the menu follows the same sourcing principles: arancine siciliane with ragù made from Nebrodi black pork, sgabei with truffled cheese cream and black olive tapenade, fried chicken with cilantro sauce, and a caprese with buffalo mozzarella D.O.P. and Carasau bread. To finish, there is tiramisu, with mascarpone and sponge biscuits soaked in amaretto and Italian coffee, and the Sicilian cannolo, a crispy shell filled with sweetened sheep’s milk ricotta, pistachio powder and citrus.
From a Covent Garden bar to Vicios
Behind Al Pomodoro is a story that began more than 30 years ago in London, where the partners, Vincenzo Cancilleri, Paul Doyen, Paola De Vero and Laura Motolese, crossed paths working at Hilton Hotels while training in hotel and restaurant management.
Rather than improvising, they decided to move to Valencia with a very clear vision from the start: to open Bottega dell’Ozio, La Pappardella and Al Pomodoro. Over time, these first restaurants were followed by other gastronomic projects such as La Chipirona Cocina de Mar and Lindala Restobar in El Cabañal.
Almost three decades later, the group maintains an Italian cuisine without tricolor flags or pictures of the Colosseum: «Authentically Italian, not typically Italian,» the partners sum up.
In line with this, Al Pomodoro has just undertaken a renewal of its image, the work of designer Modesto Granados. The packaging changes, but the dough, the oven and the famiglia on the other side of the bar stay the same.
Note: Al Pomodoro is open continuously: Monday to Thursday, 1:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., and Friday to Sunday, 1:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. For those who prefer to stay home, there is delivery through Glovo and Uber Eats. In addition, the restaurant offers a gift card for the full experience and very complete tasting menus for celebrations with friends, family and during the Christmas season.
Report by Will McCarthy
Article copyright 24/7 Valencia
AL POMODORO
C. del Mar, 22, Ciutat Vella, 46003
Para reservas 24h: +34 854 62 09 24
Para reservas teléfonicas de 12.30h a 13.00h: +34 963914800
MORE ABOUT AL POMODORO
Website: www.pizzeriaalpomodoro.com/
Instagram: instagram.com/alpomodoropizzeria
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