'Za Report: Reginella

December 2007: "I challenge anyone to find a pizzeria in America that uses french fries as toppings." - Courtney, Pizza Americana...Says Who?

January, 2009: Challenge met by Eater. Guilty party: Reginella, 193 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn Heights.

Turns out the new-ish Italian restaurant is conjuring up all sorts of inventive 'za, with toppings like Penne alla Vodka, and the infamous hot dog/french fry combo. Seems it's only a matter of time until Italy's decidedly decadent Nutella pizza infiltrates New York's pizza circuit. Or has it already?

Related Stories:
In Which I Eat the Hot Dog and French Fry Pizza at Reginella [Slice]
Hot Dog and French Fry Pizza at Reginella [Slice]

This just in...

The girls from Bleeding Espresso and Ms. Adventures in Italy just updated the date for World Nutella Day '09.

It's February 5th!

Check out their new website, www.nutelladay.com for deets on how to particpate.

Panino a Go-Go

It was all systems go on Saturday for my fourth and final 27th birthday brunch. (Yes, I milked it for all it was worth).

After learning that my Nana has had a panini-maker stuffed in her cupboard for several years, I decided I'd put it to good use and make various Italian panini as the centerpiece of my meal.

To select the right ingredients, I remembered back to summer when I practically lived on toasts (Italian version of grilled cheese with prosciutto) and panini. They were always so simple, usually one or two components, so keeping to tradition I chose these three Italian classics: Panino Caprese, Panino Verdura, and Panino con Prosciutto e Brie.

Grilling zucchini and eggplant for the Panino Verdura

Panino Caprese with mozzarella, tomatos and fresh basil

Things got off to an interesting start when I realized that the panini-maker was missing the handle, so the art of pressing down firmly now included the risk of being scorched. Using an oven mitt and a little elbow grease, I dug in while my brother-in-law and mom worked on our side dishes: Creamy pumpkin soup and a fresh beet salad with goat cheese, Sherry vinaigrette and candied walnuts.

Putting my muscles to work

Panino con Prosciutto e Brie

After only about 3-4 minutes on each side, the Ciabatta bread was branded with those panini-perfect grill lines and the cheese we gooey and piping hot. Tutti a tavola per mangiare!

The scheduled dessert (at my request) was to be Nutella pizza, a recipe I first tasted at my host dad Albino Gargiulo's local pizzeria in Sorrento. On Friday, I went shopping for what I thought were all two of the essential ingredients: Nutella and pizza dough (pre-packaged).

Well, Mr. Boboli neglected to mention on his packaging that there's mozzarella cheese and garlic baked into his "Original Italian Pizza Crust." And while they are three of my favorite flavors, a cheesy, chocolaty, garlic-infused pizza would not have gone over well at the table.

So, that's the skinny on the Nutella smeared saltines. They were a definite Plan B effort--a tasty one nonetheless. But that's coming from a Nutella-holic, so perhaps I'm not a valid critic.

Speaking of...mark your calendars because World Nutella Day is coming up in February!