pizzaiola

[ peet-suh-yoh-luh ]

adjective

1. Italian Cooking. prepared with a tomato sauce containing oregano and often other ingredients, as typically used in making pizza:

   Veal pizzaiola is a much loved Italian winter dish that I grew up eating as a kid.

2. relating to, suitable for, or used in the making of pizza:

   The kitchen features a pizzaiola counter with a carrara marble top.

   This recipe is our take on the classic pizzaiola sauce.

noun

1. a female pizza chef:

   She is now the pizzaiola at one of the city’s most frequented Italian restaurants.

2. Italian Cooking. a seasoned tomato sauce, as used in the making of pizza and pizzaiola dishes:

   Spread the pizzaiola on your base by putting a blob in the middle and then moving the pan quickly back and forth.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pizzaiola¹

First recorded in 1910–15; feminine of pizzaiolo ( def ); adjectival sense from Italian alla pizzaiola “in the manner of a female pizza chef”; à la ( def )

Example Sentences

I learned how to cook from my parents and sometimes I’ll make my signature dish, steak pizzaiola, which is chard and crusted rib-eye smothered in chopped veggies.

From New York Times

“When something has those char marks, you can taste the barbecue aspect,” said Audrey Kelly, 34, a pizzaiola and the owner of Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colo.

From New York Times

And then there’s the food, which is why you’re here: chicken parmigiano, steak pizzaiola, spaghetti alla carbonara, manicotti, red velvet shortcake — one could go on, but why not just start cooking?

From Los Angeles Times

He also makes dishes that are packed with flavor but have far fewer steps, such as steak pizzaiola, which basically involves taking a large piece of beef, like a shoulder cut, and marinating it with peppers, parsley, tomato sauce and some pancetta.

From Wall Street Journal

"The pizzaiola is right," she says.

From BBC