Passione Pizza

(1)

Antonino Esposito’s career as a pizza chef,

and his veritable passion for his work,

began almost by chance in the mid 1980s.

One of his uncles was looking for an

assi-stant and Antonino volunteered, that

expe-rience led to his first jobs in various

pizzerias in the Naples area. Since then

An-tonino has come a long way and today,

be-sides being one of the best-known pizza

chefs in Italy, he is also the owner of a

piz-zeria, called

Ahum, in Sorrento, and works

as a consultant for various companies as

well as organizing courses all over the

Country. Over the years he has participated

in various competitions, both national and

international, winning praise and prizes. He

has also gained years of experience in the

field of communications thanks to his

col-laboration with the satellite TV channel

Alice (Sky) and his column in Alice Cucina

cookery magazine.

-- -- --

-€ 18.00 The basics Pizzas Focaccias Special pizzas

Sweet pizza treats

P

assione Pizza

P

assion for Pizza

Bread & Co.

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

PASSION FOR PIZZA

(6)

Antonino Esposito

PASSIONE PIZZAPASSION FOR PIZZA

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without the written authorization of the Publisher. Gruppo LT Multimedia Via Tiburtina 924 00156 - Rome sitcomeditore@ltmultimedia.tv www.sitcomeditore.tv Author Antonino Esposito Translation Sarah Hay Graphic project Sitcom Editore Layout Monia Roma Photographs

F. Brambilla, M. Ravasini, S. Serrani, N+ Studio, N. Valdisteno, S. Verbert, P. Vertamy

Organizational Secretary

Evelina Bardini

Printing

Castelli Bolis Poligrafiche S.p.A.- Cenate Sotto (BG) ISBN: 978-88-6107-128- 5

On the cover

(7)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

THE BASICS

SOURDOUGH STARTER

CLASSIC NEAPOLITAN PIZZA DOUGH

CLASSIC PIZZA SHAPING METHOD

HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH

SIMPLE PIZZA SHAPING METHOD

PAN PIZZA DOUGH

SHAPING PAN PIZZA

GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA DOUGH

SHAPING GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA

PIZZA DOUGH WITH GRANO ARSO

PIZZA DOUGH BALLS

PIZZAS

FOCACCIAS

SPECIAL PIZZAS

SWEET PIZZA TREATS

BREAD & CO.

ALPHABETICAL INDEX

INDEX OF RECIPES

7

8

13

15

18

22

24

26

28

32

34

38

40

44

49

117

137

173

185

218

220

(8)

(9)

7

Introduzione

Introduction

When the publisher suggested Passion for Pizza as the title for this book (the ori-ginal Italian title is Passione Pizza) I thought that there was no other way to call it because, yes, I really do have a passion for this product and for my work. A pas-sion that I have been cultivating for many years now and that has allowed me to grow as a person and to live the life I live. A passion with many facets. Firstly a magical dough, which comes to life by mixing a few very simple ingredients and is transformed into a product with which you can obtain so many different com-binations. Passion when I see the satisfied smile of those who, after the first bite, realise that they are tasting something that was made with loving care. Passion for the ingredients and for my homeland, because you need that too… you can’t do a job well if you start out with second-rate foundations and, therefore, you have to know the producers, you have to taste, test, try out and then choose. The pizza is one of the symbols par excellence of Neapolitan tradition. For me, making pizza also means being a spokesman for my homeland, this is passion too. Pas-sion for sharing, that is exactly what takes me around the Country, all year long, teaching the tricks of the trade to professional cooks, as well as to enthusiasts, who want to learn. It was this spirit that gave rise to the idea for this book: putting to-gether some of my recipes and all my methods of working, to share them with you, my readers. My wish for all of you is that you manage to find, in your lives, something that gives you as much satisfaction and helps you find fulfilment… whether it be pizza, as in my case, or another activity is not important. As I always say, so much so that it has become my motto, “passion is the food of life”. In the book you will find traditional pizzas, as well as lots of other ways for using the dough: from bread to sweet treats, from the most original and fun ideas right up to an entire menu for organizing an out-and-out pizza party. A brief technical cla-rification: in the book you will find pictures of each individual product, baked in wood-fired ovens, professional ovens, and also in normal household ovens, in order to give a comprehensive outlook of the results that it is possible to obtain. Not everyone can use a professional oven, but this doesn’t mean that they can’t obtain more than satisfactory results. At this point the only thing left for me to say is enjoy your pizza and buon appetito!

∗

The weights and volumes given in the book are in the original metric values, and the oven temperatures are in Celsius. To help you out, on page 205, you will find conversion tables for the various units of measurement.

7

(10)

8

Trucchi del mestiere

Tricks of the trade

To prepare some great pizza it takes a few ingredients, a little basic knowledge and a few tips. What makes the real difference is the choice of top-quality ingredients and it is essential that you know the characteristics and capacity of the oven you will use. That is why, before you even begin, I'll give some useful tips and teach you a few sim-ple tricks of the trade to follow so that, even at home, you can make astonishing pizza.

FORNI OVENS

Kitchen gas ovens, which have a maximum temperature of 250 °C, can be of two dif-ferent kinds: fan-assisted and conventional. If you have a conventional – non fan-as-sisted – oven, bake your pizza in the bottom; if your oven is fan-asfan-as-sisted, bake it in the centre. The only exception to this rule is pan pizza, which in both kinds of oven is best baked in the centre. My tip is that you use a refractory stone in the bottom of the oven, which in this way is able to maintain high temperatures. In electric ovens, fan-assisted and non, pizza must be baked at the top near the heating elements: in this case I once more recommend that you use a refractory stone to keep the tempe-rature high even when the oven is opened. For pan pizza the first phase of baking must be done in the bottom of the oven, then finishing it off at the top, near the hea-ting elements. In both electric and gas ovens it is useful if you add a bowl of hot water before baking: this will give the dough humidity. As far as single-pizza ovens with high-temperature refractory stone are concerned, or other ovens that can bake pizza in 5 minutes, you must put the pizza in already topped and ready to cook.

POMODORO TOMATOES

The best tomatoes to use on pizza are San Marzano peeled tomatoes, or a similar kind. To get the best flavour you need to squash them with your hands and then sea-son them with salt, extra-virgin olive oil and basil.

I recommend that you prepare the tomato topping the day before baking your pizza. In this way the topping will be even tastier, however you need to take care that it is well covered in the fridge in order to avoid contamination of other flavours.

MOZZARELLA

Always buy fresh mozzarella, cut it into slices or julienne strips for round pizza but remember that for pan pizza it’s always best to cut it into julienne strips. It is a good idea to always use fresh mozzarella, not only for its flavour but also in order to make sure that the pizza is never dry.

(11)

(12)

(13)

11

Passione Pizza

Buffalo mozzarella should only be used when the baking time is short (wood fired ovens or ovens at 400 °C) because otherwise the pizza will be too “watery”. In ovens that do not reach high temperatures it should always be added at the last minute.

VERDUREVEGETABLES

Pre-cook the vegetables slightly and then sauté them quickly with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add them on top of the pizza or the tomato before baking, covering them with the mozzarella.

If the oven does not reach over 300 °C add them at the last minute. On the contrary grilled vegetables must be placed on the pizza when you take it out of the oven and when not hot so as to leave the culinary properties unaltered.

SALUMI SALAMI AND OTHER COLD SLICED MEATS

A trick to use in order to avoid that sliced meats dry out and loose their taste: place them under the mozzarella, in this way they maintain their fragrance and quality. Obviously recipes that specifically say to add cold meats when the pizza comes out of the oven are exceptions to this rule.

FARINA FLOUR

A thing you need to know about the W value of flour is that the lower it is, the less time it will take for dough will rise. But first of all you need to understand what the W value is: it is the value that indicates the strength of the flour, that is to say the mi-xing resistance of dough. For bread the best flours to use go from W 180 to W 380, depending on the result you wish to obtain: there are many varieties, from “normal” bread, with a thin crust and plenty of soft centre, to types that are almost all crust and hollow inside. When preparing focaccia it is best to use flour with a W value of 180-120 to make soft dough, while you can choose a value as high as W 260 for crispy dough. For pizza, the choice goes from W 180 (for a brief rising time) to W 350 (for a medium-long rising time, even using the fridge). If you do not know the flour’s W value or it is not mentioned on the label, mix 70% of Italian 00 flour with 30% of strong flour (bread flour or Manitoba) and you can’t go wrong.

ACQUA WATER

During the winter the water you use must be at room temperature. On the contrary, during the summer I recommend that you use very cold water, but remember to dis-solve the yeast in a little water at room temperature and add it directly to the flour. If your tap water is too calcareous (hard) use mineral water.

(14)

(15)

(16)

(17)

La pasta di riporto

Sourdough starter

Sourdough starter, or everlasting yeast, or Mother starter (lievito madre in Italian) is a dough made of flour and water that, mixed together and regularly “fed”, fer-ment naturally. Nowadays it is talked about a lot, but often incorrectly I will tell you how to obtain it simply and without any complications... first however I would like to say a few words about its history.

Until a few decades ago sourdough starter was produced, and kept jealously, by the town bakers who then distributed it amongst the various families. The ingre-dients were only two: water and flour, in equal quantities, left to ferment under the olive trees for 24 to 36 hours. In those days however they did not have mixed flours as we do now, just very weak kinds with very low values of W, the unit of measure that indicates the flour’s strength.

Today we have the possibility of choosing a suitable flour for each kind of pro-duct, following the indications given by the various manufacturers, but the me-thod for preparing sourdough starter has hardly changed. Many bakeries and pizzerias prepare their starter by regenerating and mixing dough used previously with the new dough. In theory this procedure is correct but it is often done in the wrong way because, ever more frequently, in order to save time and improve pro-duction much more yeast than necessary is used, thus prejudicing the quality of our products… even more so if, in the end, we use a dough that is very rich in yeast to create the sourdough starter which will be used in the next dough. How many times have you used a whole cube of fresh yeast (weighing 25g) in less than 1 litre of water? And how many times, after having done so, have you had indigestion? It's not actually the fault of the yeast, but of the quantity used! As with many things it is important not to over do it and follow the principle that “one glass of wine is good for you, but three are not!".

At this point I think I should reveal my sourdough starter recipe, then I’ll leave the conclusions up to you.

15

(18)

Ingredients for 4 people 800 g Italian 00 flour 500 ml of water 20 g of salt 2 g of yeast Preparation

1Proceed with the first dough: in a bowl, dis-solve the yeast in the water and add half of the flour. Mix vigorously, then add the salt and remaining flour and continue mixing until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.

2Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it very delicately. You should obtain an elastic ball of dough with a surface that looks like orange peel, because small air bubbles will have for-med.

3 Cover the dough with a clean cloth and leave it to rise for about 30 minutes. After the ri-sing time knead the dough again for about 10 seconds. Repeat this last step 3 times.

To keep you sourdough starter well remember to al

ways store it in the fridge, take it out around 8 hours

before using it and let it get back to room temperature.

If you do not use it within roughly 10 days you must

“feed” it by adding 1 tablespoon of ﬂour, if possible

strong ﬂour (bread ﬂour or Manitoba), and 1 table

spoon of water, after which put it back in the fridge.

(19)

4 In the meantime remove any remaining dough from the mixing bowl, without washing it. When your dough has risen 3 times, transfer it back into the mixing bowl and cover it with cling film. Leave it to rise for about 30 minutes at room temperature, and then put it in the fridge for 24 hours.

5 Remove the dough from the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 1 hour. Divide it into 5 little balls of dough and leave them to rise again until they have doubled in size. Use 4 of the dough balls to make pizzas or in any way you prefer.

6 Knead the remaining ball once more, rolling it with your hands. This will be the base of your sourdough starter. Put it in a hermetically sealed glass jar. Before using it leave the sourdough starter for at least 8 hours at room temperature. If you don’t want to use it straight away keep it in the fridge.

Remove the sourdough starter from the jar in which

you keep it by using a wooden spoon, taking care to

leave some remains of the old dough in the bottom of

the jar. This jar must never be washed, because it is

the left over starter that gives the sour note that is

required.

17

(20)

Impasto classico napoletano

Classic Neapolitan pizza dough

Ingredients for 10 pizzas

1 l of water 1.7 kg of flour (W 260/310) 50-70 g of sourdough starter 50 g of salt 3-5 g of brewer’s yeast Preparation

1 In a bowl, dissolve the yeast (photo A) and then dissolve the sourdough star-ter in the wastar-ter (photo B).

2 Add ¼ of the flour (photo C), mix and add in the salt, mixing the dough very vi-gorously for a few seconds (photo D). Add the remaining flour, a little at a time, and continue mixing the dough until it comes away from the sides of the bowl (photo E).

(21)

19 Passione Pizza

A

C

B

D

(22)

3 Transfer the dough onto the work surface and knead it delicately (photo F) folding it over (photo G). Shape it into large ball (photo H), cover with the bowl and leave it to rest for 15 minutes. Knead for 10 seconds and then repeat this step three more times.

4 Divide the dough into ten parts, form ten balls, place them at least 2 cm apart in a pizza dough box, cover and leave to rise in a cool place for 5-7 hours. If half way through rising the dough is hot, put it in the fridge and take it out 1 hour before you want to use it.

(23)

E

G

F

H

(24)

Stesura classica

Classic pizza shaping method

Preparation

1Take a ball of pizza dough and start working it with your fingertips, giving it a circu-lar shape (photo A). Continue to enlarge it working with your fingertips and turning your pizza round to give it an even shape (photo B).

2 When you have got the dough to a thickness of about 1 cm start stretching it, hol-ding one side still with one hand and pulling the opposite side outwards (photo

C). After this pass the dough onto the other hand with a determined movement

(photo D).

3 Repeat this operation (photos E and F) several times until you get the desired thickness. Remember that the movements of your hand must be determined but delicate at the same time, so as not to make holes in the dough.

Shaping pizza dough like a professional pizza chef is not

easy, the movements must be vigorous and delicate at the

same time… there’s only one way to obtain satisfactory

results: try and try again, without loosing heart! In the me

antime for those of you who would like a method that

guarantees success, follow the instructions for a simple

pizza shaping method on page 26.

(25)

A

C

E

B

D

F

(26)

Impasto casalingo

Homemade pizza dough

1 l of water 1.7 kg of flour (W 290/320) 50-70 g of sourdough starter 50 g of salt 3-5 g of brewer’s yeast 10 g of sugar lard

1 teaspoon of beaten egg

Preparation

1 Pour the water into a bowl (photo A) and stir in the yeast, dissolve the sour-dough starter in the water, add the sugar and mix.

2 Add ¼ of the flour (photo B), mix again and add the salt. Mix the dough vi-gorously for a few seconds (photo C), then add another ¼ of the flour, the lard (photo D) and the beaten egg (photos E and F). Finally add the remaining flour, a little at a time, and continue mixing the dough until it comes away from the sides of the bowl.

3 Transfer the dough onto the work surface and knead it again delicately fol-ding it over. Shape it into a large ball, cover with the bowl and leave it to rest for 15 minutes. Knead for 10 seconds and then repeat this step three more times.

4 Divide the dough into ten parts, form ten balls, place them at least 2 cm apart in a pizza dough box, cover and leave to rise in a cool place for 5-7 hours. If half way through rising the dough is hot, put it in the fridge and take it out 1 hour before you want to use it.

(27)

C

E

D

F

A B

(28)

Stesura casalinga

Simple pizza shaping method

Preparation

1 Take a ball of pizza dough and start working it with your fingertips, giving it a circular shape.

2 Take a stainless-steel bowl and place it upside down on a lightly floured work surface. Place the dough on top of the bowl (photo B).

3 Put your hands on the dough and start stretching it from the centre of the bowl outwards (photo C). Repeat the operation (photo D) turning the bowl round and stretching the dough out until you obtain the desired thickness.

4 Transfer the dough onto the work surface and proceed with the topping.

(29)

A

C

B

D

(30)

Impasto in teglia

Pan pizza dough

1 l of water 1.7 kg of flour (W 240/300) 50-70 g of sourdough starter 40 g of salt 3-5 g of brewer’s yeast 10 g of sugar 1 boiled potato Preparation

1 In a bowl, dissolve the yeast and the sourdough starter in the water, add the sugar and mix. Add ¼ of the flour mix again and add the salt (photo A). Mix vigorously for a few seconds. Add another ¼ of the flour, and then the potato (photos B and C). Finally add the remaining flour, a little at a time, and con-tinue mixing the dough until it comes away from the sides of the bowl.

2 Transfer the dough onto the work surface and knead it again delicately folding it over. Shape it into a large ball (photo D), cover with the bowl and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Knead for 10 seconds and then repeat this step three more times.

If you prefer you can replace the potato with 1 tablespoon

of lard or 1 of extravirgin olive oil. Bear in mind that the

potato and the lard will make the dough softer, while on

the other hand the oil will make it crispier.

(31)

A

C

B

D

(32)

3 Place the dough in the bowl, cover with cling film and put it in the fridge for a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 24 hours. Remove the dough from the fridge and leave it for 30 minutes at room temperature.

4 Make little balls of dough according to the size of the pan, place them at least 2 cm apart in a pizza dough box and close with the lid. About half way through rising time take a ball of dough and stretch it out in the pan, leaving it to rise until it doubles in size.

If you want to use the dough the same day, you can use

this method: after the dough has risen for 2 hours in a

cool place, make dough balls according to the size of

the pan; stretch them out in the pan when half the ri

sing time has passed; then top the pizza as you wish

when the dough has doubled in size.

(33)

(34)

Stesura in teglia

Shaping pan pizza

Preparation

1 Take a ball of pizza dough and start working it with your fingertips into an elongated shape approximately 1 cm thick (photo A).

2 Still using your fingertips, turn the dough over several times on the work sur-face (photo B) trying to rotate it in the air (photo C).

3 Place the dough in the pan, stretching it out from one side to the other (photo

D).

(35)

33

Passione Pizza

C D

A B

(36)

Impasto senza glutine

Gluten-free pizza dough

1 l of water 1.9 kg of gluten-free flour 60 g of salt 5-7 g of yeast 10 g of sugar 1 boiled potato

1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

You will also need…

Cling film

Preparation

1 In a bowl stir the yeast into the water, dissolve the sugar and mix. Add half of the flour (photo A), mix very vigorously (photo B) and then add the salt.

2 Mix very vigorously for a few seconds, then add the potato and the oil (photo

C). Add the remaining flour and keep mixing while continuously turning the

bowl round.

3 Leave the dough in the bowl, cover it with cling film and put it in the fridge for about 2 hours.

(37)

A

C

B

D

(38)

4 Transfer the dough onto the work surface (photo D) and work it quickly, hel-ping yourself with a spatula so it doesn’t stick (photo E).

5 Pour a little oil onto your hands (photo F) and pull off small pieces of dough, shape them into small balls (photo G) then wrap them in cling film (photo H).

If you want to use the dough within 48 hours you can

keep the balls of dough in the fridge on greaseproof

paper, taking them out when you want to use them.

Otherwise you can put them in the freezer and use

them after letting them thaw out in the fridge.

(39)

E

G

F

H

(40)

Stesura senza glutine

Shaping gluten-free pizza

Preparation

1 Take a ball of pizza dough (photo A) and lightly flour a square sheet of grea-seproof paper. Start working the dough delicately with your fingertips giving it a circular shape (photo B).

2 As the dough gradually takes the shape you want continue working it, pres-sing it with your fingers (photo C) and turning the sheet of greaseproof paper round in order to create an even shape.

3 Take care to always stretch the dough from the centre outwards, so that a grea-ter quantity remains around the outside to form the edge of the crust, or corni-cione as it’s called in Italy (photo D). Top and bake your pizza directly on the sheet of greaseproof paper.

Glutenfree ﬂour has less bonding strength than

traditional ﬂours, so remember not to work it

too much and try to lift the stretchedout dough

as little as possible in order to avoid making holes

or tearing it.

(41)

A

C

B

D

(42)

Impasto con grano arso

Pizza dough with grano arso

1 l of water 700 g of grano arso flour 100 g re-milled durum wheat semolina

600 g of flour 50 g of salt 3-5 g of brewer’s yeast 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

1 Prepare the 3 kinds of flour (photo A). In a bowl, stir the yeast into the water and dissolve it. Pour the traditional flour into the bowl and mix it in vigorou-sly. Then add the grano arso flour (photo B) continuing to mix vigorously (photo C) and, finally the re-milled semolina (photo D) and the salt.

2 Continue mixing the ingredients very vigorously for a few seconds (photo E) and add the oil, keep kneading the dough in the bowl until you see air bubbles forming inside it (photo F).

3 Transfer the dough onto the work surface and knead it again delicately folding it over. Shape it into a large ball (photo G), cover with the bowl and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Knead for 10 seconds and then repeat this step 3 more times.

Flour of grano arso, which means burnt grain, was origi

nally made from the grains of wheat that were burnt when

the stubble left in the ﬁelds at the end of the harvest was

set on fire. Nowadays grano arso flour indicates a flour

made from wheat that is toasted, because burning the

grains of wheat could produce carcinogenic substances.

(43)

A

C

B

(44)

4 Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with cling film and put it in the fridge for a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 24 hours.

5 Make little balls of dough according to the size of the pan, place them at least 2 cm apart in a pizza dough box and close with the lid. About half way through rising time take a ball of dough and stretch it out in the pan, leaving it to rise until it has doubled in size.

If you want to use the dough the same day leave it to

rise in a cool place for a couple of hours in a bowl, then

make balls of dough according to the size of your pan,

half way through the rising time stretch the dough out

in the pan and when it has doubled in size top it as you

wish.

(45)

E F

(46)

When you have finished making you dough the work is not yet over; before mo-ving on to shape your pizza you need to divide the dough into small balls which will then become the base of each individual pizza and must be left to rise until they double in size. Each ball of dough will weigh around 250-300 g and will be the right quantity for one pizza or focaccia.

It only takes a few steps to make them like a real maestro, but the movements must be determined so as to handle the dough as little as possible.

Preparation

1 Work the dough into a roll (photo A) and break a piece off by closing your thumb and index finger around the dough near to one of the ends (photo B), ba-sically as if you wanted to squeeze the dough.

2 Rotate the ball with the palms of your hands to give it a circular shape. Keep one hand still and with the other one slide quickly and press downwards in order to give the ball its shape (photos C, D and E). Repeat the operation a cou-ple of times so as to obtain perfect dough balls (photo F).

3 As with any manual procedure, you can’t expect to get incredible results the first time round, but with a bit of practice you will find that this technique is easy to follow.

I pesetti

Pizza dough balls

(47)

A

C

E

B

D

F

(48)

(49)

(50)

(51)

(52)

(53)

Margherita in teglia

Pan-cooked pizza Margherita

Ingredients for 1 large baking pan

800 g of pizza dough 150 g of mozzarella 180 g of peeled tomatoes grated Parmesan cheese basil

extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1Stretch out the ball of pizza dough in a pan, leave it to rise for about 30 minutes and add the tomato topping, spreading it to the edges.

2 Put the pizza in a preheated oven at 250 °C and let it bake until it starts to brown; then take it out and add the mozzarella, in thin slices, all over the surface.

3Put it back in the oven to let the mozzarella melt; after which take it out again, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, add a drizzle of oil and some fresh basil.

51

Passione Pizza

If you use a woodﬁred oven prepare everything and

bake the pizza, covered with aluminium foil, in a corner

at the entrance to the oven, away from the ﬂames.

(54)

Pizza capricciosa

Pizza with ham, aubergine and zucchini

Ingredients for 1 pizza

250 g of pizza dough 60 g of peeled tomatoes 40 g of mozzarella 10 g of cooked ham 20 g of aubergine 20 g of zucchini Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk leaving a 1 cm edge and add the tomato topping.

2Put the pizza in a preheated oven. In ovens that do not reach temperatures above 200-300 °C bake until the edge begins to brown, after which add the cooked ham, the aubergine and the zucchini.

3 Last of all add the mozzarella, put the pizza back in the oven and finish baking.

For all other kinds of ovens that reach temperatures

above 350 °C or for woodﬁred ovens, prepare every

thing and bake.

(55)

(56)

(57)

Pizza al ragù napoletano

Pizza with neapolitan ragù

250 g of pizza dough 80 g of Neapolitan ragù (a traditional meat sauce from Naples)

40 g of provola cheese 20 g of fresh sausage basil

Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk lea-ving a 1 cm edge, then add the Neapolitan ragù and the sausage.

2Put the pizza in a preheated oven. In ovens that do not reach temperatures 200-300 °C, bake the pizza until it begins to brown, then add the provola and put back in the oven until it melts.

3 When you take the pizza out of the oven, top with extra-virgin olive oil and fresh basil and serve.

55

Passione Pizza

For all other kinds of ovens that reach temperatures

above 350° or for woodﬁred ovens, prepare everything

and bake.

(58)

Pizza con carpaccio di bresaola

Pizza with bresaola carpaccio

250 g of pizza dough 60 g of mozzarella 8 slices of bresaola

extra-virgin olive oil 1 sprig of basil

Preparation

1Shape the pizza dough into a disc, taking care to leave an edge roughly 1 cm thick. Cut the mozzarella into small cubes and scatter it over the dough. Bake the pizza for about 5 minutes in a preheated oven, at maximum temperature, placing a bowl of hot water in the oven.

2 When baked take the pizza out of the oven and brush the raised crust edge with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Add the slices of bresaola on top, drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, decorate with a few leaves of basil and serve.

(59)

(60)

(61)

Ingredients for 1 pizza 250 g of pizza dough 50 g of provola cheese 1 zucchini ½ a bell pepper ½ an aubergine 2-3 cherry tomatoes 1 sprig of basil extra-virgin olive oil salt

Preparation

1Wash the vegetables under running water. Cut the ends of the aubergine and zucchini and dice them. Remove the seeds and internal white ribs from the pepper and cut it into large strips. Heat a little oil in a frying-pan, add the vegetables and cook them for 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper as required and put to one side.

2 Shape the pizza dough into a disk, taking care to leave an edge roughly 1 cm thick. Cut the provola into small cubes and scatter it over the dough. Bake the pizza for about 5 minutes in a preheated oven, at maximum temperature, placing a bowl of hot water in the oven.

3 Take the pizza out of the oven and place the cooked vegetables and the sliced cherry to-matoes on it. Add a few leaves of basil and serve.

59

Passione Pizza

Pizza bianca con le verdure

(62)

Pizza rucola e pomodorini

Pizza with rocket and cherry tomatoes

250 g of pizza dough 50 g of mozzarella 40 g of cherry tomatoes

1 sprig of rocket

grated Parmesan cheese extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1Shape the pizza dough into a disk, taking care to leave the edge roughly 1 cm thick. Cut the mozzarella into small cubes and scatter it over the dough. Bake the pizza for about 5 minutes in a preheated oven, at maximum temperature, placing a bowl of hot water in the oven.

2Remove from the oven and add the tomatoes, previously washed and cut into quar-ters. Put the pizza back in the oven and bake for 1 more minute. Meanwhile wash and dry the rocket. Take it out of the oven, add the rocket and top. Top with a driz-zle of oil and the grated Parmesan.

(63)

(64)

(65)

Pizza salsiccia, funghi e

lardo di Colonnata

Pizza with sausage, mushrooms and lardo di Colonnata

250 g of pizza dough 07 g of mozzarella cut into small cubes

20 g of sausage 2 mushrooms lardo di Colonnata extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk, lea-ving a 1 cm edge, add the mozzarella and the sausage and mushrooms cut into pieces.

2Put the pizza into a preheated oven, at maxi-mum temperature. Take care to also place a bowl with some hot water in the oven, in order to maintain humidity. Bake for about 5 minutes.

3Take the pizza out of the oven and top with very thin slices of lardo di Collonata. Serve.

63

Passione Pizza

Lardo di Colonnata is a cured lard, with Protected Geo

graphical Indication status, which gets its name from

the small Tuscan town from where it originates. It is

made from pork fatback that is left to mature in vats –

made of Carrara marble – with spices such as pepper,

cinnamon, cloves, coriander, sage and rosemary. The

vats, which are rubbed with garlic, have a particular

temperature and humidity and therefore the ﬁnished

product has unique characteristics. They are ﬁlled then

closed, controlled periodically and reopened after 610

months, when the curing process is complete.

(66)

Pizza al pesto

Pizza with pesto

250 g of pizza dough 60 g of provola cheese 3 cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons of pesto extra-virgin olive oil basil

Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk and spread the pesto over the sur-face.

2Add the provola and the cherry tomatoes and put into a preheated oven. Bake the pizza until the edge turns golden brown.

3When you take it out of the oven and add a drizzle of oil and a few leaves of basil. Serve nice and hot.

(67)

(68)

(69)

Pizza Massimo Troisi

Pizza with ham, provola and zucchini flowers

250 g of pizza dough 5 zucchini flowers 60 g of provola cheese 4 slices of cured ham flakes of Parmesan cheese extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk, then add the zucchini flowers, a little oil, the provola and a handful of Parmesan fla-kes.

2 Put the pizza in a preheated oven. In ovens that do not reach temperatures above 200-300 °C bake the pizza until it browns and the provola has melted.

3When you take the pizza out of the oven add the slices of cured ham and the Parmesan fla-kes.

67

Passione Pizza

Massimo Troisi was an Italian actor, director and scre

enwriter, remembered above all as a representative of

new Neapolitan comedy from the Seventies on. In Italy

he is still very popular, in spite of his premature death

at the age of 41, and he is a symbol of Neapolitan co

medy.

(70)

Pizza margherita

con mozzarella di bufala

Pizza Margherita with buffalo mozzarella

250 g of pizza dough

300 g of San Marzano tomatoes 200 g of buffalo mozzarella

extra-virgin olive oil salt

flour

Preparation

1Turn the oven on and preheat to maximum temperature. Tip the tomatoes into a bowl and squash them with a fork.

2Work the pizza dough on a lightly floured pastry board and shape it into a disk ap-proximately ½ cm thick, taking care to leave the edge about 1 cm thick. Add the squashed tomatoes in the centre and spread them over the dough, then add a driz-zle of extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.

3Put the pizza in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, scat-ter the buffalo mozzarella (previously cut into slices and drained) over the pizza and bake for another 5 minutes.

(71)

(72)

(73)

Crocco pizza

Crunchy potato pizza

250 g of pizza dough 60 g of mozzarella 5 mini potato croquettes 25 g of potato, cut into thin round slices

peanut oil, for frying

Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk lea-ving a 1 cm edge and top with the mozza-rella.

2 Put the pizza in a preheated oven. In ovens that do not reach temperatures above 200-300 °C bake the pizza until the edge turns golden brown and the mozzarella has melted.

3 In the meanwhile fry the croquettes and slices of potato in hot oil. When they are cooked dry them on a sheet of absorbent kitchen paper. When you take the pizza out of the oven top it with the fried potatoes and the croquettes.

71

(74)

Pizza quattro stagioni

Four seasons pizza

250 g of pizza dough 40 g of mozzarella 50 g of peeled tomatoes ½ an aubergine, cut into small pieces and fried

10 g of mushrooms

10 g of artichoke hearts, in oil 4 cherry tomatoes, cut into segments 1 clove of garlic

basil

Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk leaving a 1 cm edge, then spread the to-mato topping all over the surface.

2Add the other ingredients as follows: ¼ cubes of mozzarella and mushroom; ¼ cubes of mozzarella and aubergine; ¼ cubes of mozzarella and artichokes hearts; on the remaining ¼ of the pizza just add the cherry tomatoes, garlic, oregano and basil.

3Put the pizza into a preheated oven and, in ovens that do not reach temperatures above 200-300 °C, bake it until the edge browns. When you take it out of the oven top with oil and basil.

For all other kinds of ovens that reach temperatures

above 350 °C or for woodﬁred ovens, prepare every

thing and bake.

(75)

(76)

(77)

Pizza nera

Black pizza

250 g of pizza dough with grano arso

60 g of peeled tomatoes 5 cherry tomatoes, cut into segments

10 black olives oregano

extra-virgin olive oil 6 anchovies

capers

pecorino cheese

Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk lea-ving a 1 cm edge, then add the tomato topping, cherry tomato segments, capers, olives and an-chovies.

2 Put the pizza in a preheated oven. In ovens that do not reach temperatures above 200-300 °C bake the pizza until it browns, taking care be-cause the dough is a dark colour. When you remove the pizza from the oven add flakes of pecorino, a drizzle of oil and a sprinkling of oregano.

75

(78)

Pizza provola, salsiccia e

patate novelle

Pizza with provola, sausage and new potatoes

07 g of Italian provola cheese, cut into small cubes

50 g of sausage 5-6 new potatoes

8-10 mini cheeses extra-virgin olive oil a few leaves of basil flour

salt

Preparation

1Turn the oven on and preheat to maximum temperature. Work the pizza dough on a lightly floured pastry board and shape it into a disk approximately ½ cm thick, taking care to leave the edge about 1 cm thick. Skin the sausage and break it up. Cut the new potatoes in half, peel them and brown them in the oven for a few mi-nutes with 2-3 tablespoons of oil.

2Scatter the cubes of provola over the pizza, then the sausage and lastly the new po-tatoes. Put the pizza in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Take it out of the oven, add a pinch of salt and a few leaves of basil, decorate with the mini cheeses and serve.

(79)

(80)

(81)

Pizza con cornicione imbottito

Stuffed crust pizza

250 g of pizza dough 40 g of mozzarella 20 g of cherry tomatoes extra-virgin olive oil 1 sprig of basil

for the stuffing

100 g of ricotta 1 zucchini

grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1Shape the pizza dough into a disk, without leaving a thicker edge. Wash the zucchini, cut of the ends and grate it finely. Put the ricotta, the grated zucchini and 2-3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan in a bowl. Mix them toge-ther well.

2 Put the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe a circle of stuffing around the edge of the dough. Fold it over inwards, taking care to seal the edges well. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into segments, then cut the mozzarella into small cubes and scatter both over the pizza.

3 Bake the pizza for 5-6 minutes in a preheated oven, at maximum temperature, placing a bowl of hot water in the oven. When the pizza is cooked remove it from the oven and top with a drizzle of oil; brush the oil around the stuffed crust edge, decorate with a few leaves of basil and serve.

79

(82)

Pizza al pomodoro all'insalata

Pizza with salad tomatoes

250 g of pizza dough 1 salad tomato 3-4 cherry tomatoes 60 g of mozzarella 1 sprig of basil oregano

Preparation

2In the meanwhile wash the tomatoes under running water. Cut the salad toma-toes into slices and the cherry tomatoma-toes into segments. Season with a drizzle of oil, a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of oregano.

3Take the pizza out of the oven, top with the slices of tomato, decorate with lea-ves of basil torn up by hand, and serve.

(83)

(84)

(85)

Pizza con il fritto

Pizza with fried prawns and zucchini

250 g of pizza dough 50 g of mozzarella 30 g of zucchini 20 g of fresh shelled prawns 3-4 cherry tomatoes flour (for the batter) peanut oil, for frying

83

Passione Pizza

Preparation

2 In the meanwhile mix a little flour and water, prepare a quick batter and leave it to rest for a few minutes. Wash the zucchini, cut their ends off and cut them into small “sticks”. Heat plenty of oil in a pan, dip the zucchini and prawns in the batter and fry them. When they are nicely browned, drain them on absorbent kitchen paper and put them to one side.

3 When the pizza has finished baking take it out of the oven and top it with the fried prawns and zucchini. Decorate with the cherry toma-toes, previously washed and cut into segments. Serve.

(86)

Pizza asparagi, radicchio

e parmigiano

Pizza with asparagus, radicchio and Parmesan

250 g of pizza dough 40 g of mozzarella 4 asparagus

radicchio

flakes of Parmesan cheese extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk, leaving a 1 cm edge, and add the mozzarella. Blanch the asparagus and then sauté them with a knob of but-ter.

2 Put the pizza in a preheated oven. In ovens that do not reach temperatures above 200-300 °C bake until the edge begins to brown, after which add the asparagus, prepared previously, put the pizza back in the oven and bake for approximately 1 minute.

3 When you take the pizza out of the oven add the radicchio, cut into julienne strips and seasoned with oil, and top with flakes of Parmesan.

For all other ovens that reach temperatures above 350

°C or for woodﬁred ovens, add the asparagus, precoo

ked as above, and the mozzarella before baking. Then

when you take the pizza out of the oven complete it

with the radicchio, seasoned with extravirgin olive oil,

and ﬂakes of Parmesan.

(87)

(88)

(89)

250 g of pizza dough 60 g of provola cheese 4 slices of lemon 4 slices of orange wild fennel seeds extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk and scatter the provola over the surface.

2 Put the pizza in a preheated oven. In ovens that don’t reach temperatures above 200-300 °C bake the pizza until it turns golden brown.

3 When you take the pizza out of the oven place the slices of orange and lemon on it, sprinkle the wild fennel seeds on the slices of lemon only, and top with a drizzle of oil.

87

Passione Pizza

Pizza Sorrento

Pizza with orange and lemon

For all other ovens that reach temperatures above 200

300 °C or for woodﬁred ovens, bake the pizza already

with the orange and lemon and the provola on top,

then when you take it out of the oven sprinkle the wild

fennel seeds on the slices of lemon.

(90)

Pizza in teglia ai funghi

Pan-cooked pizza with mushrooms

6 slices of fresh stretched-curd cheese 4-5 porcini mushrooms 5-6 peeled chestnuts 60 g of peeled tomatoes 50 g of mozzarella 50 g of mixed mushrooms smoked sheep’s ricotta, in flakes 1 clove of garlic

parsley, chopped

extra-virgin olive oil, salt

Preparation

1 Clean the porcini mushrooms carefully, cut them into thick slices and sauté them with a little oil and the clove of garlic. Add salt and pepper as required and put to one side. Stretch the pizza dough out in a pan and leave it to rise until it doubles in vo-lume. Scatter the slices of fresh cheese and the porcini mushrooms over half the pizza.

2 Heat a little oil in a frying-pan, add the mixed mushrooms and cook for a few mi-nutes. Add salt as required, season with the chopped parsley and turn off the heat. On the other half of the pizza add the tomato topping, cubes of mozzarella and mixed mushrooms.

3 Bake the pizza for about 5 minutes in a preheated oven, at maximum temperature, placing a bowl of hot water in the oven. When cooked remove the pizza from the oven, then sprinkle the sliced chestnuts on the half with the porcini, and the shee-p’s ricotta on the other half. Serve.

(91)

(92)

(93)

Pizza salsiccia, tartufo e porcini

Pizza with sausage, truffle and porcini mushrooms

250 g of pizza dough 40 g of mozzarella 3 porcini mushrooms 20 g of sausage truffle oil Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk, lea-ving a 1 cm edge, and top it with the mozza-rella.

2Put the pizza in a preheated oven. In ovens that do not reach temperatures above 200-300 °C bake the pizza until the edge begins to brown, then add the mushrooms and sausage, both previously sautéed. Put the pizza back in the oven and bake for roughly 1 minute.

3 When you take the pizza out of the oven, top it with a drizzle of truffle oil.

91

Passione Pizza

For all other kinds of ovens that reach temperatures

above 350 °C or for woodﬁred ovens, prepare every

thing and bake.

(94)

Pizza all’amatriciana

Pizza Amatriciana

250 g of pizza dough 40 g of provola cheese

5 cherry tomatoes, cut into segments 20 g of flat pancetta

extra-virgin olive oil fresh basil

salt

Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk, leaving a 1 cm edge. Top with the pro-vola cut into small cubes and bake the pizza in a preheated oven, at maximum temperature, for about 5 minutes.

2Remove from the oven and add the cherry tomatoes, cut into segments and sea-soned with oil and salt, a few leaves of basil and the pancetta sliced very thin. Serve nice and hot.

For all other kinds of ovens that reach temperatures

above 350 °C or for woodﬁred ovens, prepare every

thing and bake.

(95)

(96)

(97)

Pizza marinara

Pizza with tomato and garlic

Ingredients for 4 people

400 g of pizza dough 300g of San Marzano tomatoes 1 clove of garlic 1 tablespoon of oregano flour

Preparation

1 Knead the dough briefly on a floured pastry board. Stretch it out with your hands and transfer it into a rectangular pan, lightly greased with oil. Stretch the out once more with your hands (in the end you should ob-tain a thickness of about 1/2 cm) and rein-force the edges.

2 Blanch the San Marzano tomatoes for a cou-ple of minutes. Then drain them, peel them, squeeze them, eliminate the seeds and water and squash them with a fork. Peel the garlic and cut it into thin slices.

3 Place the squashed tomatoes in the centre of the dough and spread them over the surface. Add the slices of garlic to the pizza, sprinkle with oregano, add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.

4 Heat you oven to maximum temperature, then put the pizza in and bake it for 15-20 minutes, or until the edge turns golden brown. When the pizza is ready, remove it from the oven, add a drizzle of oil and serve.

95

Passione Pizza

If you want to transport your pizza, when you take it

out of the oven leave it to cool, then cut it into slices,

wrap each one in a sheet of greaseproof paper and

store in a suitable container.

(98)

(99)

Pizza d inverno

Winter pizza

250 g of pizza dough 150 g of cream of beef 50 g of mozzarella 2 tablespoons of porcini mushrooms 1 sausage

Preparation

1 Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk, lea-ving an edge of roughly 1 cm. Add the cream of beef, mushrooms, mozzarella and sausage, in pieces.

2 Bake in a preheated oven, at maximum tem-perature, for about 5 minutes. Top with a driz-zle of oil and serve.

97

Passione Pizza

’

The cream of beef required for this recipe is delicious

and very easy to make: all you need to do is prepare

some tasty beef broth and liquidize all the ingredients,

including the meat, in a blender. After which put the

saucepan back on the heat and let it reduce until you

obtain the desired consistency.

(100)

Pizza per due

Pizza for two

250 g of pizza dough 40 g of Gorgonzola 20 g of mozzarella

2 slices of speck balsamic vinegar extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk and scatter the gorgonzola and moz-zarella all over the surface.

2Put the pizza in a preheated oven and bake until the edge turns golden brown.

3When you remove it from the oven top half of the pizza with the slices of speck, the other half with the balsamic vinegar, and drizzle a little oil over the whole thing.

(101)

(102)

(103)

Pizza con salame di cervo e di

cinghiale, rucola e radicchio

Pizza with venison and wild-boar salami,

rocket and radicchio

250 g of pizza dough 100 g of buffalo mozzarella 1 sprig of rocket

2 leaves of radicchio 30 g of wild boar salami 30 g of venison salami extra-virgin olive oil salt

flour

Preparation

1Turn the oven on and preheat to maximum temperature. Cut the buffalo mozzarella into small cubes; put the cubes in a colan-der and leave to drain for a few minutes. In the meanwhile, cut the wild boar salami and the venison salami into slices, but not too thin.

2 Work the pizza dough on a lightly floured pa-stry board and shape it into a disk approxima-tely ½ cm thick, taking care to leave the edge about 1 cm thick. Scatter the mozzarella over the pizza, put in the oven and bake at maxi-mum temperature for 5 minutes.

3 Remove the pizza from the oven, top with the rocket and radicchio in small pieces, a pinch of salt and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Complete it with the two kinds of salami and serve.

101

(104)

Pizza salsiccia e broccoli

Pizza with sausage and broccoli

250 g of pizza dough 60 g of mozzarella 60 g of broccoli, boiled 50 g of sausage flour

extra-virgin olive oil grated Parmesan cheese salt

Preparation

1Turn the oven on and preheat to maximum temperature. Work the pizza dough on a lightly floured pastry board and shape it into a disk approximately ½ cm thick, taking care to leave the edge about 1 cm thick.

2Top the pizza with the mozzarella, previously sliced and left for a few minutes to dry, and the sausage, peeled and cut into pieces. Bake the pizza for 15-20 mi-nutes; 5 minutes before the end, add the broccoli and then finish baking.

3Take the pizza out of the oven, add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, a sprinkling of Parmesan as desired and serve.

For all other kinds of ovens that reach temperatures

above 350 °C or for woodﬁred ovens, prepare every

thing and bake.

(105)

(106)

(107)

Pizza biologica

Organic pizza

Ingredients for 1 pizza for the dough

100 ml of water

170 g of organic spelt flour salt

20 g of organic spinach, boiled, squeezed and chop-ped

18 g of salt 1/2 g of yeast extra-virgin olive oil

for the topping

60 g of organic buffalo mozzarella from Campania, cut into slices

40 g baby spinach

4 organic cherry tomatoes Parmesan

5-6 walnuts

Preparation

1Put the water into a large bowl and dissolve the yeast in it. Add part of the spelt flour, sprinkling it in slowly, and a pinch of salt and mix vigorously. Add the spinach and a little oil and mix again. Pour in the remai-ning flour and continue mixing until you ob-tain a uniform compact dough. Divide it into four parts, shape them into balls and leave them to rise in a closed container for at least 5-6 hours.

2 Turn the oven on and preheat to maximum temperature. Cut the cherry tomatoes into pie-ces and put them in a bowl. Add the spinach leaves for the topping, season with extra-vir-gin olive oil and a pinch of salt and mix deli-cately.

3 Shape the balls of pizza dough into disks with a thickness of approximately ½ cm, taking care to leave an edge 1 cm thick. Place the mozzarella on the dough and bake the pizzas, one or two at a time, for 5 minutes.

4When you take the pizzas out of the oven, top with the tomato and spinach salad. Complete them with a sprinkling of Parmesan, in flakes, and with the walnut kernels, then serve.

105

(108)

Pizza ’nduja e cipolla di Tropea

Pizza with ’nduja and red Tropea onion

50 g of smoked provola cheese 40 g of cherry tomatoes

20 g of ‘nduja

20 g of red Tropea onion basil

Preparation

1Slice the onion and sauté it quickly with a little oil. In the meanwhile preheat the oven at maximum temperature.

2Shape the ball of pizza dough into a disk leaving a 1 cm edge, and top with sli-ces of provola, the onion and the ‘nduja.

3Bake in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes, taking care to also place a bowl with a little water inside the oven. Take the pizza out of the oven, add a drizzle of oil and decorate with a few leaves of basil. Serve.

'Nduja is a typical kind of salami from Calabria, it is soft

and very spicy, made from the fatest cuts of pork mixed

with great quantities of hot chilli pepper. It is eaten

spread on slices of toasted bread, even better if hot, or

used as an ingredient for making various sauces.

(109)

(110)

(111)

Pizza insalata, crudo

e parmigiano

Pizza with salad leaves, cured ham and Parmesan

250 g of pizza dough 80 g of mozzarella mixed salad leaves cherry tomatoes 3 slices of cured ham flakes of Parmesan cheese balsamic vinegar

basil

Preparation

1Shape the pizza dough into a disk, taking care to leave the edge roughly 1 cm thick. Cut the mozzarella into small cubes and scatter it over the dough.

2 Bake the pizza for 5 minutes in a preheated oven, at maximum temperature, placing a bowl of hot water in the oven. In the mean-time wash a few mixed salad leaves, dry them and dress them with a little oil and a pinch of salt. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into segments.

3 When the pizza has finished baking take it out of the oven and top with the tomatoes and salad leaves. Add the slices of ham and flakes of Parmesan cheese. Finish it off with a driz-zle of balsamic vinegar and the basil, and serve.

109

(112)

Pizza acciughe, olive e capperi

Pizza with anchovies, olives and capers

Ingredients for 4 people

250 g of pizza dough 50 g of peeled tomatoes 10 black olives, pitted 20 salted capers 5-6 anchovies in oil

5 cherry tomatoes 1 large sprig of basil oregano

Preparation

1Shape the pizza dough into a disk, taking care to leave the edge roughly 1 cm thick. Put the peeled tomato topping on the dough, season with a pinch of salt and bake the pizza for about 5 minutes in a preheated oven, at maximum tem-perature, placing a bowl of hot water in the oven.

2Wash the cherry tomatoes, cut them into segments and season with a little oil, a pinch of salt and oregano. When the pizza is cooked, take it out of the oven and top with the tomato segments, the anchovies, the capers, previously wa-shed, and the olives.

3Put the pizza back in the oven and bake for 1 minute. Remove it from the oven and finish it off with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a few leaves of basil. Serve.

For all other kinds of ovens that reach temperatures

above 350 °C or for woodﬁred ovens, prepare every

thing and bake.

(113)

(114)

(115)

Pizza in teglia pere,

gorgonzola, prosciutto e fichi

Pan-cooked pizza with pear & gorgonzola

and ham & figs

Ingredients for 1 pan

800 g of pizza dough (28 cm diameter) extra-virgin olive oil Provolone Del Monaco cheese

for the first half

2 pears

60 g of Gorgonzola

for the second half

4 figs, black and green 6 slices of cured ham

Preparation

1Stretch the ball of pizza dough out in the pan, brush with extra-virgin olive oil and cover with cling film. When the dough has doubled in size, press your fingers lightly into the sur-face all over.

2Bake for about 5 minutes at 250-300 °C, re-membering to also place a bowl of hot water in the oven. Take the pizza out of the oven and top half of it with the Gorgonzola and pears. Put it back in the oven for about 2 minutes.

3 When the pizza is cooked remove it from the oven and place on a cooling rack, top the other half with the figs and slices of cured ham. Complete by grating the Provolone Del Mo-naco over the entire pizza.

113