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Pizza capricciosa
Ham, mushroom and artichoke pizza
Pizza capricciosa: the "whimsical" pizza with ham, mushrooms, artichokes and olives
ItalianCapricciosa means "whimsical" or "capricious", and the story goes that a Neapolitan pizzaiolo created it after the war to use up whatever was in the kitchen. It is now one of the most ordered pizzas across Italy: tomato and mozzarella covered with cooked ham, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and black olives, each in its own patch. The ham is cooked pork ham, a favourite with children. Chef's tip: cook the mushrooms in a dry pan for a few minutes first; raw mushrooms release water in the oven and make the pizza soggy.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb tipo 00 pizza flouror strong white bread flour
- 1 ¼ cups cool water
- ⅜ oz fine salt
For the topping
- 10 ½ oz tinned peeled plum tomatoescrushed by hand
- 9 oz mozzarelladiced and drained
- 5 ½ oz cooked pork hamtorn
- 5 ½ oz button mushroomssliced
- 5 ½ oz artichoke hearts in oildrained and quartered
- 1 ⅜ oz black olives
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp semolinafor the peel
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb tipo 00 pizza flour, 1 ¼ cups cool water and ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast, add ⅜ oz fine salt and knead for 10 minutes. Cover and leave for 2 hours, until doubled. Divide into four balls and leave for 1 hour more.
190 minStep 2: Heat the oven with a pizza steel or stone on the top shelf to its highest setting, at least 475°F, for 45 minutes.
45 minStep 3: Cook 5 ½ oz button mushrooms in a dry frying pan for 4 minutes, until they release their water and it evaporates.
4 minStep 4: Stretch a dough ball into a 28 cm round and lay it on a peel dusted with 2 tbsp semolina. Spread with a quarter of 10 ½ oz tinned peeled plum tomatoes and scatter with 9 oz mozzarella.
Step 5: Arrange 5 ½ oz cooked pork ham, the mushrooms, 5 ½ oz artichoke hearts in oil and 1 ⅜ oz black olives in four sections over the top, then drizzle with 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Common mistake: overloading; keep the toppings in a single layer.
Step 6: Bake for 6–8 minutes, until the rim is puffed and spotted brown and the cheese is bubbling. Repeat with the rest.
8 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 780 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 94 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pizza capricciosa take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
- What can I use instead of tinned peeled plum tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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