Pizza with Salami and Mushrooms recipe (Pizza Capricciosa)

I love making my own pizzas, and with a little time and effort, you can easily make your own at home. The investment is well worth the effort, because a home made pizza is much, much better than a delivery pizza. Just try it a couple of times and you will never reach for the phone to order pizza ever again. You can, if you prefer, use a ready made pizza dough, but I prefer to spend a little extra time making my own. It’s not hard, and once you have the basics down, takes very little time. The great thing about making your own pizza is you know exactly what has gone into it. You can use your own preferred ingredients, and with all things food-related, buy the best ingredients you can find/afford for the best results. When I am short of money (most of the time) I would rather use a small amount of good quality ingredients than a lot of poor quality ingredients any day of the week.

You will need:

• 2 small bowls
• 1 large bowl
• A whisk
• A sifter
• A flat surface to knead the dough
• A baking tray or Pizza stone
• A sharp knife
• A cutting board

Ingredients:

• 8 oz plain flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried yeast
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3-4 fl oz hot water (not boiling)
• Olive oil

For the topping:

• 8 oz can tomatoes
• 1 table spoon tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil
• 4 oz salami or pepperoni sliced
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 2 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan or Parmeggiano Reggiano cheese
• 1 fresh pepper, deseeded and sliced
• Olive oil
• Salt and fresh ground pepper

First, the dough needs to be made a little ahead of time and allowed to rise. Pour 3 oz of hot water into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar, then the yeast. Leave to one side until it becomes frothy. (About 15-20 minutes)

In a larger bowl, sift the flour and salt together. In another bowl, beat the egg. When the yeast mixture is frothy, add it to the flour, then add the egg and mix it all into a dough with your hands. When the dough is mixed, it should not be dry. If it is, add a little splash of water. Also, it should not stick to the bowl. If it does, add a little extra flour. Place the dough on a work surface and knead for about 10 minutes until it’s really smooth and elastic.

Put the dough back in the large bowl and rub all over with olive oil. Cover with a damp cloth. (Make sure it’s clean) and leave in a warm part of the room to rise. This should take about an hour. You can leave it for as long as 6 hours, so you can do this anytime. It will also keep in the fridge for a few days. If you do that, be sure to wrap it in Clingfilm. When it has doubled in size, knead again for about 5 minutes and roll out flat. Preheat the oven to 425F

Take the baking tin or pizza stone and brush with olive oil. Lay out the dough on the tin or stone.

Now, we will make and add the topping. Put the tomatoes in a sieve and drain the juice off. Now put them in a blender or food processor along with the basil, tomato puree and a dash of salt and pepper. Liquidize the mixture and spread over the top of the pizza. Slice the salami or pepperoni thinly and arrange on the pizza. Sprinkle the mushroom, pepper and capers over and add the Parmesan or Parmeggiano Reggiano cheese. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Let the pizza stand for 10 minutes before cooking for 15 minutes or until the cheese is starting to brown. Serve hot with a side salad and a glass of your favorite wine.

Buon Apetito!