This post may contain affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links See Full Disclosure Here
Well it’s almost Friday, a.k.a #PizzaFriday around my house. Although that’s not a steadfast rule, it’s usually a given that we will have some sort of homemade or pizzeria pizza when the weekend rolls along. Sometimes it’s accompanied by Frittata (potato and eggs) and other times I make it with spaghetti aglio e olio (oil and garlic). Generally I make a traditional neapolitan style pizza, but sometimes I like to go out on a limb and really change it up a bit.
I recently received my copy of the March Rachael Ray Magazine which had an entire guide on making great pizza at home. Although I am a pretty good pizza maker, the guide offered some really great tips and recipes from Rachael herself. I actually found it very informative as well as appetizing. If you haven’t gotten a copy yet you can pick one up at your local supermarket or you can subscribe for a digital subscription. Of all the food magazines I receive this one is a favorite of mine because it always shares relatable and “can do” recipes and ideas.
Anyway, I was really drawn to the recipe for Rachael’s Capricciosa Pizza because it looked and sounded so appetizing. So I decided I would give it a try. While I generally use recipes as a guideline, I basically followed her recipe , with a few minor exceptions.
The original recipe called for a one hour pizza dough using “00” flour which I did not have on hand, so I used premade pizza dough from a favorite local shop. If you are not in a hurry like I was, I would definitely get the flour and give this dough a try. Also, the original recipe calls for Prosciutto di Parma, but because I am on meatless fridays during lent, I added sauteed leeks to the marsala mushrooms. Additionally, I changed the baking time and procedure because I used a cookie sheet instead of a pizza stone. Overall, the flavors were the same and the pizza was amazing.
If you need any tips on how to make great pizza at home check out “Rachael Ray’s Guide To Making Delicious Pizza at Home“. Below is my meatless version of her Pizza Capricciosa. Here’s to good pizza, a great weekend and more… enjoy!
Meatless Pizza Capricciosa
Ingredients
- Pizza Dough 1 Lb
- Sliced mozzarella cheese (8-10) 1/8" rounds/squares
- San Marzano Tomatoes crushed with hands to a pulp
- Sliced Baby Bella mushrooms 8 oz
- Sliced leek small (1)
- Artichoke quarters 1/4 cup
- Splash of Marsala Wine
- Olive oil
- Unsalted butter 2 Tblsp.
- Sliced black olives 2 Tblsp.
- Handful of fresh Basil torn
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
For the mushrooms and leeks
- Sauté leeks and mushrooms in a pan with olive oil and butter on med heat for 5 minutes; add Marsala wine; add thyme or Rosemary;cook down until most of the liquid disappears; remove from pan in a dish/bowl and let cool.
For the Sauce
- Crush 16 oz of San Marzano tomatoes with juice into a bowl with your hands to fine pulp. Add salt and olive oil and mix together.
For the Pizza
- Pre-heat oven to 400 F
- Let dough sit at room temperature for about 1/2 hour.
- Grease a Large baking sheet with. Cooking spray. Take the dough in your hands and stretch it around a bit before placing on cookie sheet. Gently stretch the dough from the center towards the end of the pan.
- Drizzle olive oil over the dough and coat the top of the pizza, including the edges. spread the sauce all over the pizza using a spoon or ladle. Leave a 1" border around the edges.
- Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese, and bake in the oven for aprox. 15 mins.
- Remove from oven add mozzarella cheese and basil slices sporadically, then add the artichoke hearts, mushrooms and leeks, then olives.
- Turn the oven temperature up to 450 degrees F. Place pan back in the oven in middle/top rack and cook pizza until cheese becomes bubbly aprox. Another 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove; Let cool; slice into desired pieces.
Notes