Featured Recipe
Grilled Veg & Prosciutto Pizza
By Kate
"
Hand-stretched pizza dough topped with a chunky spiced tomato sauce, grilled mixed vegetables, mozzarella fior di latte, shaved asiago, kalamata olives, and delicate slices of prosciutto. Cooked quickly on a blazing pizza stone until crust crackles golden. Bright basil finished. Substituted asiago for pecorino, kalamata for black olives, and added smoked paprika for depth. Sauce thick but still loose enough to spread evenly. Key: high heat, frequent turning during bake, watch crust bubbles. Keeps crispy edges, melty cheese, fresh toppings. Be ready to work fast. Avoid soggy bottom pitfalls by draining veg well and not oversaturating sauce. Crunchy char on veg, savory salt of prosciutto layered last for aroma and texture contrast.
"
Prep:
Cook:
Total:
Serves:
4 pizzas
pizza
Italian
grilled
vegetables
prosciutto
Introduction
High heat, quick work. Charred crust rising with bubbles ready to pop, mozzarella melting slowly underneath a rich sauce spread thick but not sloppy, the scent of oregano and fresh garlic hits behind the immediate smoke from the pizza stone. Grill those vegetables first — smoky edges, softened flesh, a bit of oil to carry flavors. Salt and freshness balanced by the olives, sharp cheese grated over like a last sprinkle of magic. Don’t rush shaping dough. The thicker crust edge keeps sauce from leaking during the rapid bake. Prosciutto goes on last, warms gently without cooking, the aromatic fat releasing just enough to mingle with fresh basil. Watch textures, listen for those telltale crackles, adjust oven temps if the crust races to char before cheese melts. If you can smell smoke, see the bubbles and pull when mozzarella is thready stretched and bubbling, you’re right. Pizza making is a dance between heat, time, and toppings. Fail to adjust for one, soggy or burnt. Watch that dough gently, repeat rotation often. You want crust as crisp as it’s chewy, cheese melting with no wet spots. That’s your goal. Not tricks, just knowledge and patience.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 can 700 ml canned crushed San Marzano tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 25 ml tomato paste
- 5 ml dried oregano
- pinch smoked paprika
- pinch red pepper flakes
- salt and cracked black pepper
- 4 hand-rolled pizza dough balls
- 2 balls 100 g each mozzarella fior di latte, torn
- 35 g grated asiago or aged grana padano
- 500 ml grilled vegetable medley (red peppers, zucchini, eggplant, artichokes), oiled and chopped
- 55 g kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 8 thin slices prosciutto
- fresh basil leaves
Pizzas
About the ingredients
Canned San Marzano-style tomatoes form the base here; removing seeds and watery pulp avoids a runny sauce that ruins dough crispness. Tomato paste acts as a thickener and intensifies tomato flavor. The smoked paprika brings an understated warmth instead of just heat, playing against pepper flakes. Using fior di latte mozzarella instead of buffalo cuts moisture slightly and costs less, while asiago replaces pecorino romano to add a nuttier sharpness; these cheeses both melt well under high heat, creating the creamy pull and salty crust edge contrast we want. Grilled veggies should be well drained to discard excess oil which otherwise can make dough soggy—important to measure volume after draining, not before. Kalamata olives provide a more complex tang than basic black olives. Fresh basil always goes on last or it wilts. Prosciutto slices are delicate—adding after baking means the fat doesn’t render out causing grease puddles, it stays silky and aromatic. Avoid too much flour on your peel to prevent the dough sticking mid-slide; dust generously but not excessively with semolina or cornmeal if available.
Method
Sauce
- Preheat pizza oven or oven with stone to highest setting for 25 minutes, door closed. Hot stone crucial for crust lift and crackle.
- Drain canned tomatoes in sieve over bowl. Reserve juice. Core and deseed tomatoes by hand, discard seeds and watery parts. Helps texture — sauce not runny or bitter. Roughly crush tomato flesh by hand into measuring cup.
- Add garlic, tomato paste, oregano, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Add reserved juice to reach about 500 ml total volume. Stir well, adjust seasoning. The smoky paprika replaces some heat and adds warmth, harder edge than original.
- Dust work surface just enough flour to prevent sticking. Roll each dough ball into 30 cm disk. Form a thicker raised edge rim by pinching dough border. Avoid flattening crust or tearing skin, traps bubbles during bake.
- Transfer to pizza peel dusted with semolina or flour. Spread 125 ml sauce evenly, leaving rim bare. Distribute mozzarella and grated asiago evenly, combining melting milks for creaminess with sharp aged notes.
- Scatter veggies well-drained to avoid soggy bottom, plus chopped kalamata olives for salty bursts and briny contrast. Don't pile thick; too much weight flattens dough.
- Slide pizza onto preheated stone. Bake 2 to 3 minutes. Important: rotate pizza 4 or 5 times during baking for even browning and char—handle carefully mid-bake, listen for crackles at crust edge, and watch cheese bubble and brown spots form.
- When crust turns golden brown with blistering bubbles and cheese is melted and sizzling, remove with peel. Immediately fan pizza edges if crust feels flabby to restore crispness.
- Top with prosciutto slices laid gently over hot pizza; residual heat softens but doesn't cook meat, keeps silky texture and aroma alive. Scatter fresh basil leaves last, their brightness cuts past the fat and salt.
- Slice into wedges with rocking motion. Serve hot but not molten to avoid greasy puddles.
- For dough, store-bought is fine if you let it come to room temp and rest at least 30 minutes before rolling. If no pizza stone, use inverted heavy baking sheet preheated similarly but expect longer bake times and less blistering.
- If no prosciutto, thin slices of jamon serrano or even smoked ham work. For veg, swap artichokes for grilled mushrooms or caramelized fennel for earthiness.
- Use fior di latte instead of di bufala to cut cost, stronger aged cheese like asiago adds more sharpness than pecorino but equally good. Kalamata olives add tangy brightness compared to standard black.
- To avoid soggy crust, drain veggies on paper towels. If sauce seems too watery, simmer uncovered for 5–10 minutes before spreading; watch not to overreduce and burn.
- Rotate pizzas swiftly during baking to prevent one side charring too much and uneven cooking. Adjust oven temp by eye; if crust burns rapidly but cheese is raw, lower heat or move pizza off center.
Assembly and Baking
Tips and Substitutions
Technique Tips
Start with a super hot pizza stone, the foundation of a great crust. Letting it preheat for 25 minutes ensures bursting bubbles and quick bake time. Removing seeds and watery pulp from canned tomatoes firms up sauce texture and cuts brightness that can overwhelm—you’re looking for balance. Crushing tomatoes by hand keeps sauce textural, not a puree. Adjusting sauce thickness by adding reserved juice rather than water maintains concentrated flavor. Forming dough disks with a defined rim traps air, causing crust bubbles to puff without spilling sauce. Applying toppings evenly prevents heavy spots that flatten the base. Rotate pizzas mid-bake multiple times to evenly char crust, a common miss for home cooks leading to burnt edges or raw dough. Watching crust color and cheese melt visually beats rigid times—2–3 minutes ballpark but flexible. Immediately removing from stone and fanning edges refreshes crispness by reducing residual moisture, an overlooked step. Adding prosciutto last preserves its texture and flavor as the residual pizza heat warms but does not cook it. Basil at the end brightens aroma and cuts salt. Tips: if sauce is too thin, simmer briefly before pizza assembly; too thick, sauce won’t spread evenly. Use hand flouring on peel with caution; too much clogs stone pores and sticks dough. Rotate carefully and quickly, keeping pizza centered but moving air around it to maximize even baking.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Preheat stone well. 25 minutes. Crucial for crisp crust. Drain tomatoes. Discard watery bits, seeds. Texture improves. Less runny sauce.
- 💡 Rotate during baking. 4 or 5 times. Crust needs even browning. Listen for sizzling. Watch for bubbling cheese. Don’t rush, patience here.
- 💡 Sauce too thick? Thin with reserved juice. Not too watery, too dull. If veggies aren't grilled well, they stay soggy. Drain excess oil.
- 💡 Dough sticking to peel? Use semolina or flour lightly. Excess clogs pores. Too much flour, dough flops mid-slide. Dust gently, not heaps.
- 💡 Last touch - prosciutto after baking. Warms with residual heat. Keeps texture intact. Adds aroma, but doesn’t cook. Basil on top last.
