The Marco Pizza with Pistachio Cream, Mozzarella, Pecorino and Prosciutto Crudo

In the humble opinion of Simon Towers – owner and pizza chef behind Il Pirata Pizzata (@ilpiratapizzata) in Saltaire, England (the Victorian model village half an hour west of Leeds) and Powered by Ooni member – pistachios are one of the most versatile ingredients, and we have to agree. They go well in both sweet and savoury dishes, which works perfectly on a pizza with a base of pistachio cream topped with fior di latte mozzarella and pecorino, garnished post-cook with prosciutto crudo, crushed pistachios and lemon zest.

The inspiration behind Simon’s pizza started at award-winning, London-based, Italian chef Marco Fuso’s pizza masterclass where he tried a pizza pistachio with mortadella, a classic Italian combo. As a Brit, though, Simon didn’t care much for the mortadella (it reminded him too much of the lesser-quality British supermarket ham), so he decided to put his own twist on the dish by swapping out the mortadella for the traditionally uncooked aged and salt-cured prosciutto crudo. Simon added lemon zest for a bit of extra zing to cut through the sharp saltiness of the pecorino.

As it was Marco Fuso who introduced Simon to the dish (and Il Pirata Pizzata is is named after his childhood hero, cyclist Marco Pantani), he thought it more than apt to name The Marco after these two Italian greats.

Difficulty

Servings

Makes six 250-gram or 12-inch (30-centimetre) pizzas)

Prep Time

20 minutes

(not including dough prep time)
Cook Time

1 to 2 minutes

By Simon Towers

The Marco Pizza with Pistachio Cream, Mozzarella, Pecorino and Prosciutto Crudo

Note

If you don’t have time to make the pistachio cream by hand, there are plenty of ready-made products that can be found in Italian-specialty stores and online (we like Vincente Sicilian Cream of Pistachio Nut Spread). For the dough, we recommend our Classic Pizza Dough, just be sure to set aside 3 to 4 hours for proofing. If you make more than you need, the best time to freeze your homemade pizza dough is after the first rise (after it's doubled in size), then divide it into equal dough balls. Make sure you've put a light layer of olive oil into your containers to prevent the dough from sticking, then place the balls into separate containers with lids, and place in the freezer. You can freeze your dough balls for up to 3 months.

For the pistachio cream

1. Place the pistachios in the food processor and mix to create a thin paste, slowly incorporating the 150 millilitres of water.

Add the lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Place in a covered bowl or container and set aside.

2. Using a mortar and pestle, crush a handful of pistachios for sprinkling over the pizza post-bake (you can also use a meat mallet, or the bottom of a small glass bottle – just be gentle!).

Tip: The consistency of the cream should be easy to spread across the pizza. If it’s too thick, add more water.

For the pizza

1. Preheat your oven for 20 minutes, bringing the baking stone to a temperature between 450 °C to 500 °C (850 °F to 950 °F).

You can check the temperature using an infrared thermometer.

2. Place your dough ball on a lightly-floured work surface.

Push the air from the centre out to the edge using your fingers. Stretch the dough out into a 12-inch (30-centimetre) round. You can either leave your stretched pizza base on the worktop, or transfer it to a lightly-floured peel for topping.

3. Spread on ⅙ of the pistachio cream, ⅙ of the pecorino (about 16 grams) and ⅙ of the mozzarella (about 83 grams) evenly around the base; drizzle with a swirl of olive oil.

Hand holding a small finger bowl over an uncooked pizza with pistachio cream and pecorino on a table surrounded by bowls of mozzarella, prosciutto crudo, lemon zest and pistachio cream.

4. Launch your pizza into the oven, turning it 90 degrees with a turning peel every 30 seconds, until the crust has risen and browned, and cheese has melted, around 1 to 2 minutes.

5. Remove the pizza from the oven and place onto a serving plate or platter; tear 2 to 3 slices of prosciutto (about 25 grams), and place on top of the pizza (Simon likes to form these into rose shapes), before adding a pinch of the lemon zest and crushed pistachios for garnish.

One hand placing prosciutto crudo on a cooked pizza with pistachio cream, mozzarella, pecorino, prosciutto and crushed pistachios on an Ooni Bamboo Pizza Peel and Serving Board.

6. Slice into 4 and serve.

The pizza can be sliced smaller, but Neapolitan slices hold up best when cut into quarters  and eaten folded.

7. Repeat these steps with the remaining pizzas.

Simon Towers

Simon Towers is the owner and pizza chef behind Il Pirata Pizzata (@ilpiratapizzata) in Saltaire, England. A finalist in the PAPA U.K. Pizza Chef of the Year Awards, Powered By Ooni member, and Petra Flour partner, Simon makes pizzas in a contemporary Neapolitan style with a wide array of bold and interesting toppings.

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