Mare e Monti Pizza

Pizza Mare e Monti

A classic Italian pizza combining the sea and the mountains, typically topped with shrimp, porcini or other mushrooms, garlic, fresh tomatoes, and parsley on a thin, crisp crust.

Prep

30 min

Cook

12 min

Total

42 min

Serves

2 pizzas (4 servings)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) type 00 or strong bread flour
• •325 ml (1⅓ cups) lukewarm water, around 25 °C / 77 °F
• •10 g (2 tsp) fine sea salt
• •3 g (1 tsp) instant dry yeast
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• •200 g (7 oz) San Marzano-style peeled tomatoes, hand-crushed
• •200 g (7 oz) fresh mozzarella (fior di latte), torn into pieces; drained for 15 min
• •200 g (7 oz) shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail off; pat very dry
• •150 g (5 oz) fresh mushrooms (porcini if available, otherwise cremini or champignon), sliced; porcini should be brushed, not washed
• •3 cloves garlic, very finely sliced
• •15 g (½ cup loosely packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• •1 pinch dried oregano
• •fine sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Steps

1. 1 Make the dough: in a bowl whisk flour, salt and yeast. Add water and olive oil and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic, or work in a stand mixer with a dough hook for 6 minutes.
2. 2 Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise at room temperature for at least 2 hours, or refrigerate 12–24 hours for better flavour. Divide into 2 balls (about 410 g each) and rest covered for 30 minutes.
3. 3 Prepare the toppings: slice the mushrooms and sauté them dry in a hot pan over high heat until their water has evaporated and they are lightly browned, 4–5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels.
4. 4 Make the sauce: lightly crush the tomatoes by hand or with a fork. Season with a pinch of salt, a drizzle of olive oil, half the parsley and a pinch of oregano. Do not cook the sauce.
5. 5 Preheat the oven with a pizza stone or steel on the middle rack at its maximum temperature (ideally 280–300 °C / 535–575 °F) for at least 45 minutes.
6. 6 Shape each dough ball on a piece of semolina-dusted parchment into a 28–30 cm (11–12 in) round, keeping a slightly thicker edge.
7. 7 Top each base with a thin layer of tomato sauce, then scatter over the torn mozzarella, sautéed mushrooms, shrimp and sliced garlic. Drizzle with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt.
8. 8 Slide the pizza (on the parchment) onto the hot stone/steel and bake for 6–8 minutes until the crust is blistered and the shrimp are just cooked through (internal temperature 63 °C / 145 °F, opaque and pink, not rubbery).
9. 9 Remove from the oven, scatter with the remaining parsley and a little more olive oil. Serve immediately.
10. 10 Doneness cue: the crust should be puffed, spotted with leopard-like char, and the base crisp; the shrimp must turn pink and curl into a loose C-shape - overcooking makes them tough.