Swedish Capricciosa (Ham, Cheese and Mushroom Pizza)

Swedish Capricciosa (Ham, Cheese and Mushroom Pizza)

Still got leftover ham? Like yesterday we will be using again that leftover ham you got in that fridge. Another great idea is to use them as a pizza topping so for this post we will make the classic Ham, Cheese and Mushroom Pizza. This pizza might be a popular flavour but did you know that this originated from the Swedish Capricciosa? Yes Sweden have their own pizza, it also had originated for the Italians and became popular in the region during the 1970’s. The pizza you find in Sweden are mostly Neapolitan type and they commonly serve Margherita, Capricciosa and Quattro Stagioni but slightly altered from the original recipe, like the Swedish Margherita that uses hard cheese and dried oregano instead of mozzarella and fresh basil, and this recipe where the Swedish Capricciosa uses only tomato, cheese, mushrooms and ham leaving out artichokes and olives.

Ingredients (Pizza Crust)

2 1/4 tsp yeast
1/3 cup water, Warm
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry oregano leaves
1 cup water, cold
3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour + 1/2 cup for dusting
1 1/2 tbsp corn oil
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup cornmeal (or ground corn chips)
olive oil for greasing the pan

Ingredients (Pizza)

3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup tomato puree
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cups mushrooms
2 cups ham, sliced
salt
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Mix yeast and 1 tsp sugar on warm water, set aside until very bubbly.
2. Now combine the rest of the ingredients for the crust but using only 1 1/2 cup of flour with the yeast mixture. Mix with a spatula until it forms a batter.
3. Now slowly add the remaining flour and start kneading in a floured surface (don’t knead the dough too much that the texture is tough)
4. Now place it in a big greased bowl and cover it with a cling wrap, make sure it will handle twice the size of the dough. Place in a warm location (I usually place it in an oven preheated to 60C then turned off) for around 45 minutes or until it doubled the size.
5. Once doubled, remove from container, deflate and continue to knead, flatten using a rolling-pin make sure the thickness is no greater than 5mm, place it in a well-greased pan, brush with oil and dust with corn meal.
6. Mix the tomato puree with minced garlic, salt and black pepper. Set aside
7. Place your toppings brushing the dough with olive oil initially, then with the tomato puree mix, onion, mushroom, ham and mozzarella cheese. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
8. Place in a preheated over at 230C for 20 to 25 minutes.

Note: This makes 3 medium or 2 large pizzas