Exotic pan pizza with vegetables and mushrooms

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 50 g water, lukewarm (corn water, see preparation)
• 3 g chicken broth, granulated
• 1 tsp sugar, white
• 10 g dry yeast
• 100 g wheat flour type 405
• 1 pinch(s) cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 tbsp sweet and sour hot sauce, Thai style No. 3 (see note)
• 1 tbsp smoky BBQ sauce (e.g. Jay’s Kitchen, BBQ Sauce Kansas City)
• 1 tbsp herbs of Tuscany (alternatively: Italian or Provence)
• 2 m.-sized garlic cloves, fresh
• 1 small chili pepper(s), green
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• n. B. Flour for the work surface
• 100 g mozzarella, coarsely grated
• 15 g mung bean sprouts
• 15 g sweet corn kernels (from the can)
• 4 large shiitake mushrooms, dried
• 100 g water
• 2 g chicken broth, granulated
• 200 g Shimeji mushrooms, brown-capped
• 30 g onion(s)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 50 g sour cream
• Salt and pepper, black
• e.g. nutmeg, freshly grated
• 2 tbsp celery leaves, fresh or frozen
• 150 g Emmental cheese, coarsely grated
• 1 m.-large tomato(s), fully ripe
• 5 olives, dark brown
• 50 g Parmesan, grated
• n. B. Pepper, black from the mill
• 1 tbsp oregano, dried
• e.g. arugula leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

A spicy pizza with three cheeses, vegetables, and shimeji and shiitake mushrooms. A thin, crispy base and juicy topping.

Open the can of corn kernels and use the water for the dough. Add any remaining water and heat to lukewarm. Dissolve the sugar and dried yeast in it and let it activate for 5 minutes. In the meantime, weigh the flour and mix it with the cardamom powder. Place it in a mixing bowl and add the yeast mixture, stirring continuously with a dough hook. Knead into a crumbly dough. Add the oil and knead the dough into a shiny, pliable ball in 10 minutes. Let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Weigh the mung bean sprouts, rinse them with cold water, shake them dry, and place them on a fresh tea towel. Weigh the corn kernels from the can. For the shiitake mushrooms, heat the water, dissolve the chicken broth in it, and pour it over the mushrooms. Soak for 30 minutes. Squeeze the chicken broth from the mushrooms and mix the broth with the sour cream, then set aside. Cut the mushroom caps into thumbnail-sized pieces. Discard the tough stems. For the shimeji mushrooms, remove the lower part, the substrate and mycelium. Separate and clean the mushrooms. Trim the long stems, halve them, and use the caps. Finely chop 30g of an onion and sauté in olive oil in a pan. Add the mushroom pieces and fry for 2 minutes. Deglaze the mushrooms with the mushroom water and cream mixture. Simmer until all the mushroom water is absorbed. Remove from the heat, season with salt, pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg. Stir in the celery leaves, then set aside. For the sauce, trim both ends of the garlic and press dry. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Knead the risen dough for 1 minute, then roll it out with a rolling pin into a round flatbread slightly larger than the bottom of the pan (the flatbread will shrink during frying). Pierce several times with a fork. Wipe the pan clean with an oiled paper towel. Place the flatbread in the pan. Fry the bottom of the pan on medium heat until light brown on one side. Remove the flatbread from the pan and turn it over (the brown spots will now be on top). Wipe the pan clean with the oiled paper towel and return the flatbread to the pan with the brown spots facing up. Remove from the heat to add the topping. Brush the pizza base with the sauce. Arrange the mung bean sprouts and corn kernels on top and sprinkle with the mozzarella shavings. Spread the mushroom mixture on top and sprinkle with the Emmental cheese. Wash the tomato and cut it crosswise into 5, approximately 5 mm thick slices. Remove the inside of the slices. Place 4 of the pizza rings around the edge and the 5th ring in the center. Place the olives in the rings. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over everything. Sprinkle with pepper and oregano to finish. Place the pan with the lid on the stove and bake at a high heat until the cheese has melted. Remove the pizza from the pan, cut it in half, arrange it on serving plates, garnish with arugula leaves, and enjoy while still warm. Note: URL for “Sweet, Sour, and Hot Sauce, Thai Style No. 3”: https://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/3344901497085589/Suess-Sauer-Scharf-Sauce-Thai-Art-Nr-3.html Pan pizza is the most original form of pizza. Only bakers or, in remote areas, village communities had a stone oven to bake bread in. Pan pizza has several advantages. The baking process is very energy-efficient, and heat development is limited to the local area. In southern Italy, in summer and autumn, this is a decisive factor. Furthermore, the base remains crispy, even if the topping is a bit more generous. The downside is that the cheese topping doesn’t brown on top. This is a purely aesthetic flaw, easily overcome with fried onions. Unfortunately, I didn’t have arugula leaves available, so I substituted them with strips of bok choy and frisée lettuce.