We’ve had many great pizzas in Italy, but our favorite has to be Pizza Capricciosa. The ingredients complement each other so perfectly — the saltiness of the olives, the woody taste of the mushrooms, and the tang of the artichokes — that is more complex and satisfying than any other Italian pizza.

The best one we ever had was on the island of Capri. So we thought that maybe the pizza was named for the isle and originated there. But neither is true.

The name roughly translates as “capricious pizza” because it seems like the maker couldn’t decide which pizza toppings to use. Most often, it’s made with artichokes, mushrooms, ham, olives, chopped tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese. Sometimes, a raw egg is broken over the pizza before it’s put in the oven or chopped, hard-boiled eggs are added.

All our favorite pizza toppings.

The ingredients are the same for a Quattro Stagione or “four seasons” pizza, but the presentation is different. The pizza is divided into fourths and each quarter has different toppings.

The thing about pizza capricciosa is that there is room for interpretation in the ingredients — but each must be absolutely top quality.

Starting with the base, either pizza sauce or chopped tomatoes can be used, but they really should be San Marzanos. You can use almost any kind of mushrooms — white, creminis, shitakes, morels, or baby bellas. Of course, they’re best if they’re sautéed in a little butter first or you can use mushrooms from a jar that have been packed in oil. Just don’t even think about using canned ones.

Artichokes can be from a jar or can, marinated or not. The ham can be paper-thin prosciutto or diced cooked ham. And the olives can be black, green or mixed.

When we were in southern France this summer, it seemed like every pizza we ordered came with Emmental cheese in addition to mozzarella. And they were absolutely delicious. The best Emmental comes from Switzerland — but don’t tell the French who make a similar cheese called Emmentaler. It’s mellow, nutty flavor really complements the other ingredients. The cave-aged, which have a fruity taste, is the best.

While there are many pizza recipes for capricciosa, the best pizza will be the one that uses the toppings you like best.

Learn about other kinds of Italian pizza here.

If you’ve been to gourmet pizza restaurants like Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles or Co. in New York, you’ve probably seen the term “salumi.” But since the word has come into fashion only recently, you may not know exactly what it means.

Salumi is Italian (it’s the plural form of salume), but it’s not a misspelling of salami, although salami is a form of salumi. Confused yet?

Salumi refers to Italian-style cured meats in the same way that “charcuterie,” refers to the French equivalent. And what’s not to like about that?

Most salumi is made from pork. A notable exception is bresaola, which is made from beef. Salumi is usually cured with salt, which kills bacteria, and dehydrates the meat. As the meat is cured, it become firm and the flavor intensifies.

Authentic Italian salumi

Salumi can be smoked (like speck), or unsmoked (like pancetta). Encased (like salami), or not (like lomo). And cooked (like Italian sausage) or eaten raw (like Prosciutto Crudo). It’s often thinly sliced as served as part of an antipasto.

Because it’s cured, most salumi lasts a long time if stored properly. But once it’s sliced, it should be eaten quickly. Otherwise, it dries out. Salami, which is made with ground pork and a variety of seasonings, lasts a little longer because of the added fat — usually from 20 – 25%.

Many Italian pizzas feature some kind of salumi. The most popular are pepperoni and Italian sausage. But many other Italian meats make delicious pizzas too. Coppa, capicola, and sopressata are all great meat pizza toppings.

Salumi from Molinari in San Francisco

Because of the cost of meeting U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards, few Italian salumi makers can afford to import their products into the United States. Which is too bad, because they’re really wonderful. What sets them apart is the quality of the pork, which in most cases comes from pigs that were naturally raised on a farm.

Outside Italy, most Italian butchers sell some salumi. And prosciutto and pancetta are available in most groceries. There are several American producers who are making salumi the way they do in Italy. The best known is Salumi Artisan Cured Meats in Seattle, which is owned by Mario Batali’s father, Armandino. You can order their products at www.salumicuredmeats.com

The next time you’re craving a real Italian pizza, try using some of these delicious salumi cured meats as pizza toppings.

Read more about Italian pizza meats here.

Authentic Italian salumi Image Flickr: rfarmer
Salumi from Molinari in San Francisco Image Flickr: biskuit

Nothing makes a pizza more Italian than authentic Italian meats. Since tomatoes and mozzarella are a given, it’s meat pizza toppings like pancetta and proscuitto that can really boost the flavor of an Italian-style pizza.

Not long ago, it wasn’t that easy to find these products. But these days, many grocery stores like Fresh and Easy and Trader Joe’s carry them. So you can make a delicious Italian pizza right at home.
Pancetta, which is often referred to as Italian bacon, is pork belly that has been spiced, salt-cured, and dried for several months. But unlike American bacon, it’s not smoked. In Italy, it’s often rolled and then thinly sliced. In the United States and Britain, it’s often sold diced.

Because pancetta is salty, it’s especially delicious when combined with sweet pizza toppings. Try is with ripe pear or butternut squash.

Prosciutto is uncooked Italian ham. It’s also cured with salt and aged. Some prosciutto has the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) which dictates how it is produced and what ingredients can be used.

The most famous is Prosciutto di Parma. The pigs here are fed whey left over from making Parmigiano-Regianno cheese, which gives the prosciutto a slightly nutty flavor. If you travel around Italy, you’ll notice that each region’s prosciutto has a distinctive taste.

Usually, a pork leg is covered with sea salt and left to cure for a couple of months in a cool place. After that, it’s washed and left to dry. Once it’s dry, it’s hung for up to two years in a well-ventilated place.

Prosciutto pizza

In Italy, it’s called prosciutto crudo or “raw ham” because it’s not cooked. It’s often eaten as an appetizer with melon, breadsticks, asparagus, or fresh mozzarella. Or used in pasta dishes with peas and a cream sauce. Saltimbocca, which is veal topped with prosciutto, sage, and cheese, is one of Rome’s best loved dishes.

Prosciutto is one of the pizza toppings on a Pizza Capricciosa, which also has mushrooms, artichokes, and olives. It’s also excellent with nutty cheeses like Fontina and Gruyere.

Less well known outside Italy, guanciale is unsmoked Italian bacon made from pork jowls or cheeks. To make it, the pork is rinsed in wine, seasoned and left to marinate for over a month. Like prosciutto, it’s left to dry, but unlike prosciutto, it’s meant to be cooked.

Prosciutto

There aren’t many places outside of Rome that sell guanciale, but if you have a good Italian butcher, you can ask. You can also order it online. If you have guanciale, render it in a pan before using it as a pizza topping, and the save the drippings and make something fabulous with them. It’s extremely high in fat, but since even a small amount adds a tremendous amount of flavor, it won’t bust your diet completely.

You can also make your own if have access to pork jowls and are willing to wait three weeks.

Its rich, pork flavor is the cornerstone of dishes like Spaghetti alla Carbonara and Bucatini all’Amatricana, though pancetta is often substituted.

Read more about Italian pizzas here.
And find more pizza meats here.

Pancetta Image Flickr: tsuacctnt
Proscuitto Pizza Image Flickr: stu spivak
Proscuitto Image Flickr: mandydale