Pizza with prosciutto and artichokes

Recipe for prosciutto-and-artichoke pizza

Preparation and cooking

• - You can make your pizza dough by hand or buy ready-to-bake pizza dough.
  In our index dedicated to pizza you 'll be able to find the pizza dough recipe you prefer.
  If you choose our dough recipe with all-purpose flour and milk surely save fat and calories. Prepare this pizza dough using half the recommended doses.
  In this recipe, as you can see in the picture, we used wholemeal Emmer flour and dried sourdough for our dough. The doses are already for two persons.
  
• - Let your pizza dough rise in the heat and wait for it doubles.
• - Meanwhile clean the artichokes.
  Snap off the stalk close to the base, pulling out any fibres which would extend into the bottom.
  Cut off the pointed top and, using kitchen scissors, trim the leaves to remove spines and any brown edges.
  Cut every artichokes in quarters and then in thin slices and plunge them in lemon water.
  The artichokes are ready to be cooked.
  You can find step-by-step simple instructions with a lot of images to clean the artichokes.
• - Clean and chop the leek.
  Let it simmer in a little water.
  When the water is going to be reduced completely add the artichokes with all their acidulated water.
  Continue cooking on a moderate heat until the water is reduced well.
• - When your pizza dough has risen, divide it into 2 pieces and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece.
  You can obtain the shape you want: rectangular or round.
  The doses are enough for two 30 cm (12in) round baking sheets if you like crunchy pizza but if you prefer soft pizza use only one baking sheet.
• - Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
• - Oil the baking sheets with 2 teaspoons olive oil, sprinkle with all-purpose flour.
  Transfer every portion of pizza dough to a baking sheet
• - Prepare the topping. Put in a bowl the pureed tomatoes, remaining olive oil, leek-and-artichoke mixture and chives.
  Season to taste with salt and stir very well.
• - Spoon the sauce on the surface of every pizza.
• - Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• - Meanwhile grate the mozzarella cheese and separate the slices of prosciutto.
• - When the pizza dough changes its color remove the baking sheets from the oven.
  Sprinkle the grated mozzarella on the top of your pizzas.
  Bake again until the mozzrella is well melted.

Just before serving

• - Remove the baking sheets from the oven.
• - Arrange the slices of prosciutto on the top.
• - Your pizzas with prosciutto and artichokes are ready.

Note

Tips

• - There are a lot of ways for preparing pizza dough.
  You can choose all-purpose or wholemeal flour or emmer or kamut flour too.
  You can use the fresh yeast which accelerates the leavening but it is not exactly healthy or use the sourdough as in this case.
  The use of sourdough brings to mind the true flavor of the bread and pizza eaten in the past  that doesn't leave  the classic aftertaste of fresh yeast. Now it is easier to find sourdough.
  In the page dedicated to pizza you'll be able to find the recipe for pizza dough you prefer.
  Anyway use 250g (8 3/4 ounces) flour for both pizzas.
• - You can also cook the artichokes as you are normally used to make with the olive oil and possibly garlic but keep in mind that if you add any oil while cooking the artichokes your pizza gets heavy and becomes even more hypercaloric.
• - Grate the mozzarella surely means using less.
  This is a trick that Charles and I always use.

Menu planning

• - Pizza is always one-plate meal at home and restaurant.
• - You can serve this pizza with prosciutto and artichokes, sliced, for your aperitif, antipasto or meal, buffet-style.
  

Healthy eating

• - This pizza dough is made with emmer flour and sourdough. It has the negative side of being done already with two tablespoons of oil instead of milk but it is surely better for the quality of its flour and yeast. Remember the guidelines for a healthy diet suggest to choose whole grains whenever possible.
• - Your prosciutto-and-artichoke pizza is definitely hypercaloric and goes far beyond the recommended calories for lunch or dinner.
  It also has a high lipid content.
  This can be amortized by choosing the other meals of the day wisely. For example, for lunch a tasty vegetable soup. 
  So we can also respect  the daily servings of vegetables.
  You can also use less prosciutto or olive oil.
  Another choice? do physical activity ;)))
  Anyway it is clear you can't do this pizza with prosciutto and artichokes too many times..
• - The fiber content of the ham-and-artichoke pizza is 16.9g (the recommended daily intake is 23g). Thanks to artichokes and Emmer!

What's the right wine ?

Match a good beer with your pizza with prosciutto and artichokes. It's difficult to pair a wine for the presence of artichokes.