“The Marco” Pizza with Pistachio Cream, Mozzarella, Pecorino and Prosciutto Crudo

In the humble opinion of Simon Towers — Powered by Ooni member and the owner and pizza chef behind Il Pirata Pizzata (@ilpiratapizzata) in Saltaire, England — pistachios are up there among the most versatile ingredients. We have to agree: They go well in both sweet and savory dishes, which happens to work out swimmingly on a pizza with a base of pistachio cream topped with fior di latte mozzarella and pecorino, and garnished with prosciutto crudo, crushed pistachios and lemon zest..

The inspiration behind this dish stems from award-winning London-based Italian chef Marco Fuso’s pizza master class, where Simon first tried pizza pistachio with mortadella, a classic Italian combo. As an Englander, Simon didn’t care for the cold cut, which reminded him too much of plain old British supermarket ham, so he put his own twist on the toppings by swapping the mortadella for traditionally uncooked, aged and salt-cured prosciutto crudo. For a little extra zing, Simon added lemon zest to cut through the sharp saltiness of the pecorino.

And since a veteran pizza chef introduced Simon to the dish in the first place (and Il Pirata Pizzata is named after his childhood hero, cyclist Marco Pantani), he thought it only fitting to dub this pie “The Marco,” after the two Italian greats.

Chef's hat icon Difficulty

People icon Servings

Makes six 12-inch pizzas

Time icon Prep Time

20 minutes

(not including dough prep time)
Fuel type icon Cook Time

1 to 2 minutes

By Simon Towers

“The Marco” Pizza with Pistachio Cream, Mozzarella, Pecorino and Prosciutto Crudo
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Note

If you don’t have time to make the pistachio cream by hand, plenty of ready-made products can be found in Italian specialty stores and online (we like Vincente Sicilian Cream of Pistachio Nut Spread). For the dough, we recommend our Classic Pizza Dough (just be sure to set aside 3 to 4 hours for proofing). If you make more than you need, the best time to freeze your extra dough is after the first rise, when it has doubled in size. Just divide the leftovers  into equal-sized dough balls. Add a light layer of olive oil to separate, lidded containers to keep the dough from sticking, then place the balls inside and set  in the freezer. Your dough balls can chill there for up to 3 months.

Hand holding a small finger bowl over an uncooked pizza with pistachio cream and pecorino on a table surrounded by bowls of mozzarella, prosciutto crudo, lemon zest and pistachio cream. One hand placing prosciutto crudo on a cooked pizza with pistachio cream, mozzarella, pecorino, prosciutto and crushed pistachios on an Ooni Bamboo Pizza Peel and Serving Board.

Simon Towers

Simon Towers is the owner and pizza chef behind Il Pirata Pizzata (@ilpiratapizzata) in Saltaire, England. A finalist in the PAPA U.K. Pizza Chef of the Year Awards, Powered By Ooni member, and Petra Flour partner, Simon makes pizzas in a contemporary Neapolitan style with a wide array of bold and interesting toppings.