A fall-inspired pizza I'm happy to find in my leftovers
Escarole, roasted pumpkin, olives, and a touch of anchovy.
This week, I had one of those small but revealing thoughts while roasting an entire kabocha pumpkin (yes, I actually drove all the way to Italy just to get my favorite kind (completely unfindable in France), but that’s another story). I was pre-tasting all the fall-inspired recipes I wanted to make with it.
This particular pumpkin has a naturally sweet flavor, with notes of chestnut and sweet potato. And since it was Wednesday, I already had a pizza dough fermenting in the fridge, waiting for our usual Thursday pizza night. That’s when it hit me: I was going to make a pizza ripiena (literally a “stuffed pizza”) with escarole, olives, capers, anchovies, and roasted pumpkin.
You see, this is my variation of pizza di scarole, a classic from Naples traditionally eaten around Christmas. The traditional version includes escarole sautéed with olive oil, garlic, anchovies, raisins, and pine nuts. In my version, the sweetness of raisins is replaced by pumpkin, while capers and olives bring the perfect touch of saltiness. Altogether, it’s a beautifully balanced bite that will make you happy you didn’t just opt for a simple margherita.
To make this stuffed pizza, you’ll need:
For the dough:
Use your favorite pizza dough recipe. If you need a gluten-free option, you can try my yeasted version or the sourdough one. You’ll need one portion of dough.
For the filling:
1 head of escarole lettuce
1 garlic clove
Anchovies (optional)
Capers and olives
Roasted kabocha pumpkin, diced
Extra-virgin olive oil
In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic clove and anchovies. When the anchovies have melted, add the chopped escarole, rinsed capers, and olives.
Raise the heat and cook until the escarole has reduced to about half its volume. Turn off the heat, then add the roasted pumpkin. Stir gently and let the mixture cool.
Preheat the oven to 280°C (or as high as your oven allows, at least 250°C).
Divide the dough into two equal pieces and roll them out into thin, similar-sized rectangles.
Spread the escarole mixture over one piece, leaving a border around the edges. Cover with the second sheet of dough and press the borders to seal.
Poke a few holes on top with a fork to let steam escape.
Bake for 15 minutes on the lowest rack (use a baking stone if you have one), then for another 10 minutes on the upper rack until golden brown and crispy.
Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
And just so you know, it’s just as delicious served as a side: no pizza dough required.