Shojin Harvest Pizza with Binchotan Maitake and Shiro Miso Cream

Introduction

In the quiet corners of Kyoto, we learn that even a dish as global as pizza can become a vessel for shojin ryori. Today, I offer you a meditation on fire and fermentation. This artisan pizza honors the essence of shun by using earth-grown ingredients treated with the reverence of a temple meal. We use a slow-fermented sourdough to mirror the patience of the seasons, topped with treasures from the forest floor charred over binchotan coals. It is a warm, rustic embrace that celebrates the harmony between tradition and the present moment.

Ingredients

• 250g Sourdough pizza dough, 72-hour cold fermented
• 100g Maitake mushrooms, hand-torn to preserve texture
• 50g Takenoko (young bamboo shoots), sliced paper-thin using katsuramuki technique
• 3 tbsp Shiro miso (white miso), house-fermented
• 100ml Silken tofu, pressed and blended into a smooth cream
• 1 sheet Fresh Yuba (bean curd skin), torn into delicate ribbons
• 1 tsp Sansho pepper berries, lightly bruised
• 1 tbsp Kombu-infused extra virgin olive oil
• A handful of fresh Mizuna or Shiso leaves
• A pinch of flaked sea salt

Instructions

1. Begin by preheating a pizza stone in your oven at its highest setting for at least one hour, or prepare your binchotan charcoal grill for high-heat indirect cooking.
2. Lightly sear the maitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots over the binchotan coals until the edges are curled and kissed with smoke.
3. In a small cedar bowl, whisk the shiro miso into the silken tofu cream until it reaches the consistency of a thick, pale velvet.
4. On a floured surface, gently stretch the sourdough dough by hand, being careful not to bruise the air pockets earned through long fermentation.
5. Spread the miso-tofu cream over the base in a thin, intentional layer, leaving a wide margin for the crust to rise.
6. Arrange the smoked mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and yuba ribbons across the cream in an asymmetrical, natural pattern.
7. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake until the crust is blistered with leopard spots and the yuba has turned slightly crisp.
8. Remove from the heat and immediately drizzle with the kombu-infused oil and a dusting of sansho pepper.
9. Garnish with fresh greens just before serving to maintain their vibrant life force.

As you finish this meal, take a moment to appreciate the charcoal’s breath and the grain’s transformation. This pizza is not merely food, but a dialogue between the element of fire and the gift of the earth. I hope it brings a sense of wabi-sabi to your table—perfect in its imperfections. Until the seasons shift again, keep your heart open and your dashi clear.

Hiroshi