Tuscan Cavolo Nero and Wild Mushroom Artisan Pizza

Introduction

In my Tuscan village, winter cooking is all about taking what the frost-kissed orto gives us and elevating it in the blazing heat of the oven. This artisan pizza pairs a chewy, blistered sourdough crust with a velvety cannellini bean cream, tender charred cavolo nero, and fragrant pan-roasted forest mushrooms, finished with our peppery olio nuovo.

Ingredients

• 500g high-protein bread flour (Tipo 0 or Manitoba)
• 350ml warm filtered water
• 100g active sourdough starter or 3g active dry yeast
• 10g fine sea salt
• 15ml extra virgin olive oil plus more for finishing
• 1 cup cooked cannellini beans, drained
• 1 whole head of garlic, roasted until sweet and creamy
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened plant milk or warm water
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, needles stripped and finely minced
• 1 bunch fresh cavolo nero (Tuscan kale), stems stripped and leaves torn
• 200g wild mushrooms (chanterelles and king oysters), torn or sliced
• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
• 30g toasted walnuts, roughly crushed
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• Flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Whisk the warm water and active sourdough starter together in a wide terracotta bowl, fold in the flour until shaggy, and rest for 30 minutes to autolyse before working in the sea salt and olive oil.
2. Perform three series of stretch-and-folds spaced 30 minutes apart, then transfer the covered dough to the refrigerator for a slow cold fermentation of 24 to 48 hours.
3. Purée the cooked cannellini beans, roasted garlic cloves, minced rosemary, plant milk, a glug of extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt in a small blender until completely smooth and velvety.
4. Heat a cast-iron pan with a drizzle of oil over high heat and sear the mushrooms and shallots until deeply browned and caramelized, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper.
5. Gently massage the torn cavolo nero with a few drops of olive oil and a pinch of salt to soften the raw fiber.
6. Position a baking steel or heavy pizza stone in your oven and preheat at maximum temperature (250°C / 485°F or higher) for one hour.
7. Divide dough into two portions and gently stretch one ball across a semolina-dusted wooden peel, preserving the airy fermented rim.
8. Spread a generous base of the cannellini garlic crema, then scatter the seared mushrooms and massaged cavolo nero across the top.
9. Slide the pizza onto the blistering hot stone and bake for 7 to 9 minutes until the cornicione is charred with leopard spots and the kale edges are crisp.
10. Finish directly out of the oven with crushed toasted walnuts, a dusting of nutritional yeast, cracked black pepper, and a swirl of raw extra virgin olive oil.

Pull this bubbling pie from the oven, slice it while the crust still crackles beneath the blade, and drizzle generously with fresh cold-pressed olive oil. It is rustic, deeply nourishing, and true to the spirit of cucina povera: taking humble garden staples and turning them into pure magic.

Isabella