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Calabrese Pizza
Serves 1 Prep 15 min Cook 12 min Total 27 min Type Meal Origin Italian

Calabrese Pizza

Calabria is Italy's spicy southern toe, home of nduja, hot peppers and the boldly flavoured Calabrese sausage. This pizza brings them together with a watercress-pesto finish for fresh contrast.

Serves 1 Prep 15 minutes Cook 12 minutes Units Rate

Overview

A pizza built on layered heat: nduja, roquito peppers, fresh green chilli, Calabrese sausage and a touch of dried oregano. After baking, torn fior di latte and a watercress-pesto salad are scattered on top for cool, peppery contrast. A bold pizza that needs a properly hot oven and a confident hand with the spice.

Ingredients

Base

Topping (Pre-Bake)

  • 45 grams mozzarella (cubed)
  • 30 grams nduja sausage (optional, from a good Italian deli)
  • 30 grams roquito peppers (chopped)
  • 4 fresh green chillies (large, finely sliced)
  • ¼ yellow pepper (sliced)
  • ¼ red pepper (sliced)
  • 20 grams Grana Padano (grated)
  • 30 grams Calabrese sausage (or spicy salami, sliced)
  • Pinch of dried oregano

Topping (Post-Bake)

  • 20 grams watercress (stalks trimmed)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh Pesto
  • 50 grams fior di latte mozzarella (or buffalo mozzarella)

Method

Stage 1 - Heat the Oven

  1. Place a baking sheet or pizza stone in the oven.
  2. Heat to 220°C (200°C fan, gas 7), or as hot as your oven will go.

Stage 2 - Shape & Top the Base

  1. Stretch and roll the dough into a rectangle or rustic circle.
  2. Remove the hot sheet from the oven and place the dough on top.
  3. Quickly spread the tomato sauce over the base, leaving a 1 cm gap around the edge.
  4. Scatter over the cubed mozzarella.
  5. Break the nduja into small pieces and dot evenly over the base.
  6. Add the roquito peppers, green chilli, yellow and red peppers.
  7. Sprinkle with half the Grana Padano.
  8. Top with slices of Calabrese sausage and season with the dried oregano.

Stage 3 - Bake

  1. Place the pizza in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the base is crisp and golden.
  2. While it bakes, toss the watercress with the pesto in a small bowl.

Stage 4 - Finish

  1. Remove the pizza from the oven.
  2. Tear the fior di latte into 10 pieces and scatter over the hot pizza.
  3. Spoon the watercress and pesto mixture over the top.
  4. Finish with the remaining Grana Padano.

Notes

  • Nduja: A spreadable Calabrian sausage rich with chilli. Look for it at Italian delis or larger supermarkets. The recipe still works without it but loses some character.
  • Two cheeses: Grated mozzarella melts into the sauce while the fior di latte stays soft and milky on top. Don't skip either.
  • Watercress salad: The peppery freshness is what stops the pizza from feeling heavy; tossing it with the pesto coats every leaf.
  • Order of layering: Cheese under sausage helps the salami crisp instead of slip off.

Variations

Mild calabrese: Replace the nduja and roquito peppers with sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers; keep the salami for character. All-meat: Add 30 grams of pancetta or speck alongside the Calabrese sausage.

Serving

Serve with: A glass of robust red (Cirò or Aglianico work beautifully) and a few green olives Garnish with: A drizzle of chilli oil for those who want more heat

Storage

  • Best eaten straight from the oven
  • Leftovers keep 1 day refrigerated; reheat in a hot oven, never the microwave
  • Watercress salad goes limp and should be made fresh each time

Recipes mentioned here

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Pesto

Pesto

Pesto represents the height of simplicity: five ingredients (basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, Parmesan) combined to create a sauce of profound flavor and silky texture. The key to successful pesto lies in ingredient quality and processing technique. Fresh, fragrant basil is non-negotiable; aged or heat-stressed basil creates harsh, off-flavored results. Pine nuts must be fresh (rancid pine nuts ruin pesto instantly). Garlic should be mild and rounded by the pesto's other elements. Parmesan must be freshly grated; pre-grated cheese creates a grainy, inferior result. Traditional pesto is made by mortar and pestle, which bruises rather than cuts the basil, preserving its vibrant green color and fresh character. Modern food processors work adequately but can create a less vibrant result if over-processed.

Italian 20 minutes Serves180

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