The Whole Wheat

Are you wondering what on earth “melted cappicola” could mean?  Let me explain – it is is when you lay lovely thinly sliced pieces of cappicola on a very thin pizza crust – then top that with fresh mozzarella and veggies.  After baking in a very hot oven – the cappicola spreads its flavor into the crust and veggies almost like butter.  Melted butter. 

This pizza is wonderfully easy and wouldbe a perfect starter to a big dinner or is always great as a complete meal with a fresh salad.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3 leeks, tops discarded and chopped finely
• shitake mushrooms, sliced (I usually put about 3 cups but this is to taste)
• 1-2 T. champagne vinegar
• 4-8 oz. thinly sliced cappicola
• Ball of fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• fresh pizza crust stretched very thinly – Italian style

1. Preheat the oven (preferably with a pizza stone in it) to 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes.
2. Saute leeks in olive oil until soft, add shitake mushrooms.  Cook until mushrooms take on slight color, add champagne vinegar, stir to mix then cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until mushrooms are very soft.  Uncover and cook another minute to remove any liquid.  Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Prepare pizza by lining thinly stretched crust with cappicola.  Top this the leek & mushroom mixture, then top with cheese.  (I often prepare the pizza directly on top of the hot pizza stone so that I don’t have to transfer the fully dressed pizza and lose any toppings.)
4. Bake on pizza stone ~10 minutes until crust is vey nicely crisped and top has gotten bubbly and tasty!
5. Let sit 2 minutes before cutting.  Enjoy!