This is my twist on a deep-dish pizza, flipped upside down so the cheese, sauce, and toppings sit beneath a golden, crisp crust. The mushrooms bring deep, earthy flavour, caramelising against the bottom of the pan, whilst the spinach adds freshness and mascarpone melts into creamy pockets. Garlic and nutmeg bring warmth. Finish with Parmesan for extra savoury depth. 

Mushrooms, spinach and mascarpone all love black pepper, so be generous and crack your pepper extra large, using a pestle and mortar or adjustable grinder. 

Tom’s art of seasoning tip: Season mushrooms once they’re caramelised to prevent drawing out excess moisture. Salting mushrooms whilst cooking will draw and stew (rather than saute them) in their own liquid, creating rubbery mushrooms rather than caramelising them to perfection.

Ingredients:

• Sea salt, to taste
  
• Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
  
• 3 tbsp olive oil
  
• 200g wild mushrooms (e.g. ceps, oyster or shiitake), whole, clean, tough stalks finely chopped
  
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
  
• 120g baby spinach
  
• 250g mascarpone
  
• 125g grated mozzarella (pre-grated or the dry block, not a ball of mozzarella in brine) 
  
• A little nutmeg, freshly grated
  
• 220g pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
  
• Flour for dusting
  
• Parmesan, grated, optional
  

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). 
2. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms until softened. Add the spinach in the same pan with the garlic and saute whilst stirring occasionally until wilted and any juices have evaporated. 
3. Spread the mushrooms and spinach evenly in the pan, leaving small gaps between them. Season with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and a grating of nutmeg. Tear the mozzarella and scatter over the top. Then finish with blobs of mascarpone.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pizza dough to a circle slightly larger than the pan. Carefully drape it over the toppings, tucking the edges down around the sides. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp.
   
5. Leave to rest for a few minutes, then invert onto a large plate or board to reveal the caramelised topping. Season a little more and finish with optional Parmesan shavings, and serve immediately.
   

Products Used: 

• Worcester Black Granite Pestle & Mortar
  
• Strethall Ceramic Salt Pig
  
• Wallis Professional Nutmeg Grinder
  
• Elmdon Ceramic Garlic Keeper
  
• Barkway acacia chopping board Large