Pizza Chahar Fasl (پیتزا چهار فصل) — Persian Four Seasons Pizza

• 500 gPizza dough (homemade or store-bought) (Room temperature for easier stretching)
• 20 gAll-purpose flour (For dusting the peel and shaping)
• 240 gTomato passata (Smooth strained tomatoes)
• 15 mlExtra-virgin olive oil (For the sauce)
• 6 gSea salt (Divide across sauce and toppings)
• 2 tspDried thyme (Divide across sauce and mushrooms)
• 1 tspBlack pepper (Freshly ground)
• 250 gMozzarella (low-moisture), shredded (For even melting)
• 60 gKashkaval or provolone, grated (Adds a sharper, Persian-pizzeria style flavor)
• 180 gBeef sirloin (Thinly sliced into 3–5 mm strips)
• 80 gOnion (Grated; squeeze lightly to reduce excess water)
• 0.2 gSaffron threads (Ground and bloomed in hot water)
• 15 mlHot water (To bloom saffron)
• 0.5 tspTurmeric (For beef seasoning)
• 10 mlOlive oil (For searing beef)
• 180 gShrimp (Peeled and deveined; medium size)
• 10 mlLemon juice (For shrimp marinade)
• 6 gGarlic (Finely grated (about 2 cloves))
• 25 gKilka (sprats) or anchovy fillets (Drained; chopped or left as small pieces)
• 180 gMushrooms (Sliced 5 mm; cremini or button)
• 10 gUnsalted butter (For sautéing mushrooms)
• 12 gFresh parsley (Finely chopped)
• 8 gFresh cilantro (Finely chopped)
• 4 gFresh mint (Finely chopped)
• 140 gArtichoke hearts (Canned or jarred, drained and quartered)
• 160 gTomatoes (Firm; thinly sliced and patted dry)
• 50 gRed onion (Thinly sliced)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 260°C (500°F) for at least 30 minutes with a pizza stone or steel on the middle rack. If using a baking sheet, preheat it too. Meanwhile, bring the pizza dough to room temperature (about 45–60 minutes) so it stretches without tearing and bakes evenly.

2. 2

   Make the sauce: in a bowl, stir tomato passata with extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, dried thyme, and black pepper until smooth. Let it sit 10 minutes to hydrate the thyme and mellow the raw tomato flavor. Keep the sauce thick; watery sauce can prevent browning and make the center soggy.

3. 3

   Prepare the beef quadrant: bloom saffron by grinding threads and mixing with hot water; rest 5 minutes. Toss sliced beef with grated onion, saffron water, and turmeric. Heat 10 ml olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then sear beef 60–90 seconds, just until browned outside. Cool 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Prepare the mushroom quadrant: heat butter and 5 ml olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and cook 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until their moisture evaporates and edges brown. Stir in 1 tsp dried thyme and cook 30 seconds more. Spread on a plate to cool and stop steaming.

5. 5

   Prepare the seafood quadrant: in a bowl, mix shrimp with lemon juice, grated garlic, and 10 ml olive oil. Marinate 10 minutes at room temperature (do not exceed 20 minutes or the shrimp can turn mealy). Drain any excess liquid. Keep kilka or anchovy pieces ready; they will season the quadrant with salty depth.

6. 6

   Shape the pizza: dust the work surface and peel with the flour. Stretch dough into a 30–32 cm (12–13 inch) round, leaving a slightly thicker rim. Transfer to the peel. Spread the sauce evenly, leaving a 2 cm border. Sprinkle mozzarella and grated kashkaval/provolone over the sauced area for full coverage.

7. 7

   Build the four seasons: mentally divide the pizza into four quadrants. Quadrant 1: arrange mushrooms. Quadrant 2: add artichoke hearts, tomato slices (patted dry), and red onion. Quadrant 3: distribute the seared saffron beef. Quadrant 4: place shrimp evenly and dot with kilka or anchovy pieces.

8. 8

   Bake: slide pizza onto the hot stone/steel and bake 8–11 minutes at 260°C (500°F) until the rim is deeply golden and cheese bubbles. If using a baking sheet, bake 12–15 minutes. For extra color, broil 30–60 seconds at the end, watching constantly to avoid burning the seafood quadrant.

9. 9

   Finish and rest: remove pizza and rest 2 minutes so cheese sets and slices stay clean. Mix parsley, cilantro, and mint, then scatter lightly over the whole pizza for a Persian herb lift. Slice into 8 pieces, ensuring each plate gets a variety of quadrants for the full “four seasons” experience.