America's Melting Pot

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1980s-present - Alice Waters, Ed LaDou, Wolfgang Puck, and California Pizza Kitchen popularizers

California Pizza

Name: California Pizza
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 2 small pizzas
Ingredients: 1 pound pizza dough; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 cup shredded mozzarella; 1/2 cup goat cheese; 1 cup roasted vegetables such as peppers, zucchini, or mushrooms; 1 cup baby arugula; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan; Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste; Chili flakes, optional

California pizza emerged around 1980 as chefs in Berkeley, San Francisco, and Los Angeles put California cuisine toppings onto thin-crust pizza. Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, Ed LaDou, Wolfgang Puck at Spago, and later California Pizza Kitchen helped spread the style.

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Difficulty

Moderate

Prep time

25 minutes

Cook time

12 minutes

Total time

37 minutes

Servings

2 small pizzas

Region

California and West Coast pizza restaurants

Era introduced

1980s-present

Introduced by

Alice Waters, Ed LaDou, Wolfgang Puck, and California Pizza Kitchen popularizers

Recipe tools

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The Story

California pizza took the familiar American thin crust and opened the topping list to farmers-market produce, goat cheese, smoked salmon, barbecue chicken, artichokes, and other ingredients associated with California cuisine. The style grew from chef restaurants before chains made it nationally familiar. This version uses a simple fresh-vegetable and goat-cheese topping to show the style without copying one restaurant signature.

Ingredients

1 pound pizza dough
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup goat cheese
1 cup roasted vegetables such as peppers, zucchini, or mushrooms
1 cup baby arugula
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Chili flakes, optional

Equipment

Baking sheet
Roasting pan
Oven
Cutting board
Chef's knife
Mixing bowl
Spatula
Pastry brush

Directions

Heat oven to 500 F with a stone or heavy sheet pan inside if available.
Divide dough into 2 balls and stretch into thin rounds.
Brush with olive oil.
Top with mozzarella, goat cheese, and roasted vegetables.
Bake until crust is browned and cheese melts, 8 to 12 minutes.
Toss arugula with lemon juice, a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Top hot pizzas with arugula and Parmesan.
Finish with chili flakes if using.

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