Parigina Pizza: the classic Italian street food recipe for making Parisian Pizza

If you can’t make up your mind on whether you want pizza or pie, this Parisian pizza is just for you. Parigina Pizza is a classic Italian street food from Naples and is a rustic sheet pizza filled with ham, cheese, and tomato, and topped with puff pastry—it’s the best of both worlds! Each bite brings you a combination of textures: soft pizza dough, with a crispy, flaky topping.

To make it, you prepare pizza dough, top it with tomato sauce, ham, and cheese, and then place the puff pastry on top. It’s perfect for brunch, lunch, or dinner. You will find Parigina Pizza in Italian bars or a rosticceria, a type of  ‘slow food’ takeaway. Now you can make it in your own home!

What Is Parigina Pizza?

Parigina Pizza is a rustic Neapolitan-style pizza—a classic street food that you will find all across Italy. Traditionally, it’s filled with prosciutto cotto and provolone cheese. So why is it called Parisian Pizza if it’s Italian? Well, unlike typical Italian pizzas, this one gets topped with puff pastry hence the name!

Parisian Pizza Ingredients

Yeast – make sure the yeast you use hasn’t expired.

Olive oil – use extra virgin olive oil for best results.

Flour – use durum wheat or 00 flour.

Tomato sauce – use high-quality store-bought sauce or make your own.

Ham – any deli ham will work..

Cheese – use mozzarella, provolone, or cheddar cheese.

Puff pastry – store-bought puff pastry is perfect for this recipe!

How To Make Parigina Pizza

Making Pizza Dough

Place the yeast in a small bowl and allow it to sit for 7 minutes until foamy. If the mixture isn’t foamy yet, let it sit for a few more minutes. Pour in oil and whisk. Now add the flour and salt, and stir with a spatula to combine. Continue to knead the dough with your hands for about 5 minutes. The dough should smooth and elastic.

Form the dough into a bowl and drizzle with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Assembling Parigina

After the dough has rested, it’s ready to be transferred to the baking sheet. Place the dough on a greased baking sheet and use your fingertips to spread it out in a rectangular shape onto the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for another 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix tomato sauce with olive oil and salt. Spread the tomato sauce on top of the dough, then cover it with ham and cheese slices. Unroll a sheet of puff pastry and place it on top of the pizza. Prick the puff pastry with a fork.

Baking Parigina Pizza

In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk with heavy cream, and brush it over the puff pastry. Bake the Parigina Pizza until golden. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing!

Tips

This recipe will work with other pizza dough recipes too, whether it’s an easy no-knead pizza dough or an overnight cold fermenting pizza dough.

To make your own homemade pizza sauce, cook together: 1 can chopped tomato, 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 3 tbsp fresh basil, 2 tsp dried oregano (or 2 tbsp fresh oregano), salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce is a bit too acidic to your taste, you can add a tsp of sugar.

For a classic Parigina Pizza, use Prosciutto cotto and provolone cheese. Other cured meats or cheeses will also work well. You can even use bacon, rotisserie chicken, or cooked turkey!

If you see the puff pastry is browning too quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil on top.

How To Store Parigina

In the rare event that you have leftovers (this pizza will likely be eaten in one sitting), you can store it for up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in the oven or Airfryer before serving.

Instructions

In a bowl mix warm water with dry yeast and let sit for 7 minutes.

Pour in oil and whisk.

Add the flour and salt, and stir with a spatula to combine.

Continue to knead the dough with your hands for 5 minutes. Make a ball from the dough and drizzle it with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Transfer the dough onto a greased baking sheet and press to cover the surface of the sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix tomato sauce with olive oil and salt.

Spread the tomato sauce over the dough.

Top with ham and cheese slices.

Cover with a sheet of puff pastry and prick with a fork.

In a bowl, combine egg yolk with heavy cream. Brush the puff pastry with the egg-cream mixture. Bake in the preheated to 180°C/360°F for 35-40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Notes

Use store-bought pizza dough as a shortcut if you’re short on time!