So next time you want a pizza, but want to spice it up a bit, have something a little different I would highly recommend this pizza con pancetta. This fabulous recipe is from a cookbook called Pizza, calzone & focaccia by Maxine Clark. We got it as wedding present and it's pretty good.Here is the recipe:
(either make your own pizza dough, or buy one it's the toppings that really make this pizza)
PIZZA CON PANCETTA
-6 tablespoons fiery red pesto
-24 thin slices pancetta or bacon
- extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
-sea salt and finely ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (roughly 218 degrees Celsius) for at least 30 minutes
Uncover dough (if making homemade), punch out the air, and roll or pull into a rectangle (I made a rectangle and a square and, honestly, the shape doesn't change the taste) about 8 inches wide and as long as your oven will take (or make 2). Put dough on parchment paper.
Spread the red pesto over the pizza crust, leaving a 1/2 inch rim around the edge. Lay the strips of pancetta widthwise across the pizza - they should be almost the same width as the dough. Season and drizzle with oil.
Working quickly, open the oven door and slide paper and pizza onto the hot baking stone or baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, then carefully slide out the baking parchment. Bake the pizza for a further 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the pancetta is crisp. Remove from the oven and drizzle with olive oil. Cut and eat immediately.
For the Fiery Red Pesto you can either make your own (don't worry I'll provide the recipe in a minute) or, if you are lazy like me, you can buy some red tomato based pesto and then add some crushed red pepper flakes to the pizza. Trust me this way is really yummy.
-24 thin slices pancetta or bacon
- extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
-sea salt and finely ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (roughly 218 degrees Celsius) for at least 30 minutes
Uncover dough (if making homemade), punch out the air, and roll or pull into a rectangle (I made a rectangle and a square and, honestly, the shape doesn't change the taste) about 8 inches wide and as long as your oven will take (or make 2). Put dough on parchment paper.
Spread the red pesto over the pizza crust, leaving a 1/2 inch rim around the edge. Lay the strips of pancetta widthwise across the pizza - they should be almost the same width as the dough. Season and drizzle with oil.
Working quickly, open the oven door and slide paper and pizza onto the hot baking stone or baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, then carefully slide out the baking parchment. Bake the pizza for a further 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the pancetta is crisp. Remove from the oven and drizzle with olive oil. Cut and eat immediately.
For the Fiery Red Pesto you can either make your own (don't worry I'll provide the recipe in a minute) or, if you are lazy like me, you can buy some red tomato based pesto and then add some crushed red pepper flakes to the pizza. Trust me this way is really yummy.
Fiery Red Pesto
1 large red bell pepper
2 big handfuls of fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra to preserve
Preheat the broiler to high.
Place the bell pepper on the broiler rack and broil, turning occasionally, until blackened all over. Put the pepper in a covered bowl until cool enough to handle, then peel off the skin. Halve and remove the core and seeds.
Place the pepper and the remaining ingredients, except the oil, in a food processor. Process until smooth, then, with the machine running, slowly add the oil. Spoon into a screw-top jar with a layer of olive oil on top to exclude the air, then refrigerate, for up to 2 weeks, until needed.
1 large red bell pepper
2 big handfuls of fresh basil leaves
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra to preserve
Preheat the broiler to high.
Place the bell pepper on the broiler rack and broil, turning occasionally, until blackened all over. Put the pepper in a covered bowl until cool enough to handle, then peel off the skin. Halve and remove the core and seeds.
Place the pepper and the remaining ingredients, except the oil, in a food processor. Process until smooth, then, with the machine running, slowly add the oil. Spoon into a screw-top jar with a layer of olive oil on top to exclude the air, then refrigerate, for up to 2 weeks, until needed.
Considering I don't have a food processor I opted not to make my own. I did seriously think about getting all the ingredients and grinding them together with our mortar and pestle (which we bought at DH's insistence that it was essential and have yet to use), but once we found some red pesto, I just figured if it wasn't "fiery" (which it wasn't) I'd just spice it up myself. All in all, this is a really great pizza. A nice deviation from a typical pizza, and it's good for lunch the next day...that it assuming you haven't inhaled it all in one sitting!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
1 comment:
Sounds wonderful! I'll have to try it! Keep posting those great recipes!!
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