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Fennel Pancetta Pizza
Contributed by: Melinda
This one turned out to be a fluke. I saw a TV chef prepare
some Fennel and Pancetta for a salad one day and it looked so good
I thought it would make a good appetizer combination. I wasn't
sure how to best present it, but decided to try it with some
french bread. Oh My Gosh! This is absolutely delicious. So here's
the way I decided to serve it to guests...
This is a delicate pizza. Be sure not to over-load the pizza. Toppings should be
sparse and pizza should be lightweight.
What you need
- 1 recipe Pizza
Dough with beer or fresh pizza dough from your local market or
pizzeria (enough for two 12 inch thin crust pizzas)
- 1 fresh fennel bulb (sometimes labelled anise, this is in fact the bulb
of the fennel plant)
- 1/4 lb. pancetta - try to get it as lean as possible
- Olive oil
- Cornmeal
- Grated romano or parmesan cheese (optional)
- Bechamel
sauce or Olive oil sauce (ingredients follow - use steps 8 & 9 below)
- 4 Tbl Olive Oil
- 1 Tbl minced thyme or rosemary or combination
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup romano cheese, grated
How to make it
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees with the stone inside (the
stone needs to be heated with the oven)
- Cut root end and stems/stalks from fennel bulb
- Chop into sections about 1 inch wide by 3 inches long (the
bulb is layers and will separate)
- Cut pancetta slices in half
- Place anise/fennel pieces into a bowl, drizzle with a little
olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt - combine with pancetta pieces
- When oven temperature is around 375º, place anise/fennel and
pancetta on a foil lined baking sheet and place in the oven
- Roast for about 15 minutes (keeping an eye out), until the pancetta is
crispy
- Place olive oil, minced herb and garlic into a saucepan
- Place over low heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, until
the aromas of garlic and herb intensify
- Remove from heat and add grated cheese
- Roll out pizza dough and place on pizza peel sprinkled
with cornmeal
- Spread with a thin layer of Bechamel
sauce or Olive oil sauce
- Top with roasted anise/fennel and pancetta
- Sprinkle with grated cheese if desired
- Place onto baking stone and cook until edges are lightly browned -
10-15 minutes
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