I am not kidding: This may be the best pizza I have ever made. Do not fear Brussels sprouts on this– they are undetectable, in fact none of the ingredients draws attention rather, they all work harmoniously together.
I use a very small amount of pancetta in this recipe, which adds a really good salty, charcuterie essence, but can easily be left off for a vegetarian pie.
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 oz piece pancetta, cut into matchstick size pieces (optional)
1 ball store bought (or homemade) whole wheat dough (white, if you like), @ room temp
6 plum tomatoes, canned
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt flakes
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
6 slices smoked Provolone
2 cups skim milk mozzarella
3 Brussels sprouts, shaved in a mandolin or sliced as thin as possible
1/2 medium red onion, shaved in a mandolin or sliced as thin as possible
1) Preheat oven to 425F. Rub a half sheet pan (17″ X 12″, or a pizza pan) with 1 tablespoon oil. Set aside. Sauté pancetta pieces in a dry pan until just crisp, reserve the fat and set aside. Roll the dough out thin, to fit your pan.
2) Lay the dough into the pan. Using your hands, squish and break up the plum tomatoes onto the dough. Don’t worry about the juice that accompanies the tomatoes. Scatter salt over the tomatoes and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle on the garlic powder, oregano and red pepper flakes then, lay the provolone on the pizza, return to the oven and bake 5 minutes, or until the cheese has just melted. Remove from the oven and toss mozzarella over top, then scatter Brussels sprouts, red onion and pancetta, drizzle the rendered pancetta fat. Place back into the oven and bake until golden (roughly 10-15 minutes).
Serve at once. Serves 4