Artichoke & Leek Pizza
Submitted by Hawkman
Artichoke and leek pizza: fresh baby artichokes braised with pancetta, onions, and sweet leeks, piled onto thin-crust pizza with mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. A restaurant-worthy springtime slice that looks and tastes like Rome.
YIELD
1 pizzaPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minThis is the kind of pizza you find in a Roman trattoria rather than an American delivery box. Fresh artichokes get trimmed down to the tender hearts, then braised with crisped pancetta, soft onions, and thin-sliced leeks until everything melts together into a savory, almost jammy topping.
Braising the artichokes in a little water with the pancetta fat before they hit the pizza is the critical step. Raw artichoke hearts are fibrous and need cooking to become tender, and the covered pan softens them perfectly while the liquid reduces into a glaze.
A screaming-hot oven and a preheated pizza stone deliver the signature Roman thin-crust char in 6 to 8 minutes. Mozzarella for stretch, Parmigiano for a sharp finish, and a drizzle of olive oil over the top to bring it all together.
Pro Tips
- Rub every cut surface of the artichokes with lemon the moment you trim them, exposed flesh turns black almost instantly.
- Preheat the pizza stone for the full 30 minutes at 500°F (260°C), a lukewarm stone gives you a pale, chewy bottom instead of a crisp, blistered crust.
- Cool the artichoke mixture completely before topping the pizza, hot filling melts the cheese too early and makes a greasy pool.
- Dust the peel generously with semolina or cornmeal, a sticky pizza won’t slide off cleanly onto the hot stone.
- Don’t overload the toppings, less is more on this pizza. The thin crust can’t handle a thick layer of wet filling.
Variations
- Skip the pancetta for a vegetarian version, a sprinkle of smoked paprika adds the smoky note back.
- Use frozen or jarred artichoke hearts when fresh are out of season, just drain well and skip the braise.
- Top with crumbled goat cheese or dollops of ricotta in place of mozzarella for a different finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Place a pizza stone, baking tiles or an inverted baking sheet on the lowest rack of a cold oven; preheat for 30 minutes to 500 degrees F or the highest setting.
For each of the artichokes, peel away and discard the tough outer leaves, snapping them off at the base, until you reach the pale yellow leaves with the darker green tops.
Slice off the darkest green top and rub the artichoke with the cut side of the lemon half.
With a paring knife, trim the artichoke where you snapped off the leaves, removing any green portions.
Rub with lemon.
Trim the bottom ¼ inch off the stem and pare away the tough outer skin.
With a melon baller or paring knife, remove the fuzzy choke from the center of the artichoke.
Cut the heart into quarters, then cut each quarter into 4 pieces.
Squeeze the lemon into a bowl of water and place the artichoke pieces into the acidulated water to keep them from turning brown.
Heat a skillet over the medium heat, add pacetta and cook, stirring until golden about 4 minutes.
Drain the pancetta on paper towels.
Pour off fat from the skillet.
Add 1½ teaspoon of the olive oil and onions to the skillet.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft but not brown, about 3 minutes.
Add the drained artichoke pieces and stir to mix well.
Add pepper and ⅔ cup water.
Cover and cook over low heat until the artichoke pieces are tender and most of the liquid has cooked away, about 15 minutes.
Add leeks and stir to mix well.
Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt if desired.
Let cool completely.
Here we go with the dough again.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into a disk.
Use a rolling pin or your hands to roll or stretch the dough into a circle that is ¼ inch thick and 10 to 12 inches in diameter.
Transfer to a semolina or cornmeal dusted pizza peel or inverted baking sheet.
Brush the dough with a little of the remaining olive oil.
Distribute the artichoke mixture over the dough.
Sprinkle the cheeses over the artichoke mixture.
Drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
Carefully slide the pizza onto the heated pizza stone and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the bottom is crisp and browned and the top is bubbling.
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