2 md Sized artichokes or 4 small
1/2 Lemon for preparing
-artichokes
1 oz Pancetta, diced
1 tb Olive oil preferably extra
Virgin
1 Onion, finely chopped
Salt & freshly ground black
-pepper, to taste
1 Large leek, thoroughly
-cleaned and sliced thinly
3/4 lb Pizza Dough
Semolina or cornmeal for
-dusting
2 oz Mozzarella cheese, grated
3 tb Parmesan cheese, grated
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 1/4 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 1 1/2 tsp. 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 2/3
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 1/4 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.
Recipes from: Eating Well, The Magazine of Food and Health
