It’s pizza night and you’re looking for a new combo to try for those toppings? Why not give this scrumptious recipe by Wolfgang Puck a whirl! With tasty sausage and herbs – it’s sure to please.
PIZZA WITH SAUSAGE, FENNEL & PEPPERS
Yield: Makes 4, 8-inch pizzas
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for brushing the pizza crusts
- 2 medium fennel bulbs, cut into eighths, cored, and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 recipe pizza dough (recipe follows)
- 1/2 cup prepared pesto
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups grated Fontina cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large roasted red pepper (fresh or bottled)
- 6 ounces fennel sausage, crumbled or sliced
Directions:
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the fennel and sauté until it is just tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the garlic and the thyme.
- Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- Roll or press out the pizza dough as directed on the recipe below. Brush lightly with olive oil, then brush each pizza with 2 tablespoons of the pesto. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the pesto. Top with the fennel, red pepper, and sausage.
- Using a lightly floured baker’s peel or a rimless flat baking tray, slide the pizza onto the baking stone and bake until the pizza crust is nicely browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remember that the oven is very hot and be careful as you place the pizza into and out of the oven. Transfer the pizza to a firm surface and cut into slices with a pizza cutter or very sharp knife. Serve immediately.