PORK AND
FENNEL
SAUSAGE,
ARTICHOKE,
BUFFALO
RICOTTA
MAKES A 30 CM PIZZA
I’ve taken the filling out of
the sausage casings for good
reason. If the sausage is merely
sliced, the casings can have the
texture of rubber bands when
cooked quickly at high heat.
It’s also easier to distribute
the sausage evenly on the
pizza. If fresh artichokes
aren’t available, there are
good Italian artichokes in oil
available at specialist stores.
Tomato ‘fillets’
1 kg ripe tomatoes
Sea salt
To as sem ble
250 g ball of basic pizza
dough, shaped
120 g fior di latte mozzarella,
thinly sliced
3 cooked artichokes (see
note), cut into quarters
40 g (¾ cup) grated
parmesan cheese
140 g best-quality Italian-style
pork and fennel sausages,
meat removed from casings
Sea salt
80 g buffalo milk ricotta cheese
8–10 fennel fronds
To make tomato fillets, plunge the
tomatoes into boiling salted water
for 20–30 seconds, then plunge
into iced water. After 5 minutes,
they’ll peel easily. Peel, halve and
scoop out all seeds with a spoon.
Cut each half in two, then each
quarter into fillets. Unused fillets
will keep for 2–3 days, refrigerated.
To assemble, place a large tile in
your oven for the pizza, then turn
the oven up to preheat to full heat
(without using any fan-forced
function) for at least 20 minutes.
Scatter mozzarella over the pizza
base, leaving the edges clear
to about 3 to 4 centimetres.
Distribute the artichoke quarters
and tomato fillets over the top.
Sprinkle with parmesan and
sausage meat. Season with salt
and place in the oven for 3 to 5
minutes until cooked, turning
for even colour. Once out of the
oven, use a teaspoon to place
small blobs of buffalo ricotta
here and there. Finally, place the
fennel fronds evenly over the top.
Choose artichokes that are firm, without
blemishes and have heads that are full and tight.
To prepare you’ll need a pan of cold water with
the juice of a lemon squeezed into it to prevent
discolouring. With a paring knife, take the top
2 to 3 centimetres of the artichoke clean off,
then begin paring around the heart until you
reach the tender inner leaves. Leave about 4 to
5 centimetres of stalk at the base, this part being
quite delicious when cooked, and trim away any
leaves. As each artichoke is prepared, place it in
the pan of lemon water. You will notice that theartichokes float and the topmost ones sit above
the water – weight down with a plate so they
don’t discolour. Bring the water to the boil, turn
down to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes
until tender. Test for ‘doneness’ by pushing a
knife into one of the artichokes – there should
be just a hint of resistance. Drain and cool the
artichokes completely. Any tough outer leaves
can be removed and the stem trimmed. Store the
artichokes in jars under olive oil for up to 14 days
in the refrigerator or slice or quarter and use
within 3 to 4 days.
Tip