Pizza with Pancetta and Broccoli Rabe

When I was doing faux finishing, my clients would want a room done and think that all I had to do was slap some paint and a little glaze and be done in a few hours. They would nearly faint at my price quote because if I was going to give them a dining room they could love for several years, it would probably take the good part of a week. The prep alone could day a whole day and then the layers in between would have to be applied correctly by hand. The mere thought process that went into figuring out a bronze and red color scheme that looked like peeled paint that had been there for hundreds of years was daunting because I had to get the colors mixed to match what was in the client’s mind. The worst case scenario was if something was already there and had to be removed, like wall paper or badly painted walls from sloppy contractors. It would have been easier to start fresh, but rarely does one get to do that. And, even with newly built homes, there would be problems with improperly primed walls, badly installed drywall, etc.

I learned that nothing is every simple, even if it’s easy.

Spinach Tiger is moving to word press and this is why I haven’t posted in so long. We knew going in that the move would not be easy because no move ever is, but in the end it will be worth all the work.

The transition is a few weeks away and while I’m idling, I thought I would share another pizza recipe.

The Pizza
My last two pizza posts were fruity, but this is savory, salty and addicting. The combination of broccoli rabe and pancetta is just the thing when you want a real boost of flavor without a red sauce.

Broccoli rabe, also known as rapini, should be a staple in every kitchen. It’s a green that is easy to cook and versatile. It’s probably one of the more misunderstood vegetables in all the American land and that’s all due to it’s name. It is nothing like broccoli in flavor or in the way it cooks. It’s in the mustard green family and it has that bitter (but not unpleasant) taste that marries perfectly with garlic, olive oil and a bit of salt and crushed red pepper. It can jump from a pasta to steak sandwich to a grilled cheese to a pizza in mere seconds and spark up your taste buds with flavor that has been described as pungent, tangy, bitter and nutty. We always buy two bunches because one never seems enough after taking that first bite.

Pancetta is an ingredient I thought I would not have to say much about, but according to the new Whole Foods in my area, it is no longer carried because they didn’t sell enough of it. That’s a culinary surprise and tragedy because they had carried the very best pancetta I ever tasted in Tennessee. (Disclaimer: you can still buy it there prepackaged and pre-sliced, but who would do that, as most recipes call for a dice not a slice.

If you can’t find pancetta, use bacon or a crumbled cooked Italian sausage. And, for the vegetarian, broccoli rabe can stand alone as the star ingredient.

This was made on the grill, but you can also bake your pizza in the oven, preheating a pizza stone and getting as high in temperature as your oven will allow.

Pizza Recipe

Tips for Cooking Brocolli Rabe
Trim the stems at least 1/2 inch from the end. I trim the stems all the way to the part where flowers and leaves begin. If you keep the stems, chop into 2 inch pieces and put into boiling water 3 minutes before adding in rest of broccoli rabe.

These are the stems you will need to discard. They will remain stringy and chewy, unlike broccoli.

Season properly. The bitter and pungent flavor needs accessorizing. Garlic, salt, and heat achieve this. Some even use anchovies in their base to get that saltiness. I prefer the use of pecorino romano (which is a very salty, yet creamy grating cheese).