"The Lancaster" Pizza
/Welcome to another recipe based post! I went to visit my cousin in Lancaster, PA back in May and we were asked to bring an appetizer to a Derby Day party. Necessity is the mother of invention so we hit the market for some inspiration, had lunch at Dip Co* and created this sinful appetizer. I give to you, "The Lancaster" pizza. You're welcome. You'll need the following:
Some kind of pizza crust (Trader Joe's just came out with these par-baked frozen crusts a few months ago and I have about 4 packages in my freezer)
A decent chunk of Taleggio
Half of a large red onion, sliced into half moons
Half a package of asparagus, sliced into half inch pieces
Half a package of diced pancetta
OOOOOOORRRRR you can buy the Trader Joe's frozen crusts that I mentioned above since they are 2 to a pack and just use up all of your ingredients but hey, your call.
Regardless of the crust you use, do make sure it is par-baked. It keeps the crust firm once you load it with toppings.
Preheat the oven to 425. Prepare the crust per the instructions and top it with slices of Taleggio like so,
Place pancetta in a pan on medium high heat. Cook about three quarters of the way through, remove with a slotted spoon and place it on a plate with a paper towel to absorb some of the fat. Turn the heat down to medium and add the red onion to the rendered fat. Heat the red onion until it looks like this,
Add your asparagus to the pan until heated through, about one minute,
Take the ingredients in the pan and spoon them evenly over the cheese. Sprinkle the pancetta over the vegetables and cheese and you should have something that resembles this,
Place the pizza in the oven for 14 minutes and you will be rewarded with a pizza that friends describe as "bangin'"
It's the perfect weeknight recipe and definitely a dish to impress. Until the next dish, ciao!
*Dip Co=The Lancaster Dispensing Company located right next to the Central Market. I stuck to wings and Bloody Mary's but they have a large selection of pretty much everything. Definitely stop by if you're in the area.
