Brussels Sprouts & Speck Pizza

It's Friday night. Time for homemade pizza.

I rarely order my pizza with tomato sauce any more. I am all grown up now (plus tomato sauce has been giving me acid reflux lately!).

I would much rather have an amazing pie that showcases the fresh cheese or vegetable or pork on amazing homemade dough.

This is the perfect fall pizza. Though this is a very "adult" pie, kids love it too.

For this pizza, I use speck, which is a smoked prosciutto (if you want, you can use pancetta, just make sure you cook it with the sprouts first).
Do not use regular prosciutto, since it will just crisp up and add no flavor.

Brussels Sprouts & Speck Pizza:

1 recipe for pizza dough (Jim Lahey's great recipe here)

1 lb. Brussel sprouts, cut and sliced into small pieces
olive oil
lemon juice
sea salt & pepper
1 clove garlic

2 balls of fresh mozzarella packed in water
2 large onions, sliced thin
4 slices of speck (Italian smoked prosciutto), cut into small dice
truffle oil (optional) for finishing

First prepare the Brussels sprouts & onions, which can be done the day before.

In a large skillet, heat some olive oil and saute the sprouts for about 10 minutes with the garlic, until cooked and turning golden.
Squeeze some lemon juice over the vegetables and drizzle with a tiny bit of truffle oil. Season with salt & pepper.
You will want to eat the whole pan, but try and resist because you want to use them as a pizza topping. Set aside in a bowl for later.

In the same skillet, cook the sliced onions in olive oil on low heat for about 15 minutes until nice and soft and light golden. Sprinkle w/ some kosher or sea salt during the process. Set aside.

Roll out your dough in a full sheet pan drizzled w/ some olive oil (I like to use a commercial rectangle 21" x 15" pan that I use to roast vegetables and bake cookies on). Spread the dough almost to the edges if you can.
The small amount of oil on the pan will help insure a crisp crust and easy removal.

Spread the cooked onions and Brussels sprouts all over the dough and dot with pieces of the fresh mozzarella. I use my hands to break pieces of cheese off, so they are uneven.

Lastly, scatter the ham over the pizza and drizzle w/ a tiny bit of olive oil and sea salt.

Bake in a 475F preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. The crust will be golden and the cheese will be bubbling.

Let rest a minute, then slice and enjoy!

Have a nice weekend!