Recipes
Pizza con le Puntarelle Alla Romana
A sharp, salty celebration of Roman flavors, this recipe combines a crisp base with molten mozzarella and cool, crunchy chicory tossed in anchovy vinaigrette.
- Makes
Four 12-inch pizzas
- Time
1 day 2 hours
Puntarelle—the crunchy, bitter chicory that dominates Roman produce stands in winter—isn’t just for salads. When paired with pizza, it brings all the punch of the anchovy-laced dressing to a crispy, cheesy canvas, bridging two of Rome’s most beloved culinary obsessions: pizza and bitter flavors. The base is thin and crisp, the cheese modest, and the vegetables raw and dressed, layered on post-bake so their texture and flavor remain intact. This is Roman food at its most elemental: salty, sharp, satisfying.
Featured in “How to Cook With Puntarelle, the Bitter Green Romans Can’t Live Without” by Katie Parla.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- ⅛ tsp. active dry yeast
- 3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing and brushing
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella, torn or cut into ½-in. pieces, divided
For the puntarelle alla Romana:
- 1 lb. 5 oz. puntarelle, or frisée
- 6 oil-packed anchovy fillets
- 1 garlic clove, smashed with the side of a knife
- 3 Tbsp. red or white wine vinegar, plus more to taste
- ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- Flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Instructions
Step 1
Make the dough: In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir together the yeast and 1 cup of cold water. Set aside until the yeast has dissolved, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and mix on low until the dough mostly comes together into a dry ball, about 3 minutes. Add the salt and mix on medium, adding up to 3 tablespoons of water if the dough looks dry, until a smooth and elastic ball forms, about 4 minutes. Mix in the oil. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step 2
Grease a baking sheet with oil. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a dough scraper or knife, cut it into 4 pieces weighing about 6 ounces each. Working with one piece at a time, pull one corner and fold it into the top of the dough, pressing lightly and taking care not to flatten it. Repeat with the other 3 corners. The dough will tighten up into a round. Flip the dough seam-side down on an unfloured surface. Cup your hands around it and gently pull it toward you, using the resistance of the countertop to create tension on the dough surface. Rotate the dough a quarter turn, then pull it toward you again. Repeat this motion—pulling and turning—until the dough tightens into a smooth, round ball. Repeat with the remaining pieces. Place the dough balls on the greased baking sheet, brush lightly with oil, and cover the baking sheet with plastic. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
Step 3
Three hours before baking, retrieve the dough from the fridge and set aside at room temperature, covered. It will rise slightly as it warms. Place a baking steel or stone in the top third of the oven and preheat the broiler.
Step 4
Meanwhile, make the puntarelle alla Romana: Fill a medium bowl with water and ice. Strip away the outer leaves of the puntarelle and reserve for another use. Separate the inner stalks and trim off the fibrous ends. Slice the stalks into thin strips and drop them into the ice water. Set aside until curled, about 1 hour. (Alternatively, if using frisée, coarsely chop it before adding it to the ice water.)
Step 5
In a mortar and pestle, mash the anchovies and garlic into a paste. Whisk in the vinegar, then very gradually whisk in the oil to create a creamy dressing.
Step 6
Drain the puntarelle, pat it dry, and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and more vinegar.
Step 7
Lightly flour a work surface. Using flat fingertips, gently press one dough ball into a 6-inch round. Lightly flour the top. Using a rolling pin, roll from the center outward, applying gentle, even pressure. Rotate a quarter turn and continue rolling, rotating after each roll and dusting with flour as needed, until you have a 12-inch round that’s about one-sixteenth-inch thick.
Step 8
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured pizza peel. Top evenly with 2 ounces of the mozzarella. Slide the pizza onto the steel or stone and turn the oven to 500°F. Bake until the crust is crisp and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into slices. Top evenly with a quarter of the puntarelle and serve immediately. Leaving the oven at 500°F, repeat with the remaining dough balls, cheese, and puntarelle.
- Make the dough: In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, stir together the yeast and 1 cup of cold water. Set aside until the yeast has dissolved, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and mix on low until the dough mostly comes together into a dry ball, about 3 minutes. Add the salt and mix on medium, adding up to 3 tablespoons of water if the dough looks dry, until a smooth and elastic ball forms, about 4 minutes. Mix in the oil. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Grease a baking sheet with oil. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a dough scraper or knife, cut it into 4 pieces weighing about 6 ounces each. Working with one piece at a time, pull one corner and fold it into the top of the dough, pressing lightly and taking care not to flatten it. Repeat with the other 3 corners. The dough will tighten up into a round. Flip the dough seam-side down on an unfloured surface. Cup your hands around it and gently pull it toward you, using the resistance of the countertop to create tension on the dough surface. Rotate the dough a quarter turn, then pull it toward you again. Repeat this motion—pulling and turning—until the dough tightens into a smooth, round ball. Repeat with the remaining pieces. Place the dough balls on the greased baking sheet, brush lightly with oil, and cover the baking sheet with plastic. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Three hours before baking, retrieve the dough from the fridge and set aside at room temperature, covered. It will rise slightly as it warms. Place a baking steel or stone in the top third of the oven and preheat the broiler.
- Meanwhile, make the puntarelle alla Romana: Fill a medium bowl with water and ice. Strip away the outer leaves of the puntarelle and reserve for another use. Separate the inner stalks and trim off the fibrous ends. Slice the stalks into thin strips and drop them into the ice water. Set aside until curled, about 1 hour. (Alternatively, if using frisée, coarsely chop it before adding it to the ice water.)
- In a mortar and pestle, mash the anchovies and garlic into a paste. Whisk in the vinegar, then very gradually whisk in the oil to create a creamy dressing.
- Drain the puntarelle, pat it dry, and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and more vinegar.
- Lightly flour a work surface. Using flat fingertips, gently press one dough ball into a 6-inch round. Lightly flour the top. Using a rolling pin, roll from the center outward, applying gentle, even pressure. Rotate a quarter turn and continue rolling, rotating after each roll and dusting with flour as needed, until you have a 12-inch round that’s about one-sixteenth-inch thick.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured pizza peel. Top evenly with 2 ounces of the mozzarella. Slide the pizza onto the steel or stone and turn the oven to 500°F. Bake until the crust is crisp and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into slices. Top evenly with a quarter of the puntarelle and serve immediately. Leaving the oven at 500°F, repeat with the remaining dough balls, cheese, and puntarelle.
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