The growth of farmers markets over the past couple of decades has brought so many benefits. It has led to the increased availability of fresher ingredients that are often also organic, sustainable and locally produced — and not just fruits and vegetables, but also eggs, cheeses, artisan breads, quality oils and vinegars, and a wide array of other products. I also love the way farmers markets enrich a sense of community, something I experience when my two young sons and I stroll through one on Sunday mornings not far from our home.
One of the greatest gifts we’ve all received from farmers markets is in the variety of vegetable and fruit choices. I remember not so long ago when supermarkets displayed a surprisingly limited array, their selections seemingly based more on inventory control and what stayed freshest and looked attractive longest rather than on any dedication to offering great tastes and inspiring options.
Today, however, competition from farmers markets has also led many food stores — and not just those dedicated to healthier foods — to rethink and expand their produce selections. Once-exotic mushroom varieties; heirloom tomatoes of all colors, shapes and sizes; baby lettuces and other salad greens; potatoes ranging far beyond small waxy boiling kinds and big russet bakers: All these and more, I believe, trace their widespread availability to the farmers-market revolution.
One of my favorite examples of this newfound variety is fennel bulb, which entered its seasonal peak just before the holidays and remains abundantly available at good prices into spring. Fennel is best described in terms of other more-familiar ingredients: It has the crispness and cool freshness of celery, combined with a mildly sweet taste and scent faintly reminiscent of licorice. (Crescent-shaped fennel seeds, sometimes used in baking, also carry that distinctive flavor and aroma.)
I love fennel raw in salads, for which I usually shave it thinly using a sharp knife or a mandoline. But I also love fennel cooked: cut up more thickly, brushed with olive oil and grilled; or slowly braised; or sliced and spread on top of a pizza, as I do here in my recipe for Pizza With Fresh Fennel, Italian Sausage and Roasted Red Peppers. Heat helps to concentrate that wonderful fennel flavor, caramelizing the vegetable’s natural sugars to produce a rich, mellow effect.
I hope you’ll give my recipe a try soon, serving it to your family or friends for dinner or even doubling or tripling the recipe to keep baking these easy pizzas one after
another for a casual party. I’m sure you’ll find the flavor of fennel as delightful as I do. And maybe you’ll be encouraged to seek out other great ingredients at your own local farmers market.
PIZZA WITH FRESH FENNEL, ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND ROASTED RED PEPPERS
Makes 4 small pizzas, each 8 inches
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing the pizza crusts
2 medium fennel bulbs, cut into eighths, cored and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 recipe Wolfgang’s Pizza Dough (recipe follows)
1/2 cup prepared pesto
2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups freshly shredded fontina cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large roasted red bell pepper (fresh or bottled), cut or torn into thin strips
6 ounces fennel-scented sausage or other mild, sweet Italian sausage, crumbled or sliced
Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add the 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is hot enough to flow freely when the pan is tilted slightly, add the fennel, and saute until just tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the garlic and thyme.
Place a pizza stone or perforated pizza rack on the middle rack of the oven, and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Roll or press out the pizza dough as directed in the recipe to form 4 crusts. Brush lightly with olive oil; then spread the pesto evenly on the crusts, leaving a 1/2-inch rim. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the pesto. Distribute the fennel, red pepper and sausage on top.
Using a lightly floured baker’s peel or rimless flat baking tray, pick up a pizza and slide it onto the pizza stone or rack, transferring as many as will fit comfortably and taking great care while working around the very hot oven. Bake until nicely browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
Carefully transfer the baked pizzas to a cutting board, and cut into slices using a pizza cutter or very sharp knife. Serve immediately, while baking any remaining pizzas.
PIZZA DOUGH
Makes enough for 4 pizzas, each 8 inches
Ingredients:
1 packet active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water, 105-115 degrees
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup of the water.
In a mixer with a dough hook, or a food processor with the stainless-steel blade, combine the flour and salt. Add the oil, yeast mixture and remaining water, and mix on low speed until the dough clusters around the dough hook; or process until the dough rides on the processor blade.
Turn out onto a clean work surface, and knead by hand until smooth and firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel, and leave in a warm spot to rise for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 4 equal balls. Shape each by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom, repeating 4 or 5 times. Then, on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the dough under your palm until smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover with a damp towel, and leave to rest about 20 minutes. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.