12:16 / Eve of Italia

I made this pizza about 24 hours before my parents departed for a 10-day Italian romp, so while I live vicariously through their photos of authentic Neapolitan pies, hopefully they will have my pizzas in mind, and bring back some ideas. I wanted to send them off with a preview, something really Italian but non-traditional, so there is no tomato or mozzarella.

I chose fennel, kalamata olives [so I guess it's only 80% Italian and 20% Greek], bresaola and pecorino as the focus, with a little garnish of chives. It felt somehow southern Italian, though being the least savvy of my family members on our Italian roots and geography in general, that is pulled out of thin air.

I am new to bresaola, and since picking it up at the store, I have become determined to try every cured meat on the display beside it. I have been making my way steadily through speck and prosciutto - it has been like a gift I gave myself by beginning the project, I have discovered a whole new world of salty flavor.

Fennel blipped on my radar when I was brainstorming meals for the week and had exhausted my other veggie ideas. The old me might have stopped after dreaming up some fennel citrus salad, but the me with pizza on the brain is an over-thinker. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This time, I think it did.

Since I haven't done olives yet, it seemed a good extra to round out the toppings. This pizza felt too simple with two toppings and cheese, especially without at sort of sauce. The olive add just enough left-field zing, and don't overcomplicate. In fact, they complement the flavor of the bresaola quite nicely.

Nothing else to say on this one, on to the recipe!

Toppings for two pizzas:

3 bulbs of fennel

8 oz bresaola

8 oz kalamata olives

6 oz pecorino cheese

Generous handful of chives, chopped or torn

1/4 cup olive oil

Prepare your favorite crust, or use my recipe.

Cut the fennel bulbs crossways, into quarter-inch slices. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Over media-high heat, cook the fennel, covered, until it is tender and buttery in texture. Add additional olive oil as needed and stir occasionally to prevent burning [a little is okay]. I had to do this in 4 batches, even using a wide saucepan.

Halve the kalamata olives and discard the pits. Tear the bresaola into small pieces. Mine were between the size of a quarter and a teabag so I could use the smaller pieces to fill in nooks and crannies.

On the prepared crust, spread the cooked fennel, bresaola and olives. Grate the pecorino over everything. Bake for 10 minutes and garnish with chives or greens from the fennel bulbs while the pizza cools. Enjoy!