VIEW SLIDESHOW: Top This: Artichoke and Smoked Pancetta Pizza (à la Barboncino)
The artichoke and smoked pancetta pizza at hot spot Barboncino in Crown Heights is intensely smoky, salty, cheesy, garlicky, and crowned with marinated-in-house, long-stem artichokes.
This incredibly delicious white pie is surprisingly simple to make at home, as long as you're willing to commit to buying the best possible ingredients and marinating your own 'chokes. We suggest you follow the lead of Barboncino owner Ron Brown and buy your smoked pancetta (or Italian bacon) from Leoncini (a producer of cured pork products in the Veneto region) or your neighborhood Italian deli, and buy the best fior di latte and Pecorino you can find.
If you're lucky enough to live near Barboncino, you can swing by on Saturday, October 13th from 11am—3pm for the pizzeria's Neighborhood Appreciation Day, during which they will offer free brunch pizzas and appetizers. Why? Because these guys are awesome and they want to give back to their community. I'm not going to argue with that.
What You'll Need (for one pizza)
- 1 dough portion (Watch this video to learn how to make Neapolitan-style dough)
- Fior di latte mozzarella, chopped or ripped into small pieces
- Pecorino Romano, grated
- Smoked pancetta, diced (Ron gets his from Leoncini)
- 1 small, long-stemmed artichoke, cleaned*
- White wine vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- Whole black peppercorns
- Red chili flakes
- Garlic, minced
*To clean the artichoke, pull off the tough outer leaves until you get to the tender leaves that are mostly yellow. Peel the stem and slice about 1 inch off the top of the artichoke. Spread open the leaves and scoop out the white choke using a spoon. Rub the artichokes with lemon to prevent discoloration.
Barboncino
781 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11238 (map)
718-483-8834 barboncinopizza.com
About the author: Originally from Los Angeles, Erin Mosbaugh writes Je Blague, where she captures her food adventures in NYC and beyond. Erin also writes dining and nightlife features for Robb Report's New York City.