Back in February, Ina Garten posted a picture to her Instagram of a cacio e pepe brussels sprouts pizza that she enjoyed at Danny Meyer’s latest New York restaurant, Martina Pizzeria. The internet went nuts. Just google cacio e pepe brussels sprouts pizza and you will see that every news outlet ran a story exclaiming that this pizza was Ina’s favorite! It’s not surprising since Ina is fairly guarded with her personal recommendations.
But when Ina talks, it seems as though many of us listen. At least I do as she is considered the arbitor of all things “fabulous” as she likes to say. I started following Martina Pizzeria so I would remember to visit them on my next visit to New York. Unfortunately that didn’t happen when we were in the city recently. Images of that cacio e pepe brussels sprouts pizza appeared once again recently, this time on Martina’s Instagram account, taunting me with its beauty. I became a little obsessed with how I was going to enjoy those flavors at home.
So what is cacio e pepe? Traditionally, it’s a Roman pasta preparation. Strands of long pasta are tossed with salty Pecorino Romano cheese (cacio), coarsely cracked black pepper (pepe) and pasta cooking water to create a creamy, cheesy sauce with a kick. No butter or cream, but a completely luxurious and decadent dish. I posted a twist on that traditional recipe last summer with my Cacio e Pepe Pasta with Sugar Snap Peas and Zucchini that you should try sometime…
Let’s get back to the pizza!
My book group had its first meeting of the year this past week. This is our fourth year together and for the past three we’ve always enjoyed a pot luck dinner at our first Fall meeting which is really fun. My friend, Francine hosted and prepared a divine slow cooked salmon and a quinoa-brown rice salad. I offered to bring an appetizer and decided it was time to attempt that cacio e pepe brussels sprouts pizza.
I first thought to prepare smaller pizzettes for a couple of reasons. First, I always love making miniatures and little bites when preparing appetizers. I think one or two biters max work the best when trying to balance it with a beverage in the other hand. Second, the smaller pizzettes I find a little easier to handle and cut. Perhaps most importantly, I think the smaller pizzettes end up having more crunch – no soggy center because the dough’s edges cook more quickly then the center. And lastly, I think working with the smaller pieces of dough prevents you from over topping your pizzettes.
My book group loved the pizzettes and when I made another batch later in the week for photos, different friends were happy to sample a piece and take some home for later.
I used store bought white and mulit grain dough from Whole Foods, both of which were very tasty. The first step was to divide the dough evenly into 4 pieces and roll out to a thin oval. Next, I drizzled the dough with a little olive oil which helps with flavor and color. Salty, crumbly Pecorino Cheese is added next along with some coarsely cracked black pepper. Shredded brussels sprouts that have been tossed with olive oil and lemon zest are added along with more Pecorino cheese and a touch of heavy cream. The pizzettes are baked on the bottom rack in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes…
I cut the pizzettes into four pieces for appetizers, but you can cut them any way you would like…
We can thank Ina and Martina Pizzeria for the inspiration, but the recipe is all mine 🙂 Make, share, enjoy and please report back!
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Inspired by a picture and the famous Roman pasta dish, these pizzettes can be served as an appetizer, lunch or dinner with a salad. Easy to prepare and full of salty flavor from the pecorino cheese and a nice bite from the coarsely ground black pepper. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough, white, wheat or multi-grain
- 8 Tablespoons plus 8 Teaspoons coarsely grated pecorino cheese (see note)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper, divided
- 6-8 ounces brussels sprouts
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 4 teaspoons heavy cream
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a rack on the bottom rung. Move other racks to the top of the oven to create room.
- Line two sheet pans with parchment paper (you may get all four pizzette onto one depending on the size of your pans.
- Clean and trim brussels sprouts, removing any tough outer leaves. Cut in half through the core and then cut the halves into thin slivers. You should have about 1 1/2 cups. Add the slivered sprouts to a bowl and toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, the lemon zest and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss until the oil has completely coated the brussels sprouts and set aside.
- Divide dough into 4 portions, each weighing approximately 4 ounces. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface into an oval, approximately 7-8 inches in length and 4 1/2 inches in width. Place on baking sheet.
- Drizzle just a little extra virgin olive oil onto each dough oval and rub with your fingers to coat the entire surface. This will help with flavor and coloring.
- Top each of the four dough ovals with 2 Tablespoons of the pecorino and spread evenly.
- Then sprinkle 3/8 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper over each pizzette.
- Equally distribute the brussels sprouts mixture over the pizzettes.
- To each pizzette, add 2 additional teaspoons of pecorino and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of heavy cream.
- Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown (you may do this in two batches if using two pans).
- Best served after cooling slightly.
Tips from The Kitchen Scout
The recipe is written using a coarsely grated, almost crumbled Pecorino (as opposed to shards). I used store-ground cheese the first time I prepared it and the second time, I ground a block of cheese in my food processor to crumbs.
My great-grandmother used to call the pasta dish ‘Cacio’, and we grand-kids shortened it further to Caci. It was the go-to meal for her rambunctious crew of 4 great-grandchildren on the weekends she would care for us when my parents were away. As I recall, she made it with caciocavallo but the rest of her ‘recipe’ looks similar to your pasta dish, Valerie. The leftover pasta was always tossed with anything green she could find in the fridge then piled on top of grilled Italian bread for lunch the next day (perhaps a riff on your pizzette!). Thinking about it now, she probably counted on this favorite dish of ours to entice us back into the house when we would rather stay scattered throughout the neighborhood. Thank you for the fun memory!
Now, the important question: how do I get on your recipe taster list?
I love this story, Renee! And you can be a taster or a tester any time! Let’s make a plan!