Not your average pizza night, try this elevated brussel sprouts, rapini and fennel sausage version packed with greens.

Recipe & Styling Natalie Homan | Photographs Brendan Homan

Brussel sprout, rapini & fennel sausage pizza
makes 3, 12-inch pizzas

4 tbsp olive oil
300g Brussel sprouts, thickly sliced
3 tbsp grated parmesan
2 cups blanched rapini, roughly chopped*
2 pork and fennel sausages, casings removed
100g fior di latte cheese
sea salt
cracked black pepper
1 large green chilli, finely sliced

for dough
500g 00 strong flour + extra for stretching the dough
300ml warm water
3g dry yeast
5g salt

To make pizza dough, place water into the bowl of a standmixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle over the yeast and a third of the flour and mix to combine. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.  Add remaining flour and salt and mix to combine over low speed. Increase speed to medium and knead for
10 minutes. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and set aside to prove for 1 hour. Turn out dough on to a floured bench and divide into 3 equal portions. Form into balls and place into 1-litre capacity containers sprayed with olive oil. Seal well and place into the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the dough balls 2 hours before cooking pizzas. Preheat pizza oven or preheat domestic oven to its maximum temperature with a pizza stone placed on the bottom rack.

Toss brussel sprouts in 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on to a baking tray and roast in the oven as it is preheating. Remove once they are only just cooked. Tear the fior di latte into bite-sized pieces and place on to a paper towel to absorb excess moisture.

Place a handful of flour into a shallow bowl. Gently turn out dough ball into the flour and turn over to coat in the flour. Transfer dough onto the kitchen bench and gently press the dough in the centre to form a flat, round disc. Pick up the dough, allowing gravity to stretch it, turning to stretch it out evenly, ensuring the edges remain airy and a little thicker. Continue to stretch until a 12-inch (approximately
30 centimetres) disc is formed.

Brush dough with 1 tablespoon olive oil (avoiding the rim) and scatter over 1 tablespoon parmesan. Top with chopped rapini, pieces of sausage and fior di latte. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little extra olive oil. Place on to a pizza paddle and transfer to the oven. If using a pizza oven, the pizza will cook within 90-120 seconds, rotating the pizza frequently to ensure even cooking. Allow 8-10 minutes of cooking time for a domestic oven.

Serve immediately, scattered with green chilli.

*substitute for any other dark leafy green if rapini is too hard to come by.

 

This article first appeared in the July 2024 issue of SALIFE magazine.