Pesto Pizza with Fennel and Cauliflower (Recipe #35)

I love trying new things! I have only ever had fennel raw and I did not like it because of the black licorice like flavor. I decided to give it another try on this pizza to see if I liked it or not. I was so surprised with how this pizza came out and I would recommend it to everyone to try!

I started with a beautiful thin-crust dough and topped it with a homemade pesto. The pesto consists of basil, oil, garlic, pine nuts, and salt. I put a mixture of sauteed fennel and cauliflower on top of the pesto. After that came together, I put it in an already heated oven (500 degrees Fahrenheit) to cook to perfection and it came out perfect!

This recipe does call for the use of a pizza stone, which I do not have. It explains in the introduction that you can use a regular baking pan for this instead, but it recommends that you heat it before you put the pizza on it. I did just that! I used a 9x13’’ baking pan that I placed in the oven for a few minutes before I placed the dough on it. I let it bake for about 10 minutes, then I took the pizza off the tray and placed it directly onto the oven rack for about one minute. I slide it onto a cutting board to cool. I would love to try a pizza stone to see if this would have come out differently. 

Back to talking about the pizza itself! I was impressed with everything this pizza had to offer! This recipe made two perfect small pizzas enough for Jacob and I to each have our own (I had a few pieces left over). I loved how the pizza had so much flavor ranging from the fresh basil, to the nuttiness that the pine nuts provided, and the extra “zing” from the fennel. Every bite was incredible!

The thought of cauliflower and fennel on pizza is a little unconventional, but it holds its own. It really shines through with the complexity of flavors. As a regular pizza lover, I would have this pizza again and I might even choose it over a pizza with red sauce! I am glad that I gave fennel another chance--maybe I will use it in something else?!

Taste: 10/10!! Pizza pizza pizza!!!

Level of Difficulty: 1/5

Notes for next time: Let’s try different toppings!! Maybe a red sauce pizza! Margherita!