Pizza Today - September 2017 - 39

the pasta to alleviate steamy pockets of
goo. Fresh and aged mozzarella is usually
a "must" for the top of baked pasta. And
small bites of fresh mozzarella inside the
bake breaks up the pasta monotony.

may take 5 to 8 minutes for the pancetta to just
turn crispy. Remove only the meat from the pan
and leave the oil on medium-low.
Add the onion, garlic and ground pepper
and sweat, stirring occasionally. When the
onion is transparent and the garlic just cooked,
sprinkle the flour all around the pan and stir for
Ziti di Pepe with Pancetta,
six minutes. The flour will bubble with the juices
Basil and Zucchini
as it catches the oils and cooks.
Add ¼ cup of the milk initially, stirring as you
turn the heat to medium. Keep stirring and do
This is a glorious ziti dish I tasted in the
not let the sauce burn. As soon as the sauce
mountains of Abruzzo. The combination of
pork, zucchini, basil and cream can't be beat. As gets thick and sticks around the edges of the
a pizza guy who uses whole logs of charcuterie,
this is another way to save money using what I
call the "spent ends" of pancetta logs, prosciutto
di Parma, soppressata etc. that can no longer
be sliced. The secret is to slowly melt the flavor
and oil out of the protein first.

sauté pan, add the milk ¼ cup at a time until
the whole ¾ cup is gone. Season, to taste, with
salt. This is the béchamel, or Alfredo base.
Turn heat to low and add the zucchini,
Romano, pancetta and basil. Stir. If the sauce is
too thick, add more milk and stir. Add the ziti
and toss.
Plate in a large bowl and garnish with the
tomato and the basil bud. n
JOHN GUTEKANST owns

Athens, Ohio.

Avalanche Pizza in

1 pound dry ziti pasta cooked in boiling, salted water for 8 minutes until al
dente, then drained
1 medium zucchini
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, cut into small cubes
(bacon, prosciutto di Parma can also be
substituted)
2 large garlic cloves or ¼ ounce, minced
½ yellow onion, minced
1 tablespoon medium coarse ground
peppercorns
1 teaspoon flour
¾ cup whole milk, either warmed or at
room temperature
2 tablespoons grated Pecorino or
Parmesan
¼ to ½ ounce basil leaves, chopped,
leaving one bud for garnish
1 quarter tomato, cored and cut into
small squares for garnish
Cut the zucchini ends off and cut down
the center of the core. Cut each half into
quarters. Put each quarter on a cutting board
skin side down and run your knife across
the seedy interior, leaving only the zucchini
wall. Cut each quartered wall portion into
two batons. (If they are not the same size,
cut another baton and leave about 8 to 9
batons.) Bundle the batons up and cut across
into into 1/8-inch cubes.
Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin oil in a hot
pan just till smoking and add the zucchini
cubes and season with salt. Toss and sauté on
high for 2 minutes until just cooked. Take off
heat and place the cubes in a cool place.
Cook the pancetta on medium-low heat,
turning occasionally to sweat the oils. This
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 3 9

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Pizza Today - September 2017

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