Pizza Carbonara

We love eating pizza at home. I usually buy a pizzeria dough and divide it into 4 pieces to make four individual pizzas. I am always looking to make something new or at least try some new toppings for the pizza.

My daughter likes her usual- tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and either sauteed mushrooms or black olives. She doesn’t like to mess with perfection and likes to stick to her usual. My husband is very similar- well, he is a bit more adventurous- as long as the pizza has red sauce on it. I love white pizza but am the only one in our family. My favorite is a white pizza with ricotta, spinach and lots of garlic- hmm- that sounds delicious- I could use some right now.

While picking up the pizza dough, I also stopped at the wine store. I couldn’t believe I had run out of wine- completely. As I was running my errands I was thinking what pizza to make for myself. I wanted something white and different. Pasta carbonara came to mind- I love eating it. The problem is that it is full of cream, bacon and eggs- definitely not an option for me these days. I guess once in a while it is okay to eat this stuff- right?. So, I decided to make a pizza carbonara for myself.

I sauteed some pancetta and turned the heat off. I stirred in eggs beaten with half and half (instead of cream). I then poured it all over my already rolled out pizza. Just in a few minutes the pizza crust turned golden brown and the topping rose way high. It looked beautiful. I added a lot of black pepper- that is what comes to mind when I think of carbonara. It was delicious. This would be great for breakfast, lunch or dinner- anytime, really.

Try pizza carbonara next time you want to change it up a bit.

• One large pizza dough from a pizzeria cut into four pieces
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Preheat convection oven (preferred) to 450 degrees F.

Take one piece and form into a round ball and using some of the all-purpose flour roll into a 9-inch circle. Keep aside.

• ½ cup shredded Quattro Formaggio (mix of four Italian cheeses from Trader Joes)

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Fresh pepper
• 2 tablespoons half and half

Beat the eggs and add the salt, pepper and half and half.

• ¼ cup pancetta chopped
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

In a small non-stick frying pan heat the olive oil and pancetta on medium heat. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes till the pancetta is dark brown. Turn the heat off and add the egg mixture. Stir quickly as the egg cooks. It should stay fairly liquid as the heat is off.

Add the shredded cheese on the rolled out pizza and pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or till the pizza crust is golden brown the mixture is cooked and golden brown. Crush some fresh pepper on top and serve.