Recipe: A Summer Pie from Pizzology

Neal Brown’s acclaimed Pizzology just opened its second post, on Mass Ave, but the Neapolitan-style pizzeria already has a loyal fan base hooked on a no-fuss menu that includes only five red or white selections. Every pizza is a carefully crafted concoction from head chef Scott Herold and his staff, who collaborate on multiple taste tests before a creation makes the bill of fare. “We live in this thought process of what works with what,” Herold says. “It’s pretty imaginative.” Some varieties—like this unexpected assemblage of jalapeños, pancetta, goat cheese, and mint—stay on the menu by public demand. “To a lot of people, that’s a combo that doesn’t seem like it would work,” he says. “But it’s such a balanced pie that it’s one of our top sellers in the summer.” Here, Herold discloses the foolproof recipe behind Pizzology’s beloved Fresca Ardente.

INGREDIENTS
» Olive oil
» Flour
» 12 ounces pizza dough
» 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh jalapeños
» 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
» 1/4 cup diced and cooked pancetta
» 2 ounces fresh mint chiffonade

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Dust a pizza pan or stone with flour. Press out the dough into a 13-inch circle on the pan or stone.
3. Liberally drizzle olive oil on the dough. Spread the jalapeños and goat cheese evenly onto the crust.
4. Place pizza into the oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until crust rises and has a light golden color.
5. Remove pizza from the oven and sprinkle the cooked pancetta over the other toppings. Return pizza to the oven and bake for another 4 minutes.
6. Take the pizza out of the oven and garnish with fresh mint.

This article appeared in the June 2014 issue.