Carbonara flatbread pizza
Italy’s answer to bacon and eggs, with prosciutto, mozzarella and Parmesan, as a pizza. Are you in?
Taking its cues from pasta carbonara, this is a distinctly Italian spin on a bacon and egg pizza. I use paper-thin prosciutto as my salumi of choice – you could also use thinly sliced pancetta – and cheese it up with both Parmesan and mozzarella. Because I’m never going to make pizza dough from scratch at home, I use a Turkish bread, pide, or a thin Lebanese flatbread as the base. Naan also works very well, too.
Over this, a smear of cheesy white sauce. Now, you must abandon everything you know about making a white sauce the classic French way: this is your new roux. Instead of melting butter and cooking in the flour then whisking in milk bit by bit, you start with everything in a cold pan, switch the heat on under it and whisk lazily for a couple of minutes. It’s faster, easier and always comes out perfectly smooth. You’re welcome.
Carbonara flatbread pizza
Serves 2.
1 Turkish (or Lebanese) bread, about 30 cm (12 inches) wide, or naan
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter
125ml (½ cup) milk
40g (½ cup) Parmesan cheese, finely grated
sea salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper
150g (6 oz) mozzarella
100g (4 oz) prosciutto
1 egg
To make the cheese sauce, put the flour, butter and milk in a small saucepan. Switch on medium heat. When the butter melts, whisk until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Cook, still whisking, for 2 minutes and stir in the half the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Set your oven to 220°C (425°F).
If you're using a Turkish bread, cut the top crust off using a long serrated knife. (If you're using a Lebanese bread or naan, there's nothing to do.) Place on a baking sheet.
Spoon over the cheese sauce, spreading it to the edges. Scatter over about two-thirds of the mozzarella and lay the slices of prosciutto on top. Dot with the remaining mozzarella, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and a good grinding of black pepper.
Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, break the egg on top and return to the oven for 4 minutes, until the egg white has set.
Slice and serve immediately.
